While there was a sense that the development team was truly attempting something different and grandiose, attempting to recreate the vastness of space, emptiness and all, the biggest problem is how it effectively fractured Bethesda’s built-in audience. Those who “got it” could vibe with the exploration, the mood, and the sheer scale of it all. Others wanted something more akin to Skyrim or, at the very least, Fallout, which it became very clear this was not.

Updates came and went. Shattered Space gave even the most dedicated fans second-hand embarrassment (and that’s despite having some really good dungeons). Then there was the great emptiness of 2025, where Bethesda promised big things, and ultimately kept its head down to work on the future. Well, the future is now, and the now is Free Lanes. So is Starfield “fixed” so to speak?

Not exactly, and really, you should have seen that response coming when Todd Howard himself said not to call it Starfield 2.0. Todd Howard not talking a game up through the stratosphere? A cold day for sure.

But he’s not wrong. Free Lanes is a massive pass at all the different systems and mechanics within Starfield, expanding on them in ways that befit the originally hyped up space-faring fantasy. It’s not so much about giving players something to do as offering more experiences in this vast universe. Because while space can be boring and empty, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Bethesda’s take has to be the same.

That’s best reflected in Cruise Mode, which more facilitates the self-titled Free Lanes themselves. Before, players would endure a loading screen to travel from planet to planet, even those within the same system. Then another loading screen to land on said planet, and another to leave. And while everyone focused on the loading screens – for good reason, because so many in quick succession really hurt the pacing – it was really the lack of stuff to do in space that really grinded many players’ gears. It’s not about getting lucky and finding something, be it an NPC or a space battle – it was more than life in space just felt non-existent.

Cruise Mode addresses that immediately by allowing you to travel, manually, between planets in a star system. Right away, your ship isn’t just some box that gets you from point A to point B – it’s now a second home. Get up, stretch your virtual legs, talk to some crew members, and maybe go and improve your ship with the new X-Tech. Or reroll perks on your Legendary weapons while working towards the new Rank 4s.

That space itself has new points of interest that can feed into that gameplay loop, which is all the more incredible. Maybe you’ll find a quaint bit of wreckage one second and engage in a dog fight against ships in another. Sometimes those dogfights will pull you out of Cruise Mode, forcing a scramble. Then there are the new Incursions added via the Terran Armada DLC, which provide another noteworthy activity to grind out (and earn some new weapons).

Of course, Bethesda didn’t stop there. It addressed one of the biggest complaints with Starfield by adding more PoI variety on its planets. Granted, this is one of those features where I would scoff and assume that it added, say, a dozen or so. However, based on feedback from the community, the variety has shot up. One player on Reddit, who would usually encounter the same point of interest pre-update, played for three hours straight, going through 30 unique types without ever encountering the same one twice. And that’s even after attempting to force them to appear. It doesn’t necessarily mean all of them are brand new – just that on top of the additions, you’re less likely to find the same PoI as quickly.

Because these locations – and dungeons – can provide X-Tech, you’re more incentivized than ever to explore random planets. There’s a constantly rewarding gameplay loop that also feeds into the main purpose of Starfield – to explore, both in space and on planets. The best part is that you’re not just juicing those Legendaries for no reason, as new enemy modifiers are in place for those who want more spice to their encounters. Sure, you could always increase enemy health and damage, but this kind of ARPG-level of buffs to otherwise familiar threats is a better way to make combat feel fresh.

Then you have the new ship modules, updates to outposts that allow for quickly plopping down a habitat module, fully furnished, and a shared storage for all your bases, a database so you can actually track down different resources and keep tabs on your outposts – the list goes on. If you’ve amassed tons of Credits, great news – you can now buy an asteroid base. That’s not even getting into all the non-DLC quests or Anchor Point Station, where you can find them (and various new characters).

So it’s less that Free Lanes – and by extension, Terran Armada – have “fixed” Starfield so much as leaned much further into Bethesda’s vision for the game. It already had this massive universe that players could explore – there was just very little reason to do so after a point, besides taking in the atmosphere. With these changes, it’s certainly catering to those who already poured dozens of hours into the game, giving them new stuff to play with while also fixing glaring issues like the loot from Expert and Master level locks, or bugs with various quests.

I think it goes even further, though, addressing a problem that even new players noticed at a mid-way point – namely, a drive. Because for all the hundreds of planets that you could explore, spaceships to build, abandoned locations to clear out, and quests to complete, being driven to really delve deeper into this sandbox, appreciating its nuances and joys, became difficult.

Free Lanes isn’t so much a giant leap for Starfield, so much as dozens upon dozens of significant little steps. And quite frankly, that’s what this game needed. More complexity that ties into what’s already there. More depth. More reasons to get out and see what the universe has to offer. Something to sink your teeth into beyond all the surface-level trifles and grinds.

That’s probably why Bethesda didn’t agree with the 2.0 label (even if it’s not shy to call this the best version of the game yet). As lead creative producer Tim Lamb notes, “There’s a narrative baked into what that label would mean.” Instead, the team examined “several systems where we had interest or had heard things from the community, and we tried to level up a number of them.” As such, a “number of systems have been made incrementally better,” there’s a “ton of content,” and there are “things that the team is excited about.”

Will those “things” make Starfield as vaunted as Skyrim or even Oblivion? No one can say at this point, but if No Man’s Sky, Cyberpunk 2077, The Division 2, and many more have taught us anything, it’s that fantastic experiences are often built brick by bloody brick. Here’s hoping for several more of the nice kind for Bethesda.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Best Starting Traits

As much as it’s about exploring the cosmos, Starfield focuses as much on different builds and backgrounds. You can choose specific traits that will shape your character in unique ways and start skills to gain an early edge, but the “best” options can often be subjective. That said, you can’t go wrong with traits like Alien DNA, which increases your max health and oxygen (don’t worry too much about the reduced healing from items), and Isolation, which massively buffs weapon damage and resistance if you’re solo.

Recommended Early Planets

The new pre-built outpost module in Free Lanes makes it easier than ever to create a home away from home, but you’ll still need Aluminum, Iron and Argon to craft it (at least according to the deep dive). Head to Andraphon for the first two and Kreet for the third. More importantly, these locations – alongside Linnaeus IV-b – are home to multiple elements. Once you’ve got some bases going, start working on those extractors ASAP to reap the rewards.

That Asteroid Won’t Pay for Itself

If you’re the type to see a base on an asteroid and decide that you immediately want it, then congrats. On top of not knowing when it becomes available (at least for now), it’s likely the cost will be exorbitant. One method to quickly farm Credits is to clear out PoIs with enemies, stealing their weapons, and then resting at your ship to reset the instance. When your cargo is full, sell them all off at a vendor. Alternatively, you can survey planets, especially those in high-level systems, or take on missions to hunt down ships. Whichever route you take, the Credits will follow.

Mine Much Faster

If you’re not the type to buy all your minerals wholesale (or can’t afford them), then expect to occasionally use the mining laser. But if it feels a little too slow, try zooming in and waiting for the white part of the reticle to align with the red. It effectively concentrates the laser’s power, making it much faster to mine materials.

Side Hustle

While it’s encouraged to play through the first few main missions, some side quests should be tackled as soon as possible. These include Mantis, which you’ll get after defeating Spacers anywhere. We won’t spoil the rewards, but they’re very much worth it. Groundpounder becomes available as soon as you enter the Altair system, which requires level 15, and it’s one of the more enjoyable combat-heavy scenarios (which also awards a nice weapon). There’s also Juno’s Gambit, which can kick off as early as Tau Ceti and depending on your choices, it can award a nice amount of credits. But more importantly, all of these side quests are some of the most standout in Starfield, and should be prioritized whenever they become available.

Anti-Robot Armaments

Free Lanes adds the ability to reroll Legendary effects with the new X-Tech (earned by completing anomalies, points of interest and dungeons). It also includes new Tier 4 effects, including Saboteur, which has a chance to instantly kill (and explode) robots on damaging them. Pretty good for those picking up Terran Armada, but if you don’t have the resources for it just yet, try picking up the Disassembler perk first. It increases damage dealt to robots by 20 percent, making it a solid choice in the early going.

Create a Posse

Of course, if the Terran Armada is content with fighting dirty, then why not bring some more backup? Starfield usually lets a single companion accompany you throughout every mission, but some will bestow temporary followers. If you don’t complete these, then that follower remains with you throughout. Some examples include Emma Wilcox from the mission “Deputized,” which is part of the Ranger faction questlines. However, you can discover more and have up to three temporary followers (at the cost of progressing certain stories and the occasional bug or three).

Disable Dialogue Camera

If you’ve played a Bethesda game before, then you’ll be familiar, perhaps uncomfortably so, with the dialogue camera. Zooms in close, stays locked on an NPC’s face in first-person, no deviation whatsoever – it’s exhausting. So head into the Accessibility options and turn it off, if you’re so inclined, thus creating a more traditional camera angle that showcases the world around you.

Run Rabbit Junk

When sprinting, you’ll notice a little meter denoting your O2/CO2 levels. When O2 depletes, CO2 starts building up, and your health begins to drop. You could keep sprinting in this state, but instead, try jumping in between sprints, since this will cease O2 consumption. A boost pack further aids in this and will also help you travel further.

Improve Your Piloting Skill

Among the many skills that you should look to improve is Piloting. The former unlocks thrusters, improves maneuverability and eventually lets you pilot Class B and C ships. Leveling it up requires destroying ships, but there’s a Piloting Simulator in the MAST Building on New Atlantis, where ship kills count towards this, so go ahead and grind that for some time.

They may not seem all that important early on, but with Cruise Mode offering threats like Interdictions and anomalies, not to mention Starborn ships having a chance to drop Quantum Essence, you’ll want some ship skills fairly quickly.

Quickly Level Up Starship Design

In the same vein, upgrade Starship Design immediately. It will allow for installing better ship modules. Best of all, it can be leveled very quickly (provided you have a decent amount of Credits). First, head to a place where you can purchase several different components, like the Red Mile on Porrima 3 in the Porrima system. Install as many unique modules as possible, which will count towards the skill, then remove them and repeat this process until it’s fully leveled. Again, this is something that will aid you in the mid-to-late game, so it’s better to have it maxed out early.

How to Get the Rover

As nice as the Moon Jumper looks to control, you can get another ground vehicle, the Rover, early on for quicker planetary exploration. All you need to do is visit a Ship Services Technician – you’ll find one in New Atlantis, the earliest major city – and pay 25,000 Credits. Voila – a faster way to traverse land masses, at least until you find the Moon Jumper for some serious hops.

Fast Traveling With the Scanner

It’s a good thing the scanner is tied to the DualSense’s touchpad, because it’s going to get a workout by identifying all the flora, fauna and resources that make up planets. However, you can also use it to quickly fast-travel to any points of interest that were previously discovered (or even your ship). Simply hover over it with the scanner active, and off you go.

Where to Find Muria

Model G may be the one new companion that players will want to recruit pronto, but there’s also Muria. She’s not technically a “new” character, but following years of requests from players on other platforms to make her recruitable, Free Lanes is finally making that happen. But when and where do you find her? Fortunately, it doesn’t take long. She’s located on New Atlantis in Jemison, which you’ll visit fairly early on in the story, specifically the lobby of the GalBank. You can beeline to her location and see what all the fuss is about.

Gameplay Options

Last but not least, tweak the experience to your liking with gameplay options, which include modifiers for enemy damage, player damage, carry capacity – you can even increase the weight of ammo. While you can dial things down for an easier time, certain settings can confer XP bonuses if you opt for something challenging. It’s win-win, and could be an excellent way to level up quickly.

While this marks the first time that PlayStation owners can dive into the space-faring RPG, long-time fans have plenty to look forward to with Free Lanes. It adds Anchor Point Station with new quests and characters, new companions to recruit, base-building improvements such as pre-built habitat modules and cross-outpost storage, and even a Database to look up everything. Heck, if you’ve become a venerable billionaire, why not dump those Credits into a new asteroid base?

Terran Armada offers a new storyline for $10, with players battling against the titular faction and its army of robots. Besides engaging in Incursions, looting new weapons and commandeering new ships, it also introduces a new companion in Delta. You can check out what may be its origin story here.

For more details, check out our reviews of the PS5 version and the Terran Armada expansion. Bethesda hasn’t really outlined what’s next for Starfield, but it’s keen on supporting it for the long haul.

At its core, the second expansion doesn’t deviate from the approach that Bethesda Game Studios took with Starfield’s first DLC, Shattered Space, in that it is very much more of the same- though the content it does deliver has a lot going for it.

Terran Armada focuses on the new titular faction, a breakaway group comprised of former Freestar Collective and United Colonies soldiers who mysteriously disappeared from the Settled Systems during the Colony War. Now, they’ve reappeared with a substantial, robotically enhanced military force, announcing themselves the true children of Earth and humanity as a whole, and in turn declaring everyone in the Settled Systems to be their enemies. Investigating the Terran Armada’s attacks and uncovering their motivations, then, is a central part of the expansion’s storyline- and it works quite well.

One of Starfield’s greatest strengths has always been its intricate, engaging lore and the stories it weaves around it, especially with its faction questlines, and just as it was with the game’s first expansion, that still very much stands true with Terran Armada.

Not only does the new expansion boast a strong central narrative premise, the new faction it all revolves around helps keep things interesting as you progress further. Learning more about the Armada, their robotics, their motivations, and their history since the Colony War remains consistently engaging, even if it’s a little disappointing to see the proceedings being kept largely separate from the base game’s story.

"The expansion does try to inject enemy variety, but there’s only so many different ways you can find robot enemies before it starts wearing thin."

Along the way you’ll also cross paths with Delta, a reprogrammed Terran Armada robot who joins your crew and becomes a squadmate. The morally ambiguous companion is very much cut from the same cloth as similar robotic sci fi allies in sci fi stories, but though he’s not unique in any way, Delta does serve as a solid addition to Starfield’s cast. Conversations with him are always fun, learning more about what makes him tick and where his allegiances truly lie never loses its appeal, and best of all, Delta also serves as a great vehicle for the game to reveal more about the Terran Armada and its robot-heavy military force.

Delta is, however, probably the most interesting element where Terran Armada’s new robots are concerned. That is, on the one hand, a good thing, because that means a solid new companion joining the cast, but where the enemies are concerned, things can sometimes get a little repetitive and you find yourself fighting against robots over and over.

The expansion does try to inject enemy variety, but there’s only so many different ways you can find robot enemies before it starts wearing thin. Thankfully, the core combat mechanics in Starfield remain enjoyable, so firefights (should you choose a more aggressive approach) are at least consistently fun on a fundamental level.

Another major new addition in Terran Armada is the Incursions system, which sees the titular Armada randomly attacking different spots across the Settled Systems. Spanning varying objectives across both land and space and being tied to both story related quests and optional activities, Incursions encompass feel like they encompass the entire game- which can be both a good and a bad thing.

"It’s also a little disappointing that the Terran Armada DLC makes Incursions its centerpiece rather than introducing another major new location to the Settled Systems."

When they work, Incursions work really well, combining exploration and combat, throwing in unique new hurdles, and rewarding players with solid new gear. Story related Incursions in particular are often really well crafted, and experiencing them tends to feel like going through well stitched together set piece sequences. At the same time, Incursions also serve as solid repeatable late game content for players looking to farm valuable loot- especially X-Tech, a currency newly added by the Free Lanes update that expands progression and customization options.

However, Incursions can also quickly overstay their welcome. It doesn’t take long for them to start feeling repetitive, and often, the restrictions they place on players – such as not being able to fast travel within a star system until you’ve dealt with all present Terran Armada threats – can often feel more like an annoyance than anything else. Thankfully, the game does allow you to set the frequency with which optional Incursions show up, so if they do start to wear you down, you can at least address that directly.

It’s also a little disappointing that the Terran Armada DLC makes Incursions its centerpiece rather than introducing another major new location to the Settled Systems the way the Shattered Space expansion did. Sure, there’s Anchorpoint Station, a new location that does have plenty of new things to see and do, but though there’s a lot here that is directly tied to the Terran Armada storyline, Anchorpoint Station isn’t necessarily just a DLC location.

It does sort of scratch the itch of a brand new area to explore and get familiar with, but if you were hoping for a massive new map serving as the centerpiece of a major new story arch, that’s not what you’ll find here. The threat of the Terran Armada in this expansion is spread out throughout the Settled Systems rather than being concentrated in a single new map. That doesn’t mean there aren’t new locations to explore, of course, but you shouldn’t go in expecting something on the same scale as Shattered Space’s Dazra city.

"All told, with the new story content, side quests, and what have you, there’s a healthy chunk of new gameplay content on offer here."

There are, however, new weapons, ship customization and building options, gear, and more brought to the table by the Terran Armada DLC. For players who have already invested a substantial amount of time into Starfield and are looking to further optimize and min-max their builds, the new content on offer here opens up plenty of room for further progression and build refinement, especially with the repeatable content and late game options available with Incursions and the new Free Lanes update additions. All told, with the new story content, side quests, and what have you, there’s a healthy chunk of new gameplay content on offer here.

Since Starfield launched in 2023, many have hoped for significant overhauls to allow the game to fulfil its potential and make good on all of its lofty pre launch promises, and though Terran Armada is definitely not that (even with all of the improvements that come with the Free Lanes update), it is, at the very least, a solid additional chunk of more of the same.

That means that it’s unlikely to capture those who weren’t enamoured by Starfield’s base or post launch offerings, but if you are like me and have found plenty of enjoyment in the space faring RPG’s vast expanses, it’s safe to say that you’ll find enough to like about the Terran Armada expansion, even if it doesn’t fully stick the landing with all of the things that it tries.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

For Bethesda Game Studios, their reputation has never tumbled as low as CD’s. But, for a studio once untouchable in the RPG space – the developer behind genre-defining staples like Fallout 3 and Skyrim – they’ve spent the better part of the last decade navigating uneven ground. In an era marked by development missteps and shifting priorities, there’s a sense that BSG has lost its touch.

And this is what makes Starfield’s impending PS5 launch so significant. Whilst the game has fans (there’s a lot to like, after all) it’s fair to say Bethesda’s space-faring RPG didn’t fully land. In some ways, it’s still riding through turbulence despite Bethesda’s post-launch support.

The issue, perhaps, is that BSG no longer commands automatic trust like they once did. Maybe Starfield is just the symptom of a wider problem on how the studio is perceived. The PS5 port, then, isn’t really a second chance for the game, but an opportunity for Bethesda to show the world they still understand what made their genre-definers great in the first place.

Now, to be clear, Starfield has never been a disaster. Critically, it performed well, and for many players it scratched the particular freeroaming itch only a Bethesda sandbox could. But, despite a sprawling, systems-driven experience loaded with the quests, factions, and freedom that Bethesda has built their name on, something crucial still felt missing.

The most common complaint centres on the game’s structure. Exploration, you see, felt fragmented; unnecessarily broken up by interstellar loading screens, connecting a galaxy that seemed vast in scale but oddly disjointed by the time you catapult out of low orbit. Instead of seamless discovery, you were hopping between isolated, sometimes eerily similar looking spaces. The sense of immersion the game’s marketing promised was woefully underdelivered.

Elsewhere, repetition fatigue crept in, with your choices – usually a cornerstone of Bethesda’s design – not as reactive or meaningful as you might have expected. The result is a game where the stars only partially align. So, whilst not a bad game at all, for a studio of Bethesda’s pedigree “not bad” was never going to be good enough.

But, Bethesda has shipped flawed games before. You could argue, in fact, that they’ve built their identity on imperfection, and historically the community has been willing to embrace jank in exchange for agency. So what’s changed?

Well, much of the eroded goodwill can be traced back to Fallout 76, with its troubled launch fundamentally shifting how Bethesda is viewed as a studio. Questions around quality control, direction, and monetisation strategies began to dominate, and even though 76 has improved greatly in the years since, the reputational damage is proving harder to repair.

Long development cycles, leaving Bethesda unusually quiet in the years since The Elder Scrolls VI’s announcement, has only fuelled uncertainty. Elsewhere, decisions around paid content, subscription models, and live-service elements have deepened the sense that the studio is chasing trends to remain sustainable. Whether you agree or not, there’s an undeniable narrative emerging: modern Bethesda leans more on the weight of its legacy than forward-thinking design. And, perhaps, this is another reason why Starfield landed the way it did.

However, all this context could yet become background noise as an entirely fresh audience on PlayStation also represents an opportunity to reset. See, there are potentially millions of players within Sony’s console ecosystem who are ready to dive in free from the original launch’s baggage. And hopefully, there should be no day-one disappointment, with Starfield arriving in what Bethesda and Sony frame as its definitive version, complete with fresh gameplay updates, story DLC, and a suite of PS5-specific features like weapon and ship-specific adaptive triggers, a fully integrated light bar (indicating health and ship integrity), and DualSense speaker comms.

Furthermore, the incoming Free Lanes update looks to address one of the game’s persistent criticisms too. Now, the ability to freely travel between planets within a single star system might not sound transformative, but it smoothens the fractured interstellar travel which defined the original version. Starfield’s universe always had scale, but now it has cohesion even if it’s only between neighbouring planets. It may only be one small step and not quite a giant leap, but it’s a refinement which ultimately brings Starfield more in line with player expectations.

Even with these new content and gameplay improvements in place, Starfield – and Bethesda at large – still face the challenge we alluded to earlier: perception. Because, for all Bethesda’s controlled refinement, the studio has far less influence over how the experience is received, especially when narratives tend to stick long after the core has evolved.

If you spend any time around comments sections, forums, or social media, you’ll see the tone surrounding Starfield’s PS5 launch feels, at best, muted. There are pockets of excitement, sure, but the overarching mood is subdued, sceptical, or outright dismissive. Indeed, there are players over on the PS Blog who are actively discouraging PlayStation users from jumping in.

But, fully engaging with this sentiment is haphazard; online discourse has a habit of amplifying the loudest voices. In other words, this mood isn’t necessarily representative of the zeitgeist. Console allegiances muddy the waters further, while the broader culture around game releases occasionally labels anything short of exceptional – an 8 out of 10, for instance –  as a failure.

Ordinarily, you can look at online conversation from a binary lens, and depending on your point of view you can sit happily on either side of the argument. For Starfield on PS5, you might assess the lukewarm response as a genuine reflection of the game’s quality, or perhaps you’ll instead explore the possibility that these opinions were formed early and haven’t shifted in tandem with the game’s sweeping updates. Arguably, neither side is wrong; ultimately, if you enjoy something then it shouldn’t matter which way the discourse goes. It’s just a shame that perceptions can influence reality.

However, for Bethesda this distinction may prove irrelevant anyway. Starfield currently sits at the top of the PS Store’s pre-order chart, indicating that the title is poised to find a substantial audience, regardless of the negative noise that’s orbiting online spaces.

So, if the ultimate question this feature poses is if players will give Bethesda another chance, then looking at projected sales you’d have to say yes. We’re still in a guesswork phase, however, but what we could surmise from this discussion is regardless of whether Bethesda has momentum or whether they’re on the decline, their games still have relevance.

Starfield on PS5 is not about redemption, after all. It isn’t about whether it’s good now, or whether it’s a failure. For PlayStation players, it’s a first impression, and one the silent majority appear to be embracing.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Admiral Ode Balewa is present throughout, and while seemingly pleased with its progress, another high-ranking officer demands more, pushing the bot to be more brutal. Cut back to the present, where it goes down to a mysterious electric shock. An individual, identified in the description as a “brilliant roboticist”, appears and starts fiddling with the machine’s wiring while it’s deactivated.

Of course, it’s not long before the rest of the robot squad arrives and kidnaps her. But what about the one they abandoned? It may just be Delta, the new companion that players can recruit during the expansion, who’s not quite hostile but also not your friend (at least at the start).

Starfield’s Terran Armada expansion drops tomorrow alongside the new Free Lanes update, which adds several new features (including Model G and Muria as a recruitable companion). It’s also launching on PS5 with the base game costing $49.99. Head here for more details on PS5-exclusive features and how the game performs on PS5 Pro.

The highlight, of course, is Cruise Mode. Players can now travel between planets in the same star system by actually flying rather than enduring numerous loading screens. They’re still present when landing and taking off – you can’t win ’em all – but there’s new content to discover in the Free Lanes, including new points of interest, Anomalies and Interdictions, which can include enemy attacks.

But that’s really only the tip of the iceberg, as the update also brings new Legendary Ranks, X-Tech for rerolling them and upgrading ship systems, the ability to bring items through the Unity to New Game Plus – the list goes on. You can check out our feature for all the juicy details.

Starfield’s Free Lanes update and Terran Armada are live on April 7th for all platforms, including the PS5 version, which launches on the same day. Head here to learn more about how it leverages Sony’s hardware (especially PS5 Pro) to deliver an immersive experience.

Samson: A Tyndalston Story

Growing up is never easy, yet there’s a bittersweet feeling in returning to your childhood town, older and wiser. Not for Samson, though. His goal in Tyndalston is to pay off a debt that increases each day. Time is money, literally – you have limited hours to choose different jobs, whether it’s a getaway driver for a bank job or tuning up some local thugs. With a combat system that’s more about fighting dirty and vehicular mayhem that would make Mad Max proud, Samson promises a lot for its $25 price when it launches on April 8th.

DarkSwitch

Think Against the Storm, but expanding vertically – that somewhat explains Cyber Temple’s DarkSwitch. With a giant tree as your base and a malevolent fog slowly creeping in, you need to build, construct defenses and sometimes venture into the unknown to survive. It probably isn’t a coincidence that Akira Yamaoka is composing the soundtrack, probably hearing the word “fog” and asking nothing more. But with a full-fledged story mode that promises over 20 hours of thrills, DarkSwitch could end up a dark horse when it launches on April 9th.

Replaced

AI trapped in a human’s body, an alternative United States under the thrall of megacorporations, post-nuclear panic – all of this and more await in Replaced, Sad Cat Studios’ long-in-development cinematic platformer, which launches on April 14th. It also features stunning 2.5D graphics and a Free Flow combat system akin to Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham franchise. Over its eight-hour runtime (11 to 12 if you stay and smell what’s left of the roses), there’s a harrowing, unpredictable experience with more than its fair share of bleak commentary on the world as we know it.

Starfield (PS5) and Terran Armada

Bethesda’s new – and not at all controversial – IP is finally coming to PS5 on April 7th alongside the latest story DLC, Terran Armada. At $49.99 for the base game ($10 for the new DLC), it’s the best time for PlayStation players to explore the Settled Systems, especially with the Free Lanes update. Besides expanding on space travel, it introduces new companions, outpost improvements, new points of interest, more upgrade systems, and more. Meanwhile, Terran Armada promises a more interesting story, its own exclusive Incursions, new ships, and even an HK-47-style companion in Delta.

Regions of Ruin: Runegate

As intriguing as the pixel art style and sheer number of systems could be, I never expected 2018’s Regions of Ruin to get a sequel. Runegate is out on April 14th and follows pretty much the same premise – venturing out into a ruined world, helping your Dwarven brethren, obtaining resources, and ultimately, establishing a place to call home. With more varied locations, sleeker visuals and much more to do, it promises to be the definitive Regions of Ruin experience.

Road to Vostok (Early Access)

If you can’t wait for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s first story DLC to hit this Summer, Road to Vostok may tide you over. Entering early access on April 7th, it tasks players with exploring the post-apocalyptic areas between Finland and Russia, ultimately culminating in Vostok. You’ll need to loot supplies and build a formidable arsenal, dealing with changing seasons, rough weather, bandits, and even the military, with death in Vostok causing you to lose everything. It’s a ways off from full release, but those looking for another challenging survival FPS may find it worthwhile.

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred

Vessel of Hatred was a steaming hot pile of whatever, but Lord of Hatred, Diablo 4’s next expansion, looks more promising. Available on April 28th, it sees the world in peril once more because Mephisto. You’ll likely be the one to lay the smackdown on him after venturing to Skovos, a scintillating new region full of new points of interest and plenty of demons to scour. Two new classes, the Paladin and Warlock, bring even more unique playstyles and build variety than before, while Blizzard is reworking the Skill Tree, bringing back the Horadric Cube, and more. Maybe this will be the release that finally elevates Diablo 4 to the next level. We can only hope.

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire

What if you combine the rubber-hose animation of Cuphead with boomer-shooter-like gameplay? You get MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, a hard-boiled noir adventure focused on Jack Prepper, as he investigates a missing persons case and ends up discovering more than he bargained for. The slick hand-drawn animation is undoubtedly the appeal, as it brings Mouseburg to life in astonishing detail. Of course, this is a shooter as well, with weapons ranging from the grounded – pistols, shotguns, machine guns – to the wacky like freeze rays, corrosive turpentine and more. It’s out on April 16th and promises 12 to 20 hours of gameplay for $30.

Pragmata

Moon’s haunted, but instead of ghosts, there are homicidal robots out to get you. Launching on April 17th, Pragmata isn’t a Resident Evil-style survival horror – it’s the journey of Hugh, investigating a lunar base after lost contact and becoming swept up in the robot uprising. Together with the android Diana, he seeks a way out, providing the firepower while she hacks through an enemy’s defenses. The twist is that you have to do both simultaneously, creating a mix of puzzle-solving and tense shooting. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, and after the demo, we only want more.

Saros

Death is only the first step in Housemarque’s latest, and protagonist Arjun Devraj has miles to go before he can sleep. Investigating Carcosa for any sign of previous Soltari expeditions, he and his crew are caught up in the Eclipse, which twists the planet’s surface, culminating in the sun’s death. And yet, death won’t let them escape. Cue close encounters with tentacled monstrosities, discovering new weapons and clues that could help. And while Saros leans much further into rogue-lite progression than Returnal, it’s also expanded on the bullet dodging with a new shield that lets you absorb some damage and send it back with a vengeance. Saros arrives on April 30th, and even if you haven’t played its predecessor, it’s looking like another killer PS5 exclusive.

Invincible VS

Seemingly addressing the lack of 3v3 fighters, Quarter Up’s take on the brutal superhero epic packs 18 playable characters – including favorites such as Invincible, Omni-Man, BattleBeast, and of course, Conquest. And if the prospect of different classes, active and counter tags, and rollback netcode for online play doesn’t interest you, there’s a story mode to experience every bloody skirmish. It’s available on April 30th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Spark in the Dark (Early Access)

As typical of a dungeon crawler as Stellar Fish’s latest title appears, there’s an inherent charm and grittiness to Spark in the Dark. Maybe it’s the isometric perspective or more methodical pacing, coupled with how inherently dark the endless Dungeon appears (which makes it all the more scary when monsters show up). It’s available on April 7th via early access and only includes the initial tiers of the Dungeon, but we’re keen on plundering its depths.

MotoGP 26

Credit where it’s due to Milestone, as this will be its third consecutive racing game in three months. MotoGP 26 is all about the thrill of competitive bike racing at the highest level, although you can opt between Arcade and Pro Experiences to determine the difficulty. With an in-depth career mode, cross-play between all platforms (Nintendo not included, sadly), and new disciplines like Minibikes, Flat Tracks, Production Bikes, and more, this could be the series’ most feature-packed entry yet.

WILL: Follow the Light

Cropping up more than once during Steam Next Fest and impressing with its visuals, WILL: Follow the Light is a hard-hitting adventure focused on a seemingly simple goal: Returning home. It’s far from easy, however, as Will must brave islands, mountains and even the sea to reach his hometown and save his son. Puzzles and environmental storytelling abound, but it’s all about the atmosphere and how deep you’ll go to learn the truth. WILL: Follow the Light launches on April 28th for PC.

Kiln

Listen, I’m not saying this is exactly what I expected from Double Fine, which has delivered some of the finest platforms to date. But Kiln is…curious in a way that fits the developer’s profile. After all, what other multiplayer title invites you to become a pot, finely sculpted by your hands and scuttling off into an arena for some ceramic destruction? The fact that a pot’s design influences its playstyle is even more intriguing. Whether it figuratively blows up or not, Kiln is out on April 23rd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Standard and Premium Editions

Remember when PlayStation allegedly eyed Bethesda to secure PS5 exclusivity status for Starfield? Remember how big a “get” it was for Microsoft? It feels almost surreal to see it coming to PS5, but that’s not all. The Standard Edition will retail for $49.99, reflecting its recent price drop on Xbox and PC. The Premium Edition costs $69.99 and not only includes the new Terran Armada DLC but also the first expansion, Shattered Space. You also get 1,000 Creation Credits, the Constellation Skin Pack, and a digital artbook and soundtrack.

DualSense Support

Starfield fully supports the PS5’s DualSense, from different adaptive trigger resistances depending on the weapon to the light bar reflecting your current health. You can even listen to non-local ship comms and audio logs through the speaker. The touchpad is also host to many functions, from swapping between first and third person to scanning your surroundings, which feels more seamless.

Graphics Modes on PS5 Pro

Much like other first-party titles published by Xbox Game Studios, Starfield supports PS5 Pro with two modes: Performance (60 FPS with “improved visuals” per the PlayStation Blog) and Quality (4K/30 FPS). But what about 40 FPS or even an uncapped frame rate, which the Xbox Series X version received in a post-launch update? And will they be available on the regular PS5? Time will tell.

Terran Armada Lore and Enemy Types

Thanks to Bethesda’s deep dive, we learned a bit more about the Terran Armada and why they are the way they are. As it turns out, they were previously part of the United Colonies and Freestar Collective, but when the Colony War broke out, they chose to abandon the Settled Systems rather than participate. Now they’re back and seemingly out to cause mayhem. Finding out their true motivations is ultimately what drives the plot of the DLC, which will apparently have “consequences that ripple throughout the galaxy,” per Bethesda.

If the Terran Armada thinks of itself as Earth’s “true” children, then one has to ask: Why all the robots? That’s probably one of the mysteries that the player must solve (not that there aren’t humans to deal with as well). But you’ll battle quite a few different tiers of robot foes, from the rank and file soldiers to lieutenants with some variants thrown in. It feels like Bethesda is keeping some of those other types close to its chest, so expect the unexpected.

Incursions

Which also ties into the new Incursion system. These appear throughout the Settled Systems, with some mandated by the story and others made optional, offering extensive loot. Depending on the size and scale of the incursion, you’ll have multiple objectives, like rescuing hostages, setting a refinery to melt down, and shutting down the Terran robots. Be careful, though, since they have jammers which can prevent grav jumps, meaning only Cruise Mode is viable for escape.

Delta

Model G and Muria are companions for base game players, but Terran Armada owners get something even better: Delta. He’s a robot from the Terran Armada that’s been “reprogrammed.” By whom and why? Unknown. However, designer Emil Pagliarulo described him as “not evil, but he’s definitely not good.” Your average KOTOR fan is probably getting flashbacks to HK-47, and you have to wonder how Vasco will get along with him.

Anchor Point Station

A new era for the game demands a pivotal new location where players can discover quests, and Anchor Point Station is it. You’ll have to find it (which won’t be too hard), and upon landing, there are several new characters and quests to discover. How deep the rabbit hole goes remains to be seen, but it does tie together with Free Lanes.

Interdiction Events

Since you can travel between planets in a star system courtesy of Cruise Mode, there are various discoveries and anomalies to be had. And while you could just put the ship on autopilot and craft, chat with crew members, optimize systems with recently discovered X-Tech, and so on, something may suddenly pull you out of Cruise Mode. Known as interdiction events, these may result in the ship being attacked, “or worse,” per Bethesda, and you’ll need to respond accordingly.

New MGP Weapons

New threats mean new corpses to loot new weapons, including the MGP Ballistic Rifle. Unlike the guns circulating in the Settled Systems, these are described as “more contemporary” and “less sci-fi.” Ballistic and energy weapons abound, and you can modify them to your liking. Based on what we’ve seen so far, they have a satisfying kick with each shot while packing a significant punch.

New Rank 4 Legendary Perks

With X-Tech, players can now freely customize Legendary weapons with their desired perks, but the real fun begins at Rank 4. It packs several new perks that can completely revamp a weapon. Thanks to the deep dive, we’ve learned about a few more options, including Reckless, which reduces the magazine size to 1 and cuts your health in half but increases weapon damage by 500 percent, making it a fantastic option for snipers. There’s also Barbaric, where attacks and movement speed become faster and each successful hit increases damage dealt, which is pretty much built for melee weapons. Even the suits get some nifty perks, like Enigmatic, which creates holograms in combat to bamboozle enemies, thus drawing aggro away from you.

Reworked Perks

Some of the older, less ideal perks are also getting changed. Take Space-Adept, for example. In its current form, it increases damage by 30 percent in space but decreases it by 15 percent planetside. For Free Lanes, the downside has been removed entirely, so as long as you’re in space, you get a huge boost.

New Weapon Skins

Crafting benches can have more of an identity thanks to faction-specific skins, and that extends to weapons as well. Bethesda has added “quite a few” new options to the mix, including the Crimson Fleet, Gilded, and so on. However, the existing Constellation and Neon skins also now support a greater range of weapons, extending customization even further.

All-In-One Outpost Module

As cool as shared-outpost storage and a Milliewhale pet can be, sometimes you just want to throw down a base on a desolate planet. A short stopover before going on your way. That’s where the new Elevated Cabin comes into play, serving as an all-in-one, fully furnished module with all the essentials. And you can still customize it as you see fit, moving or replacing the furniture entirely.

New Terran Armada Ship Parts

We’ve already gone over the new ship modules and how they enable functions like cloaking or an EMP. Of course, you’ll also find new Terran Armada ships that can be commandeered to your liking, but schematics of their parts also drop. This means you can outfit your own vessel with a “big new cockpit” and a double-decker habitable area. So if you want to bring a more tactical feel while traveling starside, it’s something else to get invested in.

Why It’s Not Starfield 2.0

Rumors have been claiming that this isn’t a “Starfield 2.0.” Todd Howard has been saying the same before the update’s reveal, and now lead creative producer Tim Lamb has reiterated the fact, once more. During a roundtable Q&A (via WccfTech), the latter said he would “push back” against the notion. “There’s a narrative baked into what that label would mean. We looked at a number of systems where we had interest or had heard things from the community, and we tried to level up a number of them.

“Free Lanes is huge, and getting it to work with all of the existing content we shipped at launch was significant. But I wouldn’t call it 2.0. A number of systems have been made incrementally better. We’ve added a ton of content. It’s the best version of Starfield.” To that end, Bethesda still has “things” that it wants to pursue in the future and teased how there’s a “lot more in the lore.” Regardless, if you’ve never played Starfield, then Free Lanes and Terran Armada would be the best time to jump in.

“We have our own opinions as far as things we would like to see,” said studio design director Emil Pagliarulo. “After we release the game, we keep on playing it – we say, ‘oh, I wish this had more of X or more of Y as well.’ And then as we play more, we are also seeing what is connecting with players and what isn’t – where our thoughts align with player feedback, which reinforces our beliefs.”

Using exploration as one of the examples for this, Pagliarulo spoke about how players provided feedback about wanting to find going off the beaten path that a quest might lead them down more rewarding. This, in turn, leads the development team to making a list of priorities, like fleshing out points of interests, or making dungeons more interesting.

“It still amazes me how different Starfield is now compared to launch,” he said. “We were doing an update every six to eight weeks for the first year, addressing all of these little things. But with all of those smaller things that we did, they are big and meaningful to the person who was waiting for that one thing.”

Creative producer Tim Lamb spoke about how updates for Starfield had slowed down since its initial launch. However, this means that the development team has been able to bundle up what would otherwise be smaller patches into something larger, like Free Lanes.

“I feel like we held back a little while we were working on all of this stuff,” he said. “Based on everything you’ve seen in Free Lanes, would that feel different if it had been spread out over six or eight weeks? I think there’s a certain punch to it, when you get it all together in one day.”

As for the obstacles that Bethesda might face, a major one comes in the form of the sheer amount of player feedback it gets, and how fast this feedback tends to come in. Art director Istvan Pely spoke about how the in-game experience of a community at large also tends to be different from the developers’ own experiences.

“What the community or internet is experiencing is not always what we’re experiencing,” said Pely. “You might have a streamer who is very popular and they have an issue, a thought, or maybe they want some very specific thing which is isolated to that person, but then it gets a voice and gets a lot of people around it. Then it comes back to us and we’re like, oh, we have a laundry list of stuff we need to do before we can get to that.”

Lamb explained that, while Bethesda gets feedback from across several venues, he sits on a call each week to sift through community discussions. “We’re always looking at how we’re doing with certain problems and how we are funnelling that up to the team, and that’s been consistent for us for the three years,” he said. “So we’re always checking in on what’s on the list, and looking for things that bubble up to the threshold where something becomes really important to address.”

As for the future of Starfield, Lamb noted that Bethesda doesn’t really think of any change that could be made to the game as being “impossible”. However, he brings up the importance of being able to add community-requested features in a way that actually satisfies the community, especially in light of the studio having limited time on its hands.

“I’m not going to undersell what it took to get that right, but we wanted to deliver that,” he said, referring to interplanetary travel. “There’s always a balance. We have finite time, right? We always want to say yes to our players if it aligns with the things that we agree with, or if they have played the game so much and now really want to poke into this corner or explore that thing next. That’s what helps us to decide what to work on next”

Starfield is available on PC and Xbox Series X/S. The title will be coming to PS5 on the same day as the Free Lanes update—on April 7th. The free update and PS5 launch will also be accompanied by a new expansion: Terran Armada. Recent reports have also indicated that Bethesda has remained hard at work on a Nintendo Switch 2 port of the game. However, “it hasn’t been a smooth process,” according to an industry insider.