4 Ways to Fix the Starfield Graphics Card Minimal Specs Error on a Windows PC

The Starfield graphics card minimal specs error is an issue players have reported on Reddit, Steam forum, and elsewhere. A player’s Reddit post says this about that issue, “I am encountering the oh so wonderful bug where upon startup, Starfield says my ‘graphics card does not meet the minimal specifications requirements.‘” This error prevents Starfield from starting on Windows 11/10 PCs even when players’ GPUs do meet the game’s base specifications. These are ways you can fix the Starfield graphics card minimal specifications error.

Read also: 6 Ways to Fix the Starfield “Failed to Create Save Game” Error on a Windows PC

Update Your Windows Platform Version

Players confirm they’ve fixed the Starfield graphics card bug by updating Windows 11/10. This means checking for and installing all available Windows updates. If there’s a Windows build version update available for your PC, you must also select to download and install it. You can update your Windows 11/10 PC like this.

1. Click on the taskbar search box or magnifying glass icon to access the tool for finding apps and files.
2. Enter a check for updates keyword and click the search result that matches.
3. Press Check for updates to see what updates are available.
4. Cumulative patch updates found may download automatically. However, click Download & Install for any optional Windows version update if one is available.
   
   

   The Windows Update tab

5. Restart your Windows 11/10 PC to complete the updates.

Update Graphics Drivers

The Starfield graphics card error can occur because of antiquated graphics drivers on some players’ PCs. You can address this cause by installing a new graphics driver on your PC. This is how to manually update the driver for a PC’s graphics card.

1. To see what graphics card driver you need to download, open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool and click on its Display tab. You can access that tool by entering dxdiag in the Windows search tool and selecting its search result.
2. Start your web-browsing software and go to the NVIDIA or AMD driver download page.
3. Next, select your Windows PC OS and graphics adapter shown in the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
   
   

   The Search option for NVIDIA drivers

4. Click the Search/Submit button to bring up the driver download page for selected graphics card.
5. Now click Download for the latest driver.
   
   

   The Download button for a NVIDIA driver

6. Access File Explorer by utilizing its Windows logo + E hotkey, and go to the folder containing your downloaded driver.
7. Double-click your NVIDIA or AMD driver file.
8. Select to install the driver inside the installer window that opens.
9. You will also need to restart your PC to complete the driver update.

Set a High-Performance GPU for Starfield

Players with dual (double) graphics card PCs should check they’ve got the right GPUs set for Starfield. If your PC has an alternative GPU, make sure the higher-performance one is set for Starfield. These are the steps for selecting the High performance graphics setting in Windows 11/10.

1. First, open up the Windows file finder box.
2. Enter graphics settings inside the Type here to search box and click the matching result.
3. Select the Desktop app option on the Choose an app to set preference drop-down menu.
4. Press Browse to select the Starfield.exe file in the Starfield game directory.
   
   

   The Graphics settings

5. Click Add to add your selected file.
6. Next, click the Starfield game added and Options.
7. Select High performance and press Save.
   
   

   The High performance radio button

Check Your Graphics Card is Enabled

A disabled graphics card is another possible cause for the Starfield graphics card error occurring. This scenario is more likely for players with dual graphics card PCs that could have disabled dedicated GPUs. So, try checking if your PC’s video adapter is enabled like this.

1. Press Start with the right mouse button and select Device Manager.
2. Double-click Display adapters to view graphics card devices.
   
   

   The Device Manager window

3. Right-click your PC’s best (or only) graphics card and select Enable device if that option is available. The GPU will already be enabled if there’s a Disable device option.

The potential resolutions above are usually enough to fix the Starfield graphics card error on most players’ PCs. If this issue persists, it could be the case that your graphics card really doesn’t meet the game’s minimal specification requirements as the error message suggests. That’s especially likely if the issue occurs directly after purchasing and installing the game.