Bethesda Director Reveals Why Starfield Will Be Locked To 30 FPS On Xbox Series X

Microsoft presented its Xbox Showcase yesterday and it was jam-packed with new game announcements. Among those announcements were a new trailer for the upcoming game Starfield and a release date of September 6, 2023, along with an extended gameplay overview following the event. However, even with all the new footage and information, many fans were expressing their dismay and disapproval of one key fact. That being how many frames per second the game would run on Microsoft's most powerful console ever.

Bethesda's Todd Howard spoke with IGN ahead of the Xbox and Starfield showcases and confirmed the game would run in 4K resolution on the Xbox Series X and 1440p on the Xbox Series S, but would indeed be locked at 30 frames per second on both consoles.


"I think it'll come as no surprise, given our previous games, what we go for," Howard began explaining. "Always these huge, open worlds, fully dynamic, hyper detail where anything can happen. And we do want to do that. It's 4K in the X. It's 1440 on the S. We do lock it at 30, because we want that fidelity, we want all that stuff. We don't want to sacrifice any of it."

Howard says that the team at Bethesda has the game "running great," and that it often runs above 30fps. In fact, he says it sometimes runs at 60fps. He then remarked, "But on the consoles, we do lock it because we prefer the consistency, where you're not even thinking about it."


Fans who have been waiting for the game for years took to social media and began voicing their opinions about the situation. Some didn't seem to mind, saying that they agreed with the decision and simply want a game that runs smoothly. Others were harsher in their response, saying Bethesda should let the gamer decide if they want to sacrifice the quality for higher frame rates, and that it is unacceptable for any game to be locked at 30fps on an advanced console like the Xbox Series X.

Starfield is the first new universe in over 25 years from Bethesda. Players will be able to customize the appearance, background, and traits of their character, who is set in an immersive and expansive open world filled with more than 1,000 planets that can all be explored. As players explore, they will be able to discover and collect new resources, build outposts, and engage in galactic space battles.

Starfield will be available on day one of its release for those with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. Players can also opt to preorder the game, with two options currently available: Starfield Standard Edition at $69.99, Starfield Premium Edition at $99.99. There is also the Starfield Constellation Edition that will include extras such as a Steelbook case, Constellation patch, and a Starfield Chronomark watch and case with a listing price of $299.99.