Starfield is back on top of the US sales chart, thanks to its long-awaited PlayStation 5 release. On paper, that sounds like a huge second wind for Bethesda’s space RPG. But look a bit closer and the picture is more mixed.
According to US games market analyst Mat Piscatella, Starfield led the weekly US best-selling titles chart during its PS5 launch week. That is the first time the game has taken the top spot since the week ending 2 September 2023, just before its original PC and Xbox launch on 6 September 2023.
For a game that has been heavily debated since day one, that is still a meaningful achievement. Starfield arriving on PS5 gives Bethesda access to a whole new audience, especially players who skipped Xbox this generation or never wanted to play it on PC.
Around 140,000 PS5 Copies Sold In Week One
Starfield is estimated to have sold around 140,000 copies on PS5 in its first week. That number may have been helped by wider space-related attention around Artemis 2, but the more practical boost is obvious: this is not the same Starfield that launched in 2023.
The PS5 version lands after years of patches, updates, and quality-of-life improvements. It also arrived alongside the Free Lanes and Terran Armada updates, giving new players a more complete version of the game compared to those who jumped in at launch.
For Malaysian and SEA players, that timing matters. A lot of us are patient buyers by default — waiting for fixes, discounts, better hardware performance, or a “complete enough” version before dropping cash. If you are paying full PS5 pricing in Malaysia, you want the version that actually respects your wallet.
But The PS5 Launch Wasn’t Smooth
The problem is that Starfield’s PS5 landing was apparently rough for some players. Reports of bugs and glitches surfaced quickly, with some issues serious enough that players said the game became unplayable. Some even looked for refunds.
Bethesda has already pushed out hotfixes, which is good, but it does take some shine off the chart-topping moment. For SEA gamers especially, where digital refunds can feel like a whole mini-boss fight depending on platform and region, launch stability is not a small thing.
There is also the sales context. Starfield reaching No.1 sounds massive, but the release week reportedly did not have much heavy competition. Alinea Analytics analyst Rhys Elliott described the 140,000 figure as “lukewarm” for a game of Starfield’s scale.
His comparison is pretty brutal: Starfield has reportedly sold 3.7 million copies on Steam and 1 million on Xbox, even with Xbox sales being affected by Game Pass access. Elliott also suggested that, considering Bethesda’s budget and the game’s decade-long development cycle, Starfield may have only just reached break-even territory.
Switch 2 Could Be The Next Big Chance
The next potential boost could come from Nintendo. A Switch 2 version of Starfield has not been officially announced, but it was recently spotted on Taiwan’s age ratings website. These rating board sightings are not always a guarantee, but they are often a strong hint that something is coming.
If Starfield really does hit Switch 2, that could be interesting for SEA. Nintendo has a strong lifestyle-gaming crowd here, and a portable version of a massive Bethesda RPG would definitely get attention — assuming performance is solid and the pricing makes sense.
Bethesda has said it plans to support Starfield for years, so the PS5 bump and possible future versions are important for keeping the game alive. The bigger question is whether new platforms can change the wider perception of Starfield.
Because the core criticism is still there: Starfield is huge, full of Bethesda-style systems, side stories, physics nonsense, and weird little moments. But for many players, the scale came at the cost of direct exploration and emotional pull.
So yes, Starfield topping the chart again is a win. But it is not a clean victory lap. It is more like Bethesda getting another chance to convince players that this space journey is worth boarding.
Source: Eurogamer