Starfield “Audio cutting out” error: Possible fix, reasons, and more

Starfield seems to have another annoying bug on PC where the audio output cuts off every now and then. It doesn't happen at any particular time but occurs randomly and when traversing through space, docking on a planet, or in the middle of a dogfight. However, the audio bug is usually accompanied by a fair bit of stutter and lag, making it one of the more annoying performance issues in the game.

What makes it even more problematic is that there are no permanent solutions to fix it. However, the community seems to have come up with a few temporary workarounds that momentarily deal with the audio issues.

This Starfield guide will go over some steps you can take to deal with the audio bugs in Bethesda’s latest RPG.

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Fixing the “Audio cutting out” error in Starfield

Audio Cut Outs and Extreme Lag? by u/Previous_Doughnut544 in Starfield

The audio issues in Starfield mainly have to do with optimization, which is one of the reasons why those playing the game on PC face it the most. While there is no permanent solution to resolve it, there are a few workarounds. Let's look at some of them:

1) Turn off VSync

VSync will minimize the screen tear you are experiencing with Starfield. Many in the community are attributing the feature to be one of the main reasons behind the audio issues. So, if you have it enabled, disable the setting to try and fix it.

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2) Disable upscaling

Turning off upscaling might not seem like much of a fix for an audio bug, but there are many in the community who seem to have found it to be a viable solution.

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3) Restart the game

Restarting Starfield seems to have fixed the issue for some. However, that appears to be a temporary solution, as the audio was cutting out again after playing the game for a couple of hours.

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4) Re-install or scan and fix files

The audio bug can occur due to corrupt files in the installation directory. Thus, you can either choose to re-install Starfield or fix the corrupted files. To do this, you will need to go to your Steam library or Microsoft account, select Starfield, choose properties, and then the “scan and fix” option. This will start a process that will go over all the files in the installation directory and fix the ones that are corrupted.

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5) Switch-off motion blur

Switching off motion blur from the graphics settings seems to have worked for some. Again, this is not a permanent solution, as for some, the bug seems to have re-appeared.

Comment by u/stlmo456 from discussion Audio Cut Outs and Extreme Lag? in Starfield

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6) Disable VRS (Variable Rate Shading)

VRS is a feature that alters the amount of detail on every inch of your screen. This feature is set to maximize the amount of frames that you get when playing the title. While turning it off will make the game lag slightly, it will, however, help resolve the audio issues.

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7) Keep Starfield on an SSD

The most popular solution for the audio bug seems to be installing Starfield on an SSD. If you have it installed in any other drive, make sure to shift it to the ones that use your system's SSD.

Comment by u/Onyxeain from discussion Audio Cut Outs and Extreme Lag? in Starfield

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8) Change the audio output device

Try swapping between audio output devices to make sure that it’s not a hardware issue. If the issue seems to be happening for one device alone, it is likely a hardware problem that you will need to fix by changing the device.

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9) Lower your graphics settings

Reducing the resolution and textures seems to have helped some in the community. It has drastically improved performance for many players, although it hits visual fidelity quite hard. Unfortunately, Starfield is one of those games that is best played on the highest output.

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10) Wait for a patch

A permanent solution for the performance error in Starfield will be for Bethesda itself to patch it out with a hotfix. Since many gamers are facing this issue, the developers are likely to introduce an update to deal with the error. Hence, it’s important that you keep the game updated to the latest version at all times.