Starfield’s New Patch Is Here—And It’s Sparking More Questions Than Hype

So, six months after Bethesda last touched Starfield with any kind of patch, we’ve finally got something new. The May 2025 Steam beta update just dropped, and while it’s not nothing, it’s far from the content bomb some players were hoping for. Instead, we got performance fixes, a “Very Low” graphics setting, a few tweaks to the Creation Kit, and some modest quality-of-life improvements. The community’s response? Well... it’s complicated.

Let’s start with what’s actually in the update. The full patch notes are long, but if you’re looking for meaningful new content, you might come away a little disappointed. The “Very Low” graphics setting is obviously designed to help folks on older hardware squeeze a few more frames out of the game, which is a nice touch, though arguably something that should’ve been there at launch.

Bethesda also improved modding support in a few key ways. You can now upload Creations up to 2GB in size, bundle them for the store, and even add custom icons. For modders, that’s huge. But again, for the average player, it’s backend stuff that doesn’t make Starfield feel any more alive.

“Some players are happy the game hasn't been abandoned, but others are wondering why it took six months for this.”

That quote from the original report kind of sums up where a lot of the Starfield subreddit and Steam forum users are sitting right now. It's that weird limbo where people are glad the game hasn’t been totally ghosted, but also not thrilled by the breadcrumbs.

Is Anyone Still Playing Starfield?

Let’s be real: Starfield launched in September 2023 with more fanfare than actual follow-through. It was Bethesda’s first new IP in decades, hyped as a galaxy-sized answer to Fallout and Skyrim. What we got was a mixed bag of deep systems, shallow planets, and lots of loading screens.

Since then, updates have been slow and cautious. The last patch before this one dropped in November 2024. Between then and now, Bethesda claimed they were still “hard at work on exciting things.” But the silence dragged on, and when this patch finally arrived in early May 2025, it felt more like housekeeping than a revival.

Still, the devs insist that more is coming. In fact, today’s patch notes don’t even include the most interesting thing going on in the Starfield ecosystem right now—a mod.

Enter: Watchtower

While Bethesda’s own update is tame, they did quietly spotlight a new mod from Kinggath, best known for his killer work on Fallout 4. His upcoming project, Watchtower, looks like the kind of narrative content Starfield desperately needs.

"A new faction has emerged from the shadows to protect humanity from potential threats with excessive power – and they’ve identified you as their latest target."

Sounds like a cross between the Illuminati and a hit squad. The mod promises a full questline, new characters, and what seems to be a dynamic storyline built around betrayal, surveillance, and tech heists. It goes live on May 20, and yes, it will be a paid mod—though pricing hasn’t been revealed yet.

Honestly, it’s a little funny that the most exciting part of this entire patch cycle isn’t even from Bethesda. It’s from a community creator who’s doing the heavy lifting for the game’s storytelling potential.

The Full Patch Rundown

Here’s a breakdown of the biggest things included in the beta patch:

• Very Low Display Setting — aimed at boosting performance on lower-end hardware.
• Creation Kit Tweaks — icon support, bundled creations, and 2GB upload cap.
• General Fixes — control locks, crashing bugs, and save/load errors.
• Gameplay Fixes — outpost building limits, XP rewards, missile issues, status effect clarifications.
• Graphics/Performance — frame rate improvements, widescreen support, better celestial rendering.
• Quests: fixes for quests like “All That Money Can Buy,” “The Starjacker,” and “At Hell’s Gate.”
• Ship and Vehicle Improvements — better deployment, compass markers, camera tweaks.
• UI/Localization — font fixes, menu cleanup, and corrected text in Spanish/Polish.

You can find the full detailed list on Bethesda’s site or in your Steam beta branch if you want to dig into the weeds.

How To Opt In to the Beta

If you're feeling brave and want to check this out yourself, here's how:

1. Open your Steam Library.
2. Right-click on Starfield > “Properties.”
3. Go to the “Betas” tab.
4. Choose “beta” from the dropdown list.

Just keep in mind that this will install a separate build of the game. Saves made in the beta version won’t work with the live version until the patch is fully released, so back up your stuff if you’re switching.

Update Summary

There’s a weird energy around this update. On one hand, it's good to see any movement from Bethesda. After months of radio silence, even a maintenance patch is something. On the other hand, Starfield is over a year old now. Players want DLC, story expansions, or even a simple roadmap for what’s next. A handful of bug fixes and a low graphics toggle isn’t cutting it.

Meanwhile, the modding community continues to prove that Starfield could be great—if it just had a little more narrative spice and technical freedom. Mods like Watchtower are doing the heavy lifting, and unless Bethesda follows up soon with something substantial, the game’s long-term reputation might rest more on what the fans build than what the devs deliver.