Rumors had been rife for several weeks. Between supposed major overhaul, comparisons with Cyberpunk 2077 and fantasy of a big return, Starfield 2.0 seemed almost established in the minds of some of the players. However, on February 19, 2026, Todd Howard wanted to clarify things during an intervention at Kinda Funny Games.
Yes, Bethesda Game Studios is preparing new content for Starfield. No, it’s not Starfield 2.0. The studio director promises very close announcements, but calls for tempering expectations. The message is clear: changes are coming, but not a total revolution.
Starfield 2.0, a rumor that has grown too much
Released on September 6, 2023 on Xbox Series X|S and PC, Starfield was to mark a new era for Bethesda. Three years later, the space RPG has not completely convinced. Bugs, uneven performance, procedurally generated planets deemed repetitive, then a first DLC Shattered Space welcomed freshly in September 2024: the context fueled the idea of a major saving patch.
Faced with speculation, Todd Howard said: “It’s not Starfield 2.0. I’ve seen some speculation about it, but to set the expectations straight, I would say that if you like Starfield, we think you’re going to love what’s coming. These are updates and elements that change the game, not in isolation, but on a more global, almost meta level, using space and certain systems in ways that we haven’t explored before. However, if Starfield is a game that you didn’t immediately connect with, or gave up on, or found boring at times, I don’t think it will fundamentally change your perception.”
An update that will change the game on a global level
The studio is nevertheless actively working on upcoming content. As early as August 2025, the team mentioned “features requested by players”, adjustments “to spatial gameplay to make travel more rewarding” as well as “new game systems”.
Todd Howard insists on the extent of the changes: they will not be anecdotal. They will act on the overall experience, particularly in the use of space and game systems. A structural evolution, but not a radical transformation.
Imminent announcements and a calendar finally clarified
If Bethesda has remained discreet in recent months, this silence had a reason. Todd Howard explains it clearly: “Obviously, we’ve been working on a lot of Starfield-related content. We haven’t talked about it yet, because the end of last year was a time for us where we were focusing on our IPs or our franchises, and Fallout very clearly dominated the fall and then the beginning of this year. You’ve seen it, and I can tell everyone that we’re going to talk about it very soon. We’re entering a phase where we’re ready to communicate about Starfield and properly present it and what’s happening in the game. We’ve done a lot of work that we really appreciate.”
PS5, Game Pass and the future of space RPG
In parallel with this update, another question animates the community: the possible arrival of Starfield on PS5. Persistent rumors suggest an upcoming officialization.
In the same interview, Todd Howard also said: “We’ve been working on a lot of Starfield content that we really like. I can tell everyone that we’re going to talk about it very soon. We’re entering a phase where we’re going to talk a lot about this game and our plans for it. But I’ve seen a lot of talk about a ‘Starfield 2.0’ and I’d like to make things clear: it’s going to be an update that will change the game and use space in ways that we haven’t. seen so far, if you loved the game, you should like it. On the other hand, if you didn’t like the base game, if you found it boring, it’s not likely to change it significantly enough to change your mind.
Available on Xbox Series X|S and PC, Starfield remains accessible via Xbox Game Pass Premium, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The coming weeks should clarify the true extent of these changes.