Starfield Passes 15 Million Players, As Game Adds New Vehicle And Quest

Starfield has crossed a new player milestone, reaching 15 million players, as developer Bethesda Game Studios also released a new update that includes the next land vehicle, a new quest, fixes, and more.

Starfield reached 6 million players on launch day–September 7, 2023–becoming the biggest launch in Bethesda’s history, and a launch no doubt fueled by Game Pass. The game climbed to 13 million players as of December 2023, and has now added at least two million more.

“We’re thrilled that so many of you have embarked on this journey with us, and we appreciate your feedback. We are always looking for ways to improve your experience playing the game,” Bethesda said in a news release.

Starfield’s November update is out now, introducing performance and stability improvements, along with the reintroduction of the uncapped frame rate option on Xbox Series X. Additionally, all Starfield Creations released through Bethesda’s Verified Creators program will now work with achievements. Previously, select Creations blocked achievements, but this has now been fixed. However, achievements will not retroactively unlock.

Additionally, the newest land vehicle, the Deimog, is available now for everyone. “Built for speed and endurance, the Deimog features a fully enclosed cabin to keep you protected as you race through rugged landscapes,” Bethesda said, noting that it has “exceptional handling.”

Then, in the spirit of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday in the US, Starfield has added what’s called “The Perfect Recipe.” This is a new quest where players meet a person, Harbhajan, who is a gifted mechanic with a passion for cooking. “When you stumble upon a dusty recipe book during your travels, you learn it belongs to Harbhajan–a once-hopeful chef whose ambitions were set aside for a more practical life,” Bethesda said. “Returning the recipes ignites a spark, rekindling old dreams of becoming a galaxy-renowned chef. But could it be too late for a second chance?”

You can see the full patch notes below. Starfield is available now for Xbox and PC.

Starfield November patch notes:

General

• General performance and stability improvements.
• The uncapped frame rate option is available again for Xbox Series X users.
• The Message of the Day now displays more consistently on the Xbox.
• Addressed an issue where some console commands did not disable certain achievements.
• Shattered Space will now show ownership correctly for Steam users.

Features

• Creation Kit: Lipsync animation data generation is now available.

Gameplay

• The Annihilator Particle Beam damage-over-time effect no longer triggers companion reactions.
• Resolved a Leadership skill issue that could cause companions to not speak up.
• Improved function of the stealth bar while around crowd NPCs.
• Addressed an issue where destroyed ships could load in without collision.
• Addressed an issue where loading a save the relied on missing content could place the player in an undesirable location.
• Trackers Alliance – Roach will now accurately track the number of completed bounties.
• Trackers Alliance – Bounty targets will now appear in Akila, Gagarin, and Cydonia.
• Trackers Alliance – Fixed an issue where the player could receive additional credits by extorting the target and then killing them.
• Trackers Alliance – Bounty targets should now have a larger variety of appearances.
• Trackers Alliance – Bounty targets will now be removed after being dealt with and leaving the area.
• Trackers Alliance – Extorting or bribing a bounty target is no longer a guaranteed success.

Quests

• The Starjacker – The correct quest objective will display when the player boards the Junker Watchdog.
• Legacy of the Fang – Addressed an issue that could cause the key to no longer open the door if the player had left the area.
• The Duel – If the player attacks Danika and gets arrested, they are now able to speak to her afterwards to complete the quest.
• The Scaled Citadel – Anasko’s ID Key is now flagged as a quest item.
• What Remains – Addressed an issue where having certain creations installed could make the hatch on The Oracle non-interactable.
• What Remains – The Engineering Bay Access Card is now flagged as a quest item.
• A House Divided – The doors in the Radiology center will stay unlocked during this quest if the player exits the area and returns.
• A House Divided – The player can now obtain the keycard from Madri after the quest is completed.
• Zealous Overreach – Fixed an issue that could occur if the Va’ruun Zealots at the exterior of Shadow Station Epsilon were killed before receiving the quest.
• Zealous Overreach – Addressed an issue that could prevent the player from speaking to Razma or Viktor if the quest “Conflict in Conviction” is started at the same time.
• Zealous Overreach – Vortex Phantoms will no longer spawn close enough to interrupt the negotiation scene.