Video Games

Is Starfield Buggy?

A Starfield NPC standing tall. But can you kill all Starfield's NPCs?

Those who play titles from Bethesda Game Studios have gotten used to the company’s offerings being at least a little buggy. Notorious bugs in Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, for example, allowed players to beat those games in absurdly short times. They had their quirks, though they were playable. However, Fallout 76 was significantly less functional due to glitches and bugs. That’s led people to wonder if Starfield is buggy, and we’ve got the answer for you.

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How Buggy Is Starfield?

Of course Starfield has bugs and glitches. As critics, including The Escapist, noted in their reviewsStarfield isn’t free of bugs, but it’s not nearly as glitch-filled as other Bethesda titles. Some outlets had more problems than others, with IGN noting the game was quite buggy in their playthrough. Users on the Starfield Reddit have also been sharing images and videos of bugs they’ve encountered, many of which are truly hilarious to watch and keep exactly with the unexpected, entertaining nature of Bethesda’s more mundane bugs. Personally, I found on my relatively new, mid-range PC, Starfield wasn’t particularly buggy, but after more than a dozen hours in the game, I have seen some odd things, including police falling from the sky to shoot at me for doing crime.

RELATED: Starfield Has Excellent Doors 

Although Starfield does have bugs — pretty much every game has bugs, folks — there’s nothing I’ve seen or heard of that’s particularly egregious and that’s happening with regularity. There’s absolutely a question as to how much any of these bugs can get patched out in the future, and if Bethesda will bother, but right now, the game is in a functional state, and most players are likely to encounter relatively few problems. My best advice is to save often and in different slots, just in case something game breaking does happen. Otherwise, embrace the chaos.

If you’re looking for more guides on Starfield, we’ve got some pretty great ones. If you’re on the fence about buying the game, check out our thoughts on if Starfield is worth a purchase, or if you already have it, learn why you should prioritize doing the game’s main quests first

About the author

Liam Nolan
Liam Nolan is the Managing Editor of The Escapist. After getting his Master of Arts in English in 2016, he began writing about comics, television, movies, and video games, with his work appearing at such outlets as Marvel.com, CBR, and The Mary Sue. When he's not writing on pop culture, you can find Liam working on his creative projects or traveling. He's been with The Escapist since 2023. You can follow him on Twitter @LD_Nolan or on Bluesky @ldnolan.bsky.social.
    Liam Nolan
    Liam Nolan is the Managing Editor of The Escapist. After getting his Master of Arts in English in 2016, he began writing about comics, television, movies, and video games, with his work appearing at such outlets as Marvel.com, CBR, and The Mary Sue. When he's not writing on pop culture, you can find Liam working on his creative projects or traveling. He's been with The Escapist since 2023. You can follow him on Twitter @LD_Nolan or on Bluesky @ldnolan.bsky.social.

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