Starfield was always expected to find itself at home on the PC platform. Like other games from Bethesda Game Studios, the PC platform was the platform of choice for many due to the potential of modding support.
A long history of support for the PC platform and multiple delays led to high hopes for an optimized release for Starfield on PC. The game has just launched on the platform a few hours ago, being welcomed by nearly 235K players in early access.
Various YouTube channels have also begun to test the game on a variety of hardware, but initial results are far from impressive. According to testing from zWormz Gaming, Starfield fails to stay at 60FPS on low settings using a GeForce RTX 3060.
Why it matters: The GeForce RTX 3060 is one of the most popular graphics cards on the market, meaning that most PC rigs are not well-equipped to handle Bethesda Game Studios’ latest RPG.
The video begins by testing Starfield on 1080p low settings with FSR 2 enabled. Using a 50% render resolution, the game effectively renders at 540p, allowing it to maintain a frame rate above 60FPS.
However, this is by no means ideal for a $330 mid-range graphics card from less than three years ago. Once the render resolution is set to 100%, Starfield’s frame rate falls to the lower 50s at 1080p low settings.
Before its release, the game had many PC users concerned about optimization and performance when it was announced to be capped at 30FPS on the Xbox Series S|X consoles.
Due to the incredible scope and intricate RPG mechanics, Starfield was anticipated to be CPU-intensive. However, the game was tested with a Ryzen 7 5800X3D in the video above, still being unable to maintain 60FPS at 1080p low settings with the GeForce RTX 3060.
Testing from Daniel Ownes shows that higher-end graphics cards like the AMD RX 6700 XT are also unable to stay above 60FPS at 1080p high settings without the use of FSR 2.
He also suggests the performance of Nvidia graphics cards is bugged at ultra settings.
We are aware of issues with @StarfieldGame on Intel Arc graphics. We are working to improve the experience for the game's general release next week.
— Intel Graphics (@IntelGraphics) August 31, 2023
Apart from general performance issues, Starfield has not been kind to users of Intel graphics cards.
Multiple reports have claimed that the game fails to work on graphics cards like the Intel Arc A750, but Intel has commented on the issues and is now working on a fix for the full release next week.
Bethesda Game Studios is expected to work on future patches in the coming months, but this launch is disappointing for a game that was in development for nearly a decade.
Following the issues, many have set their eyes on the modding community, hoping for custom fixes from fans and dedicated members of the Starfield community. This part of the community has shown great promise, with DLSS already being added to the game through a mod.
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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