Starfield: which platform plays it best?
What changes between PC, PS5, Xbox: resolution, FPS per mode, what each official store publishes and the FPS we measured on PC.
Quick verdict
The best version of Starfield is the PC one, and on console PS5 Pro leads.
Why PC wins
On PC you set resolution and settings, and nothing on console competes: we measured 29 cards on the Ultra preset, where an RTX 4090 delivers 110-118 FPS at 1080p, a Radeon RX 7900 XTX 90-107 and an RTX 4080 86-95. You also get FSR 3, DLSS 3.5, XeSS 1.2 and frame generation. What no platform gets is ray tracing.
On console, point by point
On console, PS5 and Series X split the points. Series X runs at a lower average resolution in performance mode but pulls 5 to 10 FPS ahead of PS5 in some areas. PS5 Pro adds a 2160p Enhanced mode, though the analysis is blunt about it: against quality mode you only notice a slight gain in shadows and ambient occlusion. What the Pro really adds is freedom, since it unlocks the frame rate in all three modes and reaches 90 FPS with VRR, while PS5 allows that only in performance and tops out at 70.
This game leans hard on the CPU: in areas dense with assets or NPCs none of the three platforms holds 60 FPS.
Price on each platform
The best live offer for each version, every price with its format.
Final prices with fees
Copied!
Starfield on PS5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X and PC: graphics comparison
- PS5 and Xbox Series X ship two display modes; PS5 Pro adds a third.
- The PC version was tested with every setting maxed out and 4K as the reference.
- Series X runs at a lower average resolution than PS5 in performance mode, but pulls 5 to 10 FPS ahead in some areas.
- The most visible difference between modes is terrain level of detail, slightly lower in performance.
- Every PS5 Pro mode uses PSSR; PS5 uses FSR.
- PS5 Pro's Enhanced mode brings no significant visual gain over quality mode, just a slight improvement in shadows and ambient occlusion.
- Because of how CPU-heavy this game is, none of the three platforms holds 60 FPS in areas dense with assets or NPCs.
Starfield on PS5 versus PS5 Pro: final graphics comparison
- PS5 has two display modes, quality and performance. PS5 Pro adds a third, called Enhanced.
- On PS5 Pro, Enhanced uses a common resolution of 2160p, while quality runs at 1440p and performance at 1080p.
- All PS5 Pro modes use PSSR, while PS5 uses FSR.
- Enhanced mode is no significant step up from quality mode: only shadows and ambient occlusion improve slightly.
- Neither console holds 60 FPS in areas dense with assets or NPCs, because of the game's CPU demands.
- With the frame rate unlocked and VRR on, PS5 Pro gets close to 90 FPS in some areas; PS5 reaches 70 in those same areas.
- PS5 Pro lets you disable Vsync and unlock the frame rate in all three modes. On PS5 that is only possible in performance mode.
Starfield on Xbox Series S, Series X and PC: the launch comparison
- This is the launch analysis, back in 2023: Series X and Series S had a single display mode then, with the frame rate locked at 30 FPS.
- Series X reconstructed 2160p with FSR from a common 1440p; Series S, 1440p from 900p.
- The PC version was captured at 4K reconstructed with FSR from 1620p, on an RTX 4080 and an i9 12900K.
- Both Xbox consoles showed occasional tearing, and Series S dropped a few more frames at demanding moments.
- Console settings matched PC's high preset, and Series S cut draw distance, terrain geometry, shadows, anisotropic filtering, textures and post-processing against Series X.
- On PC only shadows, anisotropic filtering and draw distance improved: the gap against console was small.
- Without FSR an RTX 4080 could drop to 30 FPS at 4K Ultra, and the lack of DLSS penalised Nvidia cards.
Full platform comparison
Resolution, modes and FPS come from the video analyses above. The rest is published by each platform's official store and by the game's technical sheet on PC. Where nobody publishes the figure we put a dash, not a guess.
| Feature | PC | PS5 | Xbox |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics modes | Free settings | Two: quality and performance · three on PS5 Pro, adding Enhanced | Two: quality and performance |
| Resolution | Unlocked (4K used as reference in the analysis) | On PS5 Pro: 2160p in Enhanced, 1440p in Quality, 1080p in Performance | Lower average than PS5 in performance mode |
| Resolution in the launch analysis (2023) | 4K reconstructed with FSR from 1620p (RTX 4080) | — | Series X: 2160p from 1440p · Series S: 1440p from 900p, both with FSR |
| Tearing | — | — | Occasional on Series X and Series S in the launch analysis |
| Frame rate | In the 2023 analysis an RTX 4080 dropped to 30 at 4K Ultra without FSR | Does not hold 60 in areas dense with assets or NPCs | Same, but 5-10 FPS ahead of PS5 in some areas |
| Unlocked frame rate | Unlocked | Performance mode only; up to 70 FPS with VRR. PS5 Pro allows it in all three modes and reaches 90 | — |
| Upscaling | FSR 3, DLSS 3.5, XeSS 1.2 | FSR on PS5 · PSSR in all three PS5 Pro modes | FSR |
| Frame generation | DLSS FG and FSR FG | — | — |
| What performance mode gives up | — | Mostly terrain level of detail, slightly lower | The same |
| What PS5 Pro's Enhanced mode adds | — | Little: 2160p and a slight gain in shadows and ambient occlusion over quality mode | — |
| Ray tracing | No | — | No |
| HDR | No | — | Yes |
| 4K | Yes | — | Yes |
| 120 FPS | Yes | — | No |
| Ultrawide | Yes | — | — |
| Adjustable field of view | Yes | — | — |
| Optimised for the current generation | — | — | Yes |
| Cloud saves | Yes | — | Yes |
Xbox is the Series X column unless Series S is stated. Resolution, modes, FPS, VRR and download size come from the videos; HDR, ray tracing and PC features from the technical sheet and the official Xbox catalogue.
PC performance
FPS measured at 1080p on Ultra quality, across 29 graphics cards. These are measurements on this game, not estimates.
| Graphics card | FPS at 1080p | Relative performance |
|---|---|---|
| MSI GEFORCE RTX 4090 24 GB | 110–118 | |
| AORUS Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB | 90–107 | |
| ASUS GEFORCE RTX 4080 16 GB | 86–95 | |
| ASUS Radeon RX 7900 XT 20 GB | 80–95 | |
| ASUS GEFORCE RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB | 75–84 | |
| Radeon RX 6950 XT 16 GB | 73–81 |
Frequently asked questions about Starfield
Which platform does Starfield look best on?
PC, with free resolution and settings and none of the console performance ceiling. On console the best image is PS5 Pro in Enhanced mode, at 2160p, though the gap to quality mode is small.
How many graphics modes does it have on console?
Two on PS5 and Xbox Series X: quality and performance. PS5 Pro adds a third, Enhanced.
Does it run at 60 FPS on console?
Not always. Because of the game's CPU load, none of the three platforms holds 60 FPS in areas dense with assets or NPCs. These figures come from the video analyses, not from our own testing.
Is PS5 Pro worth it?
Depends what you want. Enhanced mode runs at 2160p but only adds a slight gain in shadows and ambient occlusion over quality mode. What genuinely changes is freedom: on PS5 Pro you can disable Vsync and unlock the frame rate in all three modes, reaching around 90 FPS with VRR. On PS5 that is only possible in performance mode, and the ceiling drops to 70.
PS5 or Xbox Series X?
They trade blows. Series X runs at a lower average resolution than PS5 in performance mode, but pulls 5 to 10 FPS ahead in some areas. Sharpness against smoothness.
Which upscaler does each version use?
PS5 uses FSR and PS5 Pro uses PSSR in all three modes. On PC you get FSR 3, DLSS 3.5 and XeSS 1.2, plus frame generation through DLSS FG and FSR FG.
Does it have ray tracing?
No. PCGamingWiki does not list it for the PC version and the official Xbox catalogue does not declare it either. HDR is there on Xbox but not on PC.
What graphics card do I need on PC?
We measured 29 cards on the Ultra preset. An RTX 4090 gives 110-118 FPS at 1080p, a Radeon RX 7900 XTX 90-107, an RTX 4080 86-95, an RX 7900 XT 80-95 and an RTX 4070 Ti 75-84. Pick yours on the requirements page to see the exact figure.
What changes between quality and performance mode?
Mostly terrain level of detail, which drops slightly in performance. It is the clearest difference between modes according to the analysis.
Which version is cheapest?
The cheapest key is on Xbox. Above it sit PC and PS5. Prices move every day: the live ones are on each version’s page. Watch out for account offers, cheaper because they are not a purchase in your name.
Video analysis by El Analista de Bits. The videos play from their own channel. PC data according to PCGamingWiki and our own FPS measurements; Xbox features according to the official Microsoft catalogue.
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