Starfield is coming to the PS5 and getting a pair of major updates in April

After lots of rumors, it’s now official: Bethesda’s sci-fi epic Starfield is coming to the PS5. It’ll launch on Sony’s console on April 7th, and that day will also see the debut of two major updates for the game — one paid, one free — a combination that Bethesda describes as “the biggest update to the game since launch.”

First up, there’s the PS5 edition, which comes around three years after Starfield hit the Xbox and PC. (The game was once possibly destined to be a PS5 exclusive before Bethesda was acquired by Microsoft.) Bethesda says the new version will take advantage of the various features of the PS5’s DualSense controller — including the light bar, adaptive triggers, and touchpad — and on the PS5 Pro there will be two different modes, one designed to enhance frame rate, the other visuals.

Starfield joins a host of other Xbox games that have made the move to the PS5 and other non-Microsoft platforms, including the likes of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Forza Horizon 5, the Oblivion remaster, and even Microsoft Flight Simulator.

As for the updates, the first is a paid expansion called Terran Armada. This is a more traditional story update for the game, along the lines of 2024’s Shattered Space, which adds a brand-new questline that includes fresh characters, locations, enemies, and quests. Bethesda says that in the DLC “players get the chance to shape the future of humanity in space as they combat the incursions of the Terran Armada’s robotic forces.”

But there’s also a free update, appropriately called “Free Lanes,” that will add a surprising amount to the game. That includes: new locations, including dungeons, to explore; a new resource for weapon and ship upgrades; another land vehicle; the ability to access your storage at multiple outposts; and new crew members to join your squad. And for the real sickos, there’s a welcome update for the game’s New Game Plus mode, which lets you bring a limited number of items with you on a fresh run.

Bethesda describes these updates as “the next chapter for Starfield, bringing its most complete and refined experience to more players as the universe continues to expand,“ which suggests there’s more coming in the future as well. Alongside the new content and platform, the base version of Starfield is also getting a reduced price — $49.99 — in an attempt to lure new players.