Updated on January 18, 2024: Starfield update 1.9.47 is now available in beta following a 24-hour delay. The original story is as follows.

Summary

  • Bethesda has delayed the major Starfield update originally set to release on January 17.
  • The patch is still on course to hit the Steam beta channel before the end of the week, most likely by Friday, January 19.
  • The delay was caused by an unspecified issue that the studio discovered in recent days and decided to address before rolling out Starfield's first 2024 update.

Bethesda has delayed the major Starfield update that was supposed to drop on January 17. This turn of events will come as a disappointment to fans who are still waiting for the developer to fix some notable Starfield bugs that persisted following its latest patch.

The newly delayed release was originally announced on January 12. Touted as the biggest Starfield update to date, the patch promised to include over 100 bug fixes and other improvements to the galaxy-hopping RPG. Bethesda's original plan was to release it to Steam users in beta before rolling it out to the Xbox Series X/S and Microsoft Store—i.e., PC Game Pass—versions of the game.

Starfield’s First 2024 Update Should Only Be a Couple of Days Late

The studio has now delayed its major Starfield update a day ahead of its planned beta debut. Taking to the company's official Discord server, a Bethesda community manager explained that the developer identified a new issue that it wants to address as part of the upcoming patch, hence the postponement. While the official did not elaborate on the nature of the problem, whatever it is cannot be too serious because Bethesda is still aiming to release the game's first 2024 update before the end of the week. The studio also repeated the same promise on Twitter.

Starfield Update Delay CVH Discord January 16 2024 Message cropped Screenshot

Looking at Starfield's version history, all of its updates rolled out during the workweek, predominantly on Monday. In light of Bethesda's latest status update, it would appear that fans can count on the upcoming patch to roll out no later than Friday, January 19, because pushing out such a release over the weekend would be an unprecedented move for the company. All of the past Starfield updates spent around ten days in beta before rolling out to everyone, suggesting that the now-postponed patch is still on course to hit the stable channel by late January.

Starfield Update Release History

Version

Date (2023)

Day

1.7.23

August 30

Wednesday

1.7.29

September 13

Wednesday

1.7.33

September 25

Monday

1.7.36

October 9

Monday

1.8.86

November 20

Monday

1.8.87

December 1

Friday

1.8.88

December 11

Monday

This minor delay should not meaningfully affect Starfield's 2024 content roadmap that Bethesda detailed in December. Specifically, the developer has promised that new difficulty options, ship customization features, and modes of transportation are all coming to the game this year, much like the oft-requested city maps and Shattered Space, Starfield's very first story expansion.

The studio is also continuing to work on Creation Kit 2, which will introduce official modding tools for the game and thus standardize the process of modding Starfield. The Creation Kit update was previously promised to arrive early this year, meaning it is likely to debut before most, if not all, of the aforementioned additions outlined in the game's 2024 content roadmap.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
Starfield Tag Page Cover Art
10 /10

Starfield
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Action
RPG
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Systems
PC-1 Xbox-1
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Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
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Released
September 6, 2023
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Strong Language, Violence
Developer(s)
Bethesda
Publisher(s)
Bethesda
Engine
proprietary engine
Cross-Platform Play
no multiplayer
Cross Save
no
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.
The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.

Genre(s)
Action, RPG
How Long To Beat
20 Hours
File Size Xbox Series
101 GB (September 2023)
Metascore
86