Starfield has made a strong return to the top of the US sales charts following its PlayStation 5 launch, according to data from Circana shared by analyst Mat Piscatella. The game led the weekly best-selling titles chart for the week ending April 11th, 2026, marking the first time it has achieved that position since the week ending September 2nd, 2023.
The PS5 release has been described by critics as feeling more complete, smoother, and generally better than the original 2023 launch on Xbox, and PC. Reviewers noted that the version available on PlayStation 5 benefits from post-launch updates and improvements, making it the ideal way to experience the game, particularly on a PS5 Pro.
Despite the strong chart performance, some analysts have questioned the broader commercial success of the title. Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics characterized the reported 140,000 copies sold on PS5 during launch week as “lukewarm” when compared to the game’s lifetime sales of 3.7 million on Steam and 1 million on Xbox, noting that Xbox figures may be influenced by Game Pass availability.
Elliott further suggested that, given Bethesda’s budget and the game’s decade-long development cycle, Starfield may have only just broken even financially. Yet, the PS5 launch coincided with positive momentum from recent updates such as the Free Lanes and Terran Armada expansions, which have been well received by the player community.
The strong debut on PS5 occurred during a relatively quiet period in the release calendar, with fewer major competing titles launching alongside it. This contrasted with the game’s original 2023 release window, which saw it quickly overshadowed by high-profile launches including Baldur’s Gate 3, NBA 2K24, and Mortal Kombat 1.
While the PlayStation 5 version has faced technical challenges at launch, including reports of bugs and glitches that affected playability for some users, Bethesda has since deployed multiple hotfixes to address these issues. The game’s performance on the new platform continues to be monitored by both players and industry observers.
