• Perform a clean install of your video driver. For nVidia: Go to https://www.nvidia.com/download/index.aspx and enter the appropriate information for your GPU. Manually download the driver, do not update via GeForce Experience or other such software. When installing after download, select nVidia Graphics Driver (without GeForce Experience,) Agree and Continue, then Custom (Advanced,) and finally, tick the Perform Clean Installation box. Then proceed with installation. This will reset all of your Control Panel global and game profile settings, but it is recommended nevertheless (especially since certain things, like Anisotropic Filtering, being enabled at the driver level currently introduce visual bugs in the game.) For AMD: Go to https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/gpu-601 and follow the steps provided. Then download the latest AMD driver for your GPU here: https://www.amd.com/en/support
  
• Ensure Anisotropic Filtering is set to Use Application Setting/Application Controlled in your driver software. Do not manually set AF to 8x, 16x, etc. in your driver software, as this introduces visual glitching in shadows and other problems. If you wish to use AF in the game, enable it via a custom ini file as described here: https://www.reddit.com/r/OptimizedGaming/comments/16769el/starfield_ini_tweaks/
  
• Force recompiling of the shader cache. Navigate to (Your install drive)\user\(yourname)\AppData\Local\Starfield\ and delete the file entitled Pipeline.cache which will force the game to recompile shaders the next time you start it. You may also delete the cache at the driver level. To do so, for nVidia delete all files located in the %LOCALAPPDATA%\NVIDIA\DXCache directory, and for AMD delete all files located in the %LOCALAPPDATA%\AMD\DxCache directory. Again, the game will recompile shaders the next time you launch it.
  
• Verify integrity of the game install (right click the game in Library, choose properties, select installed files, then verify/validate.) Then completely exit Steam (don't just click the x to close it, but right click the app in your taskbar and select Exit,) and relaunch it.

First, check to ensure your GPU fully supports DX12 feature level 12_1. You can do so by going here: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/ searching for your particular GPU, and then looking in the "graphics features" box for your card. It should say: "DirectX
12 (12_1)" If it says only 12_0 or lower, you may not meet the minimum requirements for the game.

Assuming you do in fact meet the system requirements, try all of the following steps:

• Ensure you have Windows 10 or 11 version 21H1 10.0.1904 or higher. If you don't, run Windows update. This is actually required for this game, not optional, and not doing it has been the case of lots of issues for people.
  
• Perform a clean install of your video driver. For nVidia: Go to https://www.nvidia.com/download/index.aspx and enter the appropriate information for your GPU. Manually download the driver, do not update via GeForce Experience or other such software. When installing after download, select nVidia Graphics Driver (without GeForce Experience,) Agree and Continue, then Custom (Advanced,) and finally, tick the Perform Clean Installation box. Then proceed with installation. This will reset all of your Control Panel global and game profile settings, but it is recommended nevertheless (especially since certain things, like Anisotropic Filtering, being enabled at the driver level currently introduce visual bugs in the game.) For AMD: Go to https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/gpu-601 and follow the steps provided. Then download the latest AMD driver for your GPU here: https://www.amd.com/en/support
  
• Update your motherboard's chipset drivers. For AMD, again go here: https://www.amd.com/en/support and select Chipset, then the correct chipset for your motherboard. For Intel, go here: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/detect.html and use the detection program to detect and install new driver updates. If you do not know what your motherboard's chipset is, hold the Windows key and start typing "System Information" until the System Information app appears. Click it to run it. Once it fully populates, search for the Baseboard Product field to find your motherboard manufacturer and model. Google the model to determine what chipset your motherboard uses, if it is not included already in the Baseboard Product title.
  
• Ensure use of dedicated discrete graphics instead of integrated.This is obvious and most here are already doing it of course, but in the unlikely event anyone here is unfamiliar or new to PC gaming and is using their integrated graphics instead of their discrete GPU, for nVidia: Right click the desktop, open nVidia Control Panel, and go to 3D Settings > Manage 3D Settings > Program Settings > Add > Starfield. Then under Select the preferred graphics processor, choose High performance nVidia processor. Similarly, for AMD, right click the desktop and open AMD Radeon Software. Under the Graphics tab, choose Starfield, then select High Performance as your preferred mode. Finally, in Windows itself, search for Graphics Settings and open it. Ensure Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling is ticked on. Then under Graphics performance preference, select Desktop app, and if Starfield is not already listed, click Browse. and navigate to (your install drive):\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Starfield and find Starfield .exe and select it. Once it's in the list, select options, and ensure High Performance is selected. All of these steps will ensure your discrete GPU is used to run the game, not your integrated graphics, if you have that option.
  
• Restart your PC.

The game requires an SSD drive for optimal performance, and these issues are almost always the result of the game not being installed on an internal SSD. If you have the game installed on an external drive, or a mechanical HDD, or a hybrid SSHD, install the game on an internal SSD. It does not need to be an NVMe drive. A SATA SSD is sufficient. (However, the faster the drive and the interface, the better, obviously.)

If you have the game installed on an internal SSD and are still having these issues, please try these steps and see if the problems are resolved:

• Run the disk check utility. In Windows Explorer right click each of your drives, select Properties > Tools > Check and run the disk check utility. Do this for all volumes.
  
• Perform drive image health checks and repair. Open a command prompt - go to Start and type cmd if you aren't familiar with how to do so - then type "sfc /scannow" without the quotes and hit enter. When it completes assuming no errors were found, type "DISM /online /cleanup-image /checkhealth" without the quotes and hit enter. When that process completes, then type "DISM /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth" without the quotes and hit enter. If errors that could not be fixed were found, run both of those commands three times sequentially or until no errors are found. If errors that were fixed were found, or no errors were found, there is no need to repeat.
  
• Verify integrity of the game install. Right click the game in Library, choose properties, select installed files, then verify/validate.) Then completely exit Steam (don't just click the x to close it, but right click the app in your taskbar and select Exit,) and relaunch it.
  
• Restart your PC.

• If the game recently had a patch, uninstall any mods, and verify your installation on Steam. Follow mod uninstall instructions, and then right click the game in Library, choose properties, select installed files, then verify/validate. Then completely exit Steam (don't just click the x to close it, but right click the app in your taskbar and select Exit,) and relaunch it. See if this solves the issue. If it does, you can then try reinstalling mods, cautiously.
  
• Perform a clean install of your video driver. For nVidia: Go to https://www.nvidia.com/download/index.aspx and enter the appropriate information for your GPU. Manually download the driver, do not update via GeForce Experience or other such software. When installing after download, select nVidia Graphics Driver (without GeForce Experience,) Agree and Continue, then Custom (Advanced,) and finally, tick the Perform Clean Installation box. Then proceed with installation. This will reset all of your Control Panel global and game profile settings, but it is recommended nevertheless (especially since certain things, like Anisotropic Filtering, being enabled at the driver level currently introduce visual bugs in the game.) For AMD: Go to https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/gpu-601 and follow the steps provided. Then download the latest AMD driver for your GPU here: https://www.amd.com/en/support
  
• Update your motherboard's chipset drivers. For AMD, again go here: https://www.amd.com/en/support and select Chipset, then the correct chipset for your motherboard. For Intel, go here: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/detect.html and use the detection program to detect and install new driver updates. If you do not know what your motherboard's chipset is, hold the Windows key and start typing "System Information" until the System Information app appears. Click it to run it. Once it fully populates, search for the Baseboard Product field to find your motherboard manufacturer and model. Google the model to determine what chipset your motherboard uses, if it is not included already in the Baseboard Product title.
  
• Ensure high performance mode is set.In Windows, search for Graphics Settings and open it. Ensure Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling is ticked on. Then under Graphics performance preference, select Desktop app, and if Starfield is not already listed, click Browse. and navigate to (your install drive):\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Starfield and find Starfield .exe and select it. Once it's in the list, select options, and ensure High Performance is selected. All of these steps will ensure your discrete GPU is used to run the game, not your integrated graphics, if you have that option.
  
• Restart your PC after the previous steps.
  
• Force recompiling of the shader cache. Navigate to (Your install drive)\user\(yourname)\AppData\Local\Starfield\ and delete the file entitled Pipeline.cache which will force the game to recompile shaders the next time you start it. You may also delete the cache at the driver level. To do so, for nVidia delete all files located in the %LOCALAPPDATA%\NVIDIA\DXCache directory, and for AMD delete all files located in the %LOCALAPPDATA%\AMD\DxCache directory. Again, the game will recompile shaders the next time you launch it.
  
• Again verify integrity of the game install after the previous steps. (right click the game in Library, choose properties, select installed files, then verify/validate.) Then completely exit Steam (don't just click the x to close it, but right click the app in your taskbar and select Exit,) and relaunch it.
  
• Disable Anisotropic Filtering at the driver level.Ensure that in nVidia Control Panel (and in AMD Radeon Software for AMD users) you either globally or in a dedicated program profile for this game, have Anisotropic Filtering said to Use Application Setting/Application Controlled, and not manually set to a value. There is an issue with enabling AF at the driver level which causes a shadow bug due to how the engine implements AF.
  
• Perform drive image health checks and repair. Open a command prompt - go to Start and type cmd if you aren't familiar with how to do so - then type "sfc /scannow" without the quotes and hit enter. When it completes assuming no errors were found, type "DISM /online /cleanup-image /checkhealth" without the quotes and hit enter. When that process completes, then type "DISM /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth" without the quotes and hit enter. If errors that could not be fixed were found, run both of those commands three times sequentially or until no errors are found. If errors that were fixed were found, or no errors were found, there is no need to repeat.
  
• Disable overlays and filters.Disable the Steam overlay, as well as MSI Afterburner, Xbox Game Bar, or any other in-game overlays or extraneous apps running concurrently with the game. While these are useful and popular tools, for the sake of troubleshooting, disable them to see if stability improves. Also disable nVidia Freestyle or any other similar "filter" systems you may be using.
  
• Underclock/undervolt your GPU if it has a factory overclock or is boosting to unstable clocks. If you have a vendor GPU that comes with a factory overclock or that is boosting to higher clocks than reference for your GPU (Google this to determine if it is the case, as well as how to change this using appropriate software,) use the included software (again, Google) to underclock and/or undervolt your GPU, and see if this improves stability in-game.

If the previous steps have all failed to address your stability issues, you will now need to rigorously test your system components, voltages, and thermals for stability under heavy load to diagnose any underlying issues. Follow these steps, paying close attention to any disclaimers. I am not responsible for any damage or other problems you or your hardware experience as a result of following this guide. If you do not feel knowledgeable or confident in carrying out these steps, please consult a professional or highly experienced user you trust to assist you before proceeding. Please do your due diligence, and know what you are doing before you continue.

• Run the disk check utility. In Windows Explorer right click each of your drives, select Properties > Tools > Check and run the disk check utility. Do this for all volumes.
  
• Test memory stability. Follow any (or all) of the options here to test your memory stability (easier to paste this than a step by step): https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/how-to-test-ram
  
• Examine drive health. Run an application like Crystal Disk or your storage vendor's proprietary S.M.A.R.T. utility to check your drives' health. (Google if necessary.)
  
• Monitor voltages and thermal data. Download CPUID's HWMonitor from a reliable source or from the author, and run HWMonitor. Ensure your voltages, temps, etc. are within known safe tolerances for your hardware components under high load conditions (gaming, benchmarks, etc.) Run a few games or benchmarks that you know have run stably on your system before now and monitor your resources via HWMonitor while they run.
  
• Stress test your system using AIDA64. Download the free trial of AIDA64 Extreme from a reliable source or from the author website. Once it's installed, under Tools select System stability test, and under the available options leave everything default but tick the "stress GPU" box. You will get a pop-up asking you for permission to change your TdrDelay most likely. Click Yes. Close everything else you're running other than AIDA64 and HWMonitor, then click "Start" at the bottom of the window. Allow this to run for an hour.
  
• Monitor your system while stress testing. While AIDA is running, use the information graphs provided to monitor your voltages, temperatures, and your fan speeds. Ensure your fan speeds are responding as they should and at their proper RPMs, that your voltages are in the correct ballpark for their respective rails (minor divergence from the listed voltages is okay, but you're looking for overvoltages or big spikes or drops that could contribute to system instability. You'd be amazed how common flaky power supplies are and how they can sporadically introduce instability.) On the voltage graph, you want those rails to be straight lines over the course of the hour long stress test. A stable PSU should provide rock solid stable voltages under load. If you do see significant drops or spikes that shouldn't be there, especially if they coincide with system instability, consider changing your PSU. (Research a replacement carefully to ensure it comports with your needs, has the adequate connections, etc. and I recommend getting a PSU that is rated 80 Plus Gold or better, and has a very good warranty.)
  
• Remember to monitor your other thermals, including GPU, during these tests. While running this test, use HWMonitor or another utility to also monitor your GPU temperature independently.
  
• Check to see how your system responds when terminating the test. When it's been an hour, click Stop. When you do, make a note of how quickly your temps fall. Your fan RPMs should drop almost immediately, and your temps should as well, for all components. Make a note of any lingering high temperatures, as that should not be the case. If temps remain unusually high after ending the test, those components may not be thermally stable, may have poorly seated heatsinks, may need to be entirely replaced, etc.
  
• Disclaimer: Although in a thermally and otherwise stable build, you should be perfectly safe throwing this at your components, if you do suffer from a thermal or other instability in your system, the following two stress tests have at least some potential to reveal those issues by damaging your hardware. Proceed at your own risk and only if you are confident you know what you are doing. You should be afforded some protection if you performed the above steps without issue, but there is still the possibility of thermal instability not yet revealed that this test could exacerbate. You have been duly warned.
  
• Stress test your CPU thermals under load using Prime95. Download Prime95 and install. Run it, and under Test, select Small FFTs and click OK. Monitor your CPU temperature via HWMonitor. If you aren't sure which sensor is your CPU, don't worry - you'll know shortly, because it's going to get warmer. Assuming you don't see any immediate problems with your temps or voltages, continue to run this test for an hour. After an hour click "Test" in the upper left of the window and click "stop." Click Exit to close Prime95. Small FFTs simulates a very real world like workload but does so in a way that should utilize 100% of your cores and drive them to temps you will almost certainly never see in the real world. If your CPU can handle this within safe temperature tolerances, you can pretty confidently say you do not have thermal issues with your CPU.
  
• Stress test your GPU thermals using FurMark. Download FurMark from a reliable source or its author. Install it, run it, close everything else you're running, and click GPU Stress Test. (Take the warning message seriously and proceed at your own risk. Again, in a thermally stable GPU with a properly seated HSF and no hardware or other defects, no unstable overclocks, etc. you should be fine. For the record, I have never in all my years using it across myriad builds had a restart, crash, or issue with FurMark. But if your GPU does have thermal or other defects, this test will likely reveal them, and if it does, could potentially cause a crash, or damage your GPU. FurMark won't cause these issues. It will only reveal them. Again, you have been duly warned.)
  
• Monitor GPU temps continually during the test. Monitor your GPU temperature via the on-screen graph in FurMark. If you see it beginning to approach temps that you know to be unsafe for your particular GPU (Google your GPU's thermal tolerances if unsure,) hit Esc to end the test and click Quit. However, if temps are safe and stable, allow the test to run for an hour and check back periodically for temp spikes or instabilities.
  
• Adjust XMP settings in BIOS. If you don't already know how, Google how to access your system's BIOS and ensure that XMP is enabled for your installed RAM. Ensure that your RAM voltages, speeds, and timing are set as they should be. Or, conversely, disable XMP and manually lower RAM speeds and voltages to try to achieve a more stable overclock. Consult your motherboard vendor's QVL list for approved timings, modules, and voltages. Some have had success improving stability doing this.

If you failed any of those tests or detected any issues, you now know the culprit and what to replace or work on, and should research and proceed accordingly. Or contact professionals you feel can assist you if you do not feel confident in doing so.

Assuming all of that checks out though, you almost certainly have a rock solid build, and your hardware and software environment are likely not the issue. This has tested your system more intensively than any game you could ever throw at it could possibly do, and any instability present should have been readily revealed by these tests. If your system stood up to these tests with stability and performed as expected, then it is highly unlikely that your hardware is the culprit.

If you've tried literally everything else, then you likely have an issue with the game itself, and your only real recourse is to open a support ticket at https://help.bethesda.net/#en/home/product/1218/category/8/watch/700/platform/6 Be sure to also click on the proper issue you are having e.g. crashing, graphical issues, performance issues, etc. when creating your ticket.

You will need to create an account and login, and I recommend running dxdiag and saving a report to attach to your ticket, as well as MSInfo32, following the steps here: https://help.bethesda.net/#en/answer/46340

Be sure to thoroughly describe everything you've already tried to troubleshoot the issue, and any important details about what you were doing in-game when the issues occurred. Also, if you manage to solve the issue, be sure to report the fix to them before closing your ticket, as this may assist them with future patches even if you got around to solving it on your own.

Best of luck!