The 'biggest Starfield update yet' is coming to Steam beta next week, but it actually looks pretty small

Starfield screenshot - planet with rings, viewed from a nearby moon
(Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

Bethesda announced on Twitter today that the "biggest Starfield update yet" is headed to beta testing on Steam next week. This isn't the start of the big gameplay updates Bethesda promised in December, though: Instead it looks to be a pretty standard patch, making "more than 100 fixes and improvements" to graphics, gameplay issues, and quest bugs.

 "This update contains a multitude of fixes to Quests. Eye of the Storm issues such as being unable to dock with the Legacy or data transfer not starting, and Temples not showing up in Into the Unknown, will no longer prevent Constellation from exploring the cosmos," Bethesda tweeted. 

"Additionally, this update brings stability improvements and numerous graphic improvements ranging from additional widescreen support to improved textures, lighting, and shadows."

Issues with sun disk geometry (whatever that is), planet ring shadows, bulldozed objects that reappear when you return to an outpost, inaccessible ship hatches, and asteroids that are apparently still following some players around like lost puppy dogs will also be addressed in the update.

We even got a before-after picture showcasing some of the visual improvements coming, and yeah, it definitely looks better. These extraterrestrial vistas make for some pretty sweet eye candy too.

All the same, this biggest update yet feels a little small. The major gameplay updates Bethesda committed to in December 2023, including new survival mechanics and "all new ways of travelling," aren't currently slated to start flowing until February, and this patch looks like a standard fixer-upper, and that's led to a bit of disappointment in the responses to the announcement on Twitter: There's plenty of happiness that work is continuing, but some fans are waiting for more substantive changes.

(Image credit: shawncox1130/Umbracone/Jett2Tomorrow)

The full lowdown on this patch won't be revealed until next week so it's possible that our socks (or at least one of them) will be knocked off, but I suspect Starfield players looking forward to the really big stuff will have to wait a little longer yet.

The update will hit the Steam beta branch first, on January 17, so you'll need to be opted in if you want to try it out in advance. Bethesda didn't specify exactly how it will work, but the previous Steam beta update for Starfield, which saw the addition of official DLSS support, required an entirely separate build of the game: Beta players could continue playing from wherever they were in the live game, but progress earned in the beta build would not carry over. My guess is that it'll be the same for this update beta, but I've reached out to ask and will update if I receive a reply.

Starfield guideStarfield traitsStarfield companionsStarfield romance optionsStarfield console commandsStarfield mods

Starfield guide: Our hub of advice
Starfield traits: The full list, with our top picks
Starfield companions: All your recruitable crew
Starfield romance options: Space dating
Starfield console commands: Every cheat you need
Starfield mods: Space is your sandbox

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Read more
The hero battling a Xaurip - a kind of lizardman - in Avowed.
Avowed's huge 66GB update includes major improvements for the game's whole progression system, along with key bug fixes and buffs for companions
A Stalker, posing.
'Massive' Stalker 2 patch adds A-life updates and 1,700 other fixes to GSC's survival shooter, so many you'll need to go on a little quest to read them all
The creepiest guy leans in front of an NPC mid-conversation in Starfield.
Starfield promises it still exists as silence drives fans to space-madness, but it mostly just annoys everyone: 'They are deliberately choosing not to communicate more'
A gas giant planet in No Man's Sky
No Man's Sky is getting 'trillions of new planets,' some with oceans 'several kilometers deep,' plus explorable 'end-game' gas giants
A smiling man in military fatigues
Get in here, stalker: Stalker 2’s Patch 1.3 is here with a whopping 1,200 fixes
Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 stress test is now live for real
Latest in RPG
Junah beginning a battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Today's RPG fans are 'very sensitive to feeling like they wasted time' when they die, says Metaphor: ReFantazio battle planner—but Atlus still made combat hard anyway
Image of Cersei Lanniser from Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Steam early access trailer
A new Game of Thrones RPG is coming to Steam today with a cast of 'familiar faces,' which is good because it's really the only way to tell it's a GoT game at all
A Viera looking confused in Final Fantasy 14.
Old armor continues to fall victim to Final Fantasy 14's bizarre two-channel dye system, unless you're super into changing the colour of teeny-tiny eyelets: 'Why even bother at this point?'
Starfield: Shattered Space
By the time Bethesda was on Starfield, you'd 'basically get in trouble' for breaking schedule, says former dev: 'A lot of the great stuff within Skyrim came from having the freedom to do what you want'
Sphene applauds in Final Fantasy 14's patch 7.2 story.
I'm not yelling 'we're so back!' yet, but Final Fantasy 14's patch 7.2 story could be the first sign the MMO is returning to what made it so critically-acclaimed
A close-up of a scared young girl's face as she stumbles through the woods, a crown of twigs and flowers upon her head.
CD Projekt says it's not using generative AI on The Witcher 4 because it's 'quite tricky when it comes to legal IP ownership'
Latest in News
Image of Ronaldo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trailer
It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened
Junah beginning a battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Today's RPG fans are 'very sensitive to feeling like they wasted time' when they die, says Metaphor: ReFantazio battle planner—but Atlus still made combat hard anyway
Image of Cersei Lanniser from Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Steam early access trailer
A new Game of Thrones RPG is coming to Steam today with a cast of 'familiar faces,' which is good because it's really the only way to tell it's a GoT game at all
The new Prime Asset featured in the upcoming update for the Outlast Trials.
The Outlast Trials puts its already paranoid players under surveillance for a time-limited story event
A Viera looking confused in Final Fantasy 14.
Old armor continues to fall victim to Final Fantasy 14's bizarre two-channel dye system, unless you're super into changing the colour of teeny-tiny eyelets: 'Why even bother at this point?'
Starfield: Shattered Space
By the time Bethesda was on Starfield, you'd 'basically get in trouble' for breaking schedule, says former dev: 'A lot of the great stuff within Skyrim came from having the freedom to do what you want'