I was one of many players who awaited Starfield's arrival in 2023 with bated breath, but ultimately bounced off the game due to an underwhelming story and a yawn-inducing gameplay loop. Now, when evaluating how it feels to play Starfield in 2026, I found myself drawn back to the Settled Systems by recent expansions.
The Persistent Issues of the Settled Systems
Even after revisiting the game following its massive May 2024 update, much of the experience remained largely unchanged. The core loop still felt weighed down by several recurring issues:
- Frequent, immersion-breaking loading screens
- Strange and unexpected bugs
- One-note, unmemorable characters
- Barren and empty planets
Exploring New Frontiers: How It Feels To Play Starfield In 2026
With the recent release of the Free Lanes update and the Terran Armada DLC, a subconscious pull brought me back to the stars. I had not touched the game since before the launch of Shattered Space, so I decided to dive back in to explore the new content and see if the experience had improved.
Navigating via Cruise Mode
The Free Lanes update introduces various quality-of-life fixes, but its most significant addition is the ability to fly your ship directly from one planet to another. However, the reality of how it feels to play Starfield in 2026 during these transitions can be painfully boring. While it is a neat option for dedicated role-players, the impact is dulled because you still cannot manually land on a planet directly from space.
The real star of this update is actually Cruise Mode. This feature allows players to navigate between planets via an automated pilot, providing a much more functional way to traverse the galaxy. Ultimately, determining how it feels to play Starfield in 2026 depends on whether you find value in these automated systems or miss the manual control of earlier updates.
