Most recent update to Windows 11 broke Starfield on PC

I've done all of these things. It conflicts with Windows 11 newest Windows cumulative update. there are several other people with the exact same problems and similar pc specs as well. this needs to be forwarded to Microsoft higher-ups and Bethesda.

I've tried rolling back windows, and rolling back drivers with clean installs. I've also tried re-installing Directx support. I've done CMD commands such as; sfc /scannow, checkhealth, and various other checks. nothing works.

I can confirm that Bethesda Starfield cannot launch (via Steam) under Windows 11 23560.1000, 23565.1000 or 23570.1000.

- Install any prior build/release of Windows 11 pre 23560.1000

- Install Steam,

- Install latest graphics drivers for nvidia/ati card,

- Install all Windows updates prior to 23560.1000 or out-of-band updates,

- Restart,

- Install Starfield,

- Steam -> Play -> application runs normally,

- Restart,

- Steam -> Play -> application runs normally,

- Update to 23560.1000, 23565.1000, 23570.1000,

- Restart,

- Steam -> Play -> application exits immediately, no obvious failures show via procmon - no registry/file/device failures,

- Check for / install any device driver updates, e.g. latest nvidia driver,

- Restart,

- Steam -> Play -> application exits immediately, no obvious failures show via procmon - no

- Uninstall Starfield + Restart + Reinstall Starfield

- Steam -> Play -> application exits immediately, no obvious failures show via procmon - no

- Restart,

- Steam -> Play -> application exits immediately, no obvious failures show via procmon - no,

- Use Recovery -> Go Back to restore to previous windows build,

- Restart,

- Without reinstalling Starfield, Steam -> Play -> *application runs normally,

I also observed that manually attempting to launch the executable also results in a simple termination during startup, and procmon/windbg doesn't show anything significant. While this may be a bug in Starfield's code, perhaps undefined behavior, it is clearly triggered by something that changed in Windows recently.

I look forward to mocking you for replying with a form post listing steps to try.

PS: With both 23560.1000 and 23570.1000 I have submitted Feedback reports that include recordings of the application attempting to launch.

Hello EvanWiger,

Thank you for posting in the Microsoft Community.

I can see that you are experiencing issues with your game after updating Windows 11. This sounds like a frustrating situation and I appreciate your patience and efforts in trying to resolve it.



Here are troubleshooting steps we can perform to try and fix the issue.

Solution 1: Quit and restart the game

Note If your game crashes or won’t respond during startup, skip this solution.

Sometimes quitting and restarting a game is an effective way to fix crashing and freezing problems. To do this, select the X at the top-right corner of the screen to close the window (this quits the game), and then restart the game.

If you’re unable to close the game by selecting X, select Ctrl + Alt + Delete, and then select Task Manager. In Task Manager, select the game you want to close, and then press End task.

Solution 2: Restart your device

Restarting your Windows 10/11 device resets anything running in the memory that can cause the game to freeze or stop responding.

Note Make sure there's nothing open or unsaved before you continue, as this process will automatically close all open apps.

1. Press the Start button, select Power, and then select Restart.
   
2. After your device has restarted, sign in and restart your game.
   

Solution 3: Check your device for Windows software and driver updates

If your game is freezing or not responding, you may need to get the latest updates for your Windows 10/11 device.

To check your device for the latest software updates, including video drivers, follow the steps in:

How to get software and driver updates for Windows devices

Solution 4: Check the system requirements for the game

Some games have specific minimum system requirements for a Windows 10/11 device. If your game is freezing or not responding, verify that the device you're using can run the game without any problems.

To check the system requirements for your game, follow the steps in:

How to find out if a game will play on your Windows device

Solution 5: Check that you have network connectivity

If your game requires an internet connection, losing connectivity mid-game can result in problems playing the game. Usually, the game will let you know if it has lost network connectivity. To check whether you're still connected:

1. Press the Search button on the taskbar, type settings, and then select Settings > Network & internet.
   
2. Make sure that the network you're connected to shows as Connected.
   

If you need help with your network connection, see:

Network & internet

Solution 6: Sign in as a different user

Sometimes the performance and stability of gameplay can be affected by corrupted profile data on your Windows 10/11 device. To check your profile data, try playing the same game using a different account.

1. Press the Start button.
   
2. On Windows 10, select your account name in the menu and then select another person’s account. On Windows 11, select your account name and then select Switch user.
   
3. Sign in with a different account.
   
4. Restart the game to see if it works correctly.
   
   Note Not all games can be shared on a Windows 10/11 device. If you receive an error message stating that the user doesn’t own the rights required to play the game or that the ownership of the game couldn’t be verified, the game can’t be shared on the device.
   

Solution 7: Repair or reinstall the game

Game files can become corrupted or altered if you have malware or are running a game modification on your device. If your game is freezing or not responding, uninstalling and reinstalling it will remove and replace the files that run the game.

To uninstall and reinstall games, follow the steps in:

How to install and uninstall a PC game on a Windows device

Please see: Game freezes or stops responding on a Windows device | Xbox Support

You can provide feedback about Starfield here.

Check out Bethesda's additional support articles for Starfield.

For news and updates regarding Bethesda, go to the Bethesda official X/Twitter Support page.

See: Game Release Known Issues for September 2023 - Microsoft Community



I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and I hope you can enjoy your game again soon. Thank you and have a great day.

I can confirm that Bethesda Starfield cannot launch (via Steam) under Windows 11 23560.1000, 23565.1000 or 23570.1000.

- Install any prior build/release of Windows 11 pre 23560.1000

- Install Steam,

- Install latest graphics drivers for nvidia/ati card,

- Install all Windows updates prior to 23560.1000 or out-of-band updates,

- Restart,

- Install Starfield,

- Steam -> Play -> application runs normally,

- Restart,

- Steam -> Play -> application runs normally,

- Update to 23560.1000, 23565.1000, 23570.1000,

- Restart,

- Steam -> Play -> application exits immediately, no obvious failures show via procmon - no registry/file/device failures,

- Check for / install any device driver updates, e.g. latest nvidia driver,

- Restart,

- Steam -> Play -> application exits immediately, no obvious failures show via procmon - no

- Uninstall Starfield + Restart + Reinstall Starfield

- Steam -> Play -> application exits immediately, no obvious failures show via procmon - no

- Restart,

- Steam -> Play -> application exits immediately, no obvious failures show via procmon - no,

- Use Recovery -> Go Back to restore to previous windows build,

- Restart,

- Without reinstalling Starfield, Steam -> Play -> *application runs normally,

I also observed that manually attempting to launch the executable also results in a simple termination during startup, and procmon/windbg doesn't show anything significant. While this may be a bug in Starfield's code, perhaps undefined behavior, it is clearly triggered by something that changed in Windows recently.

I look forward to mocking you for replying with a form post listing steps to try.

PS: With both 23560.1000 and 23570.1000 I have submitted Feedback reports that include recordings of the application attempting to launch.

I can confirm that I had the same issue and performed all the steps you mentioned above with the same results.

It really is a mockery of the end user when all the replies seem to be stock responses that the majority of users would have already tried, what is the point of the insider channel if Microsoft aren't going to listen to the feedback and just try to deny any error on their part.

I understand it may be a coding issue with Bethesda but as the game worked prior to the latest update I very much doubt it.

EDIT: I have to admit egg on my face for this one because for some reason after uninstalling 23570.1000 and pausing updates for a week the update was reinstalled today 23/10 and Starfield is running fine even with mods installed, I have no idea what the original issue was but I'm glad the issue resolved itself

I've tried all of this, the issue is the Windows 11 update