Starfield PS5 Crashes Force Sony to Issue Refunds

Starfield’s launch on PlayStation 5 has turned into a major technical mess. Players are experiencing widespread crashing issues on both standard PS5 and PS5 Pro consoles. This has led Sony to approve refunds through the PS Store, a rare move that shows just how serious the problems are.

Reports from Push Square indicate that these crashes aren’t just affecting a few players. Users across both PS5 models are dealing with the same instability, making the game nearly unplayable for many. As of now, Bethesda hasn’t shared a timeline for a public patch.

This situation is particularly damaging for Bethesda. Starfield only launched on PlayStation in 2025 after being an Xbox and PC exclusive since September 2023. The PS5 release was expected to broaden the game’s audience, especially since its Steam player base had already taken a significant hit — current concurrent players on Steam have dropped to 19,879 from over 330,000 at launch.

On Steam, Starfield holds a 56% positive rating from 116,470 reviews, landing it in the “Mixed” category. This is quite low for a first-party Bethesda RPG, which initially earned an 88 on Metacritic. The PlayStation release was a chance to change the narrative around the game. Instead, issues reported by Notebookcheck have created another round of negative headlines before Bethesda can gain traction on the new platform.

Sony’s decision to approve refunds is telling. The PS Store’s typical refund policy only covers purchases that haven’t been downloaded or played significantly. Approving refunds beyond these conditions suggests that Sony’s support team views the crashes as a core defect in the product, not as user error or hardware issues.

By The Numbers

Metacritic Score (PC/Xbox)	88
Steam Review Score	56% positive
Total Steam Reviews	116,470
Current Steam Concurrent Players	19,879
Steam Price	$49.99

The community’s reaction to Starfield has been largely negative since its 2023 launch. One Steam reviewer captured a recurring sentiment about the game: “Repetitive, boring, empty, soulless.” This critique predates the PS5 crashing issues, which means Bethesda is now facing a long-standing reputation problem along with a serious technical one on a new platform.

What To Watch

• Bethesda’s patch response window: How fast the studio rolls out a stability fix for PS5 will influence whether the wave of refunds grows. If they remain silent too long, negative coverage will ramp up, and more players may seek refunds.
• PS5 Pro-specific performance: The crashes on PS5 Pro — which costs $699 — raise the stakes even higher. Sony needs to avoid the notion that its premium console struggles with major third-party titles.
• Long-term PS5 player retention: If Bethesda fixes the crashes, keep an eye on whether the PS5 version attracts a stable audience or if the game’s existing reputation issues continue to limit its potential on this platform.