Starfield’s Latest Update Delivers Land Vehicles, Improved Maps, and Major Performance Boosts

Bethesda has announced a highly-anticipated update for *Starfield*, rolling out this week across PC and Xbox Series X|S, and it’s a game-changer—literally. The update, part of the developer’s continued commitment to polishing their ambitious space RPG, brings a suite of long-requested features including all-new surface vehicles, redesigned planetary maps, and widespread performance improvements.

Leading the update is the introduction of surface vehicles, a first for *Starfield.* Known as “rovers,” these customizable exploration vehicles allow players to traverse planets with speed and flair. Until now, planetary travel involved either tedious on-foot movement or fast travel between discovered landmarks, much to the frustration of players exploring large, barren terrains. The addition of rovers adds depth and utility to planetary exploration and makes the size of *Starfield’s* over 1,000 planets feel far less daunting.

Planetary maps are also receiving a long-overdue overhaul. Players had criticized the original map system for being vague and uninformative, offering little more than a minimal terrain outline. With this update, surface maps now provide elevation details, points of interest, and even biome data, improving navigation and giving explorers a reason to study their surroundings more thoughtfully.

Beyond surface exploration, Bethesda has also focused on under-the-hood improvements. The update includes performance and stability enhancements aimed at reducing load times and improving frame rates—especially on Xbox Series S, where performance had previously lagged behind. PC players will also benefit from expanded graphical settings and driver optimizations.

The update is already available for Steam beta users, with a full release scheduled for later this week. Bethesda also confirmed that modding support and city maps are still on the roadmap for later this year.

With these meaningful changes, *Starfield* appears to be evolving from “potential-packed” to “polished and playable,” reigniting interest in the title months after its polarizing launch. Time will tell if these changes will be enough to bring back disillusioned players, but for now, explorers have a compelling reason to get back in the cockpit.