Highlights
Some Starfield players are experiencing severe audio issues on both PC and console versions of the game, causing delays and game freezes.
The game's SSD requirement is likely due to its preference for reading files directly from the installation location, making an HDD impractical for players.
Although the audio issues seem to affect only a small portion of players, it is worth mentioning that Starfield has attracted a considerable player base, thanks to its availability on multiple platforms.
Numerous Starfield players have taken to social media to discuss significant audio problems in the game, which seems to be affecting both the PC and console versions of Bethesda's RPG. These complaints have been surfacing online throughout the early access period that lasted for five days.
In June, Bethesda introduced a rather unusual requirement for their latest game, Starfield, by listing the need for an SSD as a minimal requirement for PC users. The company did not provide further explanation for this decision. However, early reports from users who installed the game on an HDD, whether intentionally or not, have indicated that the requirement is related to Starfield's behavior of directly reading files from their installation location. Unlike contemporary games that utilize asset streaming techniques, which first load files into RAM, Starfield directly retrieves them from permanent storage. As a result, using an HDD is not a practical solution, even for players willing to tolerate longer loading times, as the RPG constantly reads files on the fly, not just during loading screens.
Some complaints about audio stuttering in Starfield are from players who mistakenly installed the game on an HDD. However, there are still reports of audio delays and game freezes even when running the game from an M.2 SSD, a fast solid-state disk format that connects directly to the motherboard for faster data transfer speeds than a traditional drive using a SATA cable.
Early access players on Xbox Series X have also experienced audio stuttering, which not only affects the game but also the built-in party chat feature to the point of being unusable. Rebooting the Xbox Series X temporarily resolves the issue. There have been no reports of similar problems from those playing Starfield on the Xbox Series S, despite its less powerful hardware.
The presence of online complaints indicates that there are only a few instances of audio issues among the current player base of the RPG. It is worth noting that Starfield has gained popularity and reached the top 10 most-played games on Steam, with a peak of almost 250,000 simultaneous players, before its official release on Valve's platform. Additionally, the game is accessible on Xbox consoles, the Microsoft Store, and is part of the day-one lineup for Xbox Game Pass, which suggests that there is a significantly larger number of early adopters. Starfield will be available for PC and Xbox Series X/S starting from September 6.
