In a recent interview with IGN, Bethesda’s Todd Howard revealed that Starfield will only run at 30 FPS on consoles. While this could be a sudden dealbreaker for some, Howard has a reason for that. They prefer to show the detailed and cinematic side of their games, instead of compromising quality.
No Performance Mode for Starfield, Will Run at 30 FPS Only
As expected the Xbox Series X runs Starfield at a native 4K resolution at 30 FPS, the same goes for Series S but at 1440p resolution. This has been done to ensure ‘consistency’ in performance. Howard also revealed the title has been optimized well so that they were able to run 60 FPS. But then decided to lock at 30 to not sacrifice graphics fidelity. He said:
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. Fortunately in this one, we’ve got it running great. It’s often running way above that. Sometimes it’s 60. But on the consoles, we do lock it because we prefer consistency, where you’re not even thinking about it.
Additionally, Xbox did the same with Redfall, their last big exclusive. It was released only with 30 FPS and wasn’t well received by the fans. However, Starfield and Redfall are two completely different games. While Redfall was a fast-paced co-op, Starfield is more of an open-world explorer, where frankly if 30 FPS is implemented well, it might turn out fine.
But what are your thoughts on Starfield not featuring a performance mode? Let us know in the comments down below.
