Starfield at 60FPS is finally a reality for Xbox Series X players thanks to a new Performance Mode in a huge update this month

Bethesda Softworks
(Image credit: Bethesda Game Studios)

Starfield is getting a Performance Mode with 60 frames per second for Xbox Series X players later this month as part of a huge update.

Bethesda just announced a big update would be coming to Starfield this month on May 15, complete with the developer diary-style video looking over the update below. As part of the update, a new Performance Mode will be available exclusively for Xbox Series X players, where they'll be able to finally play Starfield at 60FPS all the time.

Additionally, Starfield will have two Variable Refresh Rate settings for TVs that support it. You'll be able to set the RPG to play at either 40FPS or 60FPS in the VRR mode, which should go a long way to keeping Bethesda's massive RPG at a pretty stable frame rate for when you're in the thick of combat or trucking through outer space among other ships.

Elsewhere, there will also be quality of life updates for Starfield in the May update. For example, Bethesda previewed a new look at the game's inventory management system in the video above, showing that the entire thing will be easier to navigate. In short, you'll be able to get a better look at all the stuff you're carrying on you at once, which will surely be great news for veteran Bethesda RPG fans.

We just learned from Bethesda studio head Todd Howard that Starfield's first expansion is coming this fall, which puts it right around a year after the RPG first released. Howard said at the time that Bethesda was working on a "big update that's coming really soon," and the May update would appear to be the update that Howard was talking up.

Starfield and Baldur's Gate 3 actors say their games are "easily" better-written than many TV shows and films they've worked on.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
Starfield
Bethesda breaks silence as Starfield fans hope for an update: "We have a lot of exciting things planned for the game this year"
An image of the twins from Far Cry New Dawn
6 years later, Far Cry New Dawn is getting a 60 FPS update on Xbox Series X and PS5, and the way it was revealed is sending me: "Well… this wasn’t how we planned to announce this"
Stellar Blade
Stellar Blade is set to run smoother than ever on PC as its multi-frame generation support promises to triple its frame rate, as long as you have the pricey hardware needed
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 screenshot showing a group of medieval men sitting at a table with food, cheering together with wooden mugs of beer lifted high
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is getting its new 1.2 update soon, and it sounds absolutely massive as Warhorse reveals there are "34 pages of patch notes"
GTA 5
GTA 5 is giving PC players a free upgrade that brings it up to par with the console versions and adds some PC-exclusive features
Skyrim
Skyrim fan completes personal quest to yeet the entire RPG's map into Unreal Engine 5
Latest in RPG
Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 "is done," but it's been delayed again to October for "bug fixing, stability, and performance"
Assassin's Creed 3 screenshot of Desmond hilding a circular Isu artifact
Assassin's Creed Shadows' modern storyline is kind of non-existent and I couldn't be happier about it
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot of an enemy falling backwards through the air away from Yasuke who's just performed a War Kick
Forget the hidden blade: if you're not yeeting enemies in Assassin's Creed Shadows, you're missing out
The Witcher 4 cinematic screenshot showing a closeup of Ciri, protagonist of the new adventure
"We slept under our desks and lived in chaos": Before the Witcher 3 became an RPG phenomenon, CDPR's CEOs had a tough time making the original game
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 studio CD Projekt Red won't make survival games just because they're popular, but Netflix's Edgerunners anime is fueling dreams bigger than RPGs
Fallout 76 screenshot showing an irradiated mutant man-like creature screeching, its sharp canine teeth showing
After 14 years at Bethesda, Skyrim and Fallout veteran made his final settlement in just 2 days – but only because he'd made some rough ones before that
Latest in News
Muse
Daredevil: Born Again midseason trailer teases Matt Murdock’s violent fight with Muse, including a gory scene straight from the comics
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe assassinating target with Tanto skill
Assassin's Creed Shadows' first title update is a hotfix with three lines of patch notes and a download size up to 9GB
a victory screen showing someone in a day of the dead mask and another who is an old man looking sad
GeoGuessr is coming to Steam and you can go head-to-head to prove you're the best geographer of them all
Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 "is done," but it's been delayed again to October for "bug fixing, stability, and performance"
Ben Affleck in Air
Ben Affleck isn't in The Odyssey, but he plans to visit the set anyway to watch Christopher Nolan work: "He's one of the greatest filmmaking architects to ever live"