Starfield first launched in September 2023 on PC and Xbox, quickly turning into one of Bethesda’s biggest releases. Now, more than two years later, the space RPG has finally arrived on PlayStation 5 as of April 7. But early sales suggest the long-awaited PS5 debut may be off to a more modest start than many fans expected.
Based on figures reported by analytics firm Alinea Analytics, Starfield moved around 140,000 copies on PS5 in its first week, bringing in an estimated $7.7 million in revenue. Those are respectable numbers for many titles, but for a massive open-world RPG making its debut on a new platform after such a long wait, the results look comparatively muted.
A big reason the PS5 launch drew attention is that it arrived alongside one of Starfield’s most significant updates yet: the Free Lanes update. This patch introduces manual flight between planets, a heavily requested feature since launch and a major change for players who wanted more direct control while exploring space. The timing was designed to make the PS5 release feel like more than just a late port, giving both new and returning players a strong reason to jump in.
That strategy appears to have helped boost interest on PC as well. Following the new update, Starfield reportedly sold an additional 55,000 copies on Steam, generating roughly $2.3 million more in revenue. The fresh wave of sales also helped push the game’s total Steam revenue beyond $200 million. Prior to the PS5 release, Starfield had already sold about 3.7 million copies on Steam alone, showing how strong its PC audience remains.
Still, the PS5 rollout hasn’t been completely smooth. Some PS5 and PS5 Pro players have reported stability and save-related problems, including frequent crashes and, in some cases, trouble loading existing save files. Bethesda has acknowledged the issues and says a hotfix is on the way, but technical problems early in a launch window can influence word-of-mouth and may have affected momentum during that crucial first week.
With a major new feature now in place and a hotfix reportedly incoming, Starfield’s PS5 version could still pick up speed in the coming weeks. For now, its first-week performance paints a picture of a highly anticipated release that’s delivering steady sales, but not the explosive surge many might expect from a blockbuster RPG finally landing on PlayStation.
