Starfield will run at 30 FPS on Xbox Series X/S

by Danny Craig  · 
Starfield will run at 30 FPS on Xbox Series X/S
ZeniMax

More details and gameplay for Bethesda's new IP were revealed at its own direct showcase, and the game's director, Todd Howard, has shared more technical information.

The details:

  • Howard confirmed to IGN ahead of the showcase that the game would be limited to 30 frames per second (FPS) on consoles at high resolutions. The game will run at 4K resolution on Microsoft's flagship Xbox Series X, and 1440p resolution on the less powerful Series S, both of which are locked at 30 FPS for "consistency." Although this is unconfirmed, the game may have a 1080p performance mode like other Xbox titles, allowing it to achieve higher frame rates.
  • According to Howard, the game did run at 60 FPS on console at times during development, but Bethesda chose to keep it at 30 FPS as it "prefers the consistency." Howard went on to say that it should "come as no surprise" given the studio's history of creating games with "huge, open worlds, fully dynamic, hyper-detailed environments where anything can happen," which means that performance would need to be tuned to be stable without sacrificing gameplay or visuals.
  • Redfall, released earlier this year by Arkane, had a similar frame rate cap in place, limiting the title to 30 FPS at launch, with a future update adding a 60 FPS performance mode. The decision was heavily criticized, particularly because the game's physical copies shipped with 60 FPS listed on the box art, with Xbox boss Phil Spencer revealing that the company knew the performance mode would not be ready even when the title's gameplay was released.

Other announcements at the Xbox Games Showcase:

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