Stellar Blade PC review: A stellar PC port with sharp blades and smooth frames 

The Stellar Blade PC version is finally available on Steam and Epic Games Store, making yet another PlayStation-exclusive title accessible to PC users. I had already played the game's demo before Sony sent me a review code for the full version, and was quite impressed with it. The demo had run extremely well, albeit with a few concerning aspects that have unfortunately made their way to the full game.

That said, all is not negative, and Stellar Blade PC is indeed stellar. Its PC experience is quite impressive, especially considering this is Shift Up's first big AAA project that has now been ported to the platform. We all know how bad many PC ports have been, simply because some developers do not seem to care enough about the platform and end up releasing half-optimized video games.

Without further ado, let's get into this Stellar Blade PC and Complete Edition review to learn about the good, the bad, and the ugly.

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Stellar Blade PC: Frame rates, controls, & visuals

Performance

The Stellar Blade PC port is one of the most optimized offerings (Image via Shift Up)

Stellar Blade's PC demo had left a strong impression on many, including me. Shift Up took its sweet time optimizing the game, and it shows. I played the game on Medium/ High settings, with FSR and Frame Generation turned off, and consistently got around 80-90 FPS. There were a slight dips in frames here and there, but nothing so bad that the game suddenly started stuttering.

Below are the specifications of my hardware:

• Ryzen 5 5600X
• AMD RX 6600 8GB VRAM
• 32 GB RAM DDR4

I also experimented with a few graphics settings, made some tweaks here and there, and here is a chart depicting my experience.

Settings	FPS
Medium	90-100
High	55-70
Medium and High combined	80-90
Medium and High combined with AMD Super Resolution	120+

I do not recommend using Super Resolution if you have a powerful GPU, as it can cause weird visual pixelation. I turned it off for my playthrough, and the game ran perfectly fine with no noticeable stutters or frame drops.

While I didn't notice any gameplay-breaking bugs in the game, a few visual glitches remain that can hamper the experience a little bit. I will discuss this and other concerns I have for the game in a section below.

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Visuals, storytelling, soundtrack, and combat

The Stellar Blades PC port allows you to showcase its visual prowess (Image via Shift Up)

Stellar Blade easily boasts one of the best visuals when it comes to modern games, and it has been enhanced thanks to the superior capabilities of PCs. It simply looks magnificent, even at low graphics settings. As far as I am concerned, the Stellar Blade PC port is the definitive way to play the game.

When it comes to the story, Stellar Blade offers a serviceable plot, but not anything extraordinary. It surely takes inspiration from games like NieR: Automata, but if you expect the plot to follow the suit of Yoko Taro's magnum opus or something like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you will be left disappointed.

However, Stellar Blade still manages to tell a compelling story with some memorable side quests. I quite enjoyed Eve's journey, and absolutely love her as a protagonist.

One of the key factors that makes for a good video game is the music, and I must say, Stellar Blade has a banger soundtrack. From Silent Street to the boss themes, every track is fantastic, and given that NieR composer Keiichi Okabe was involved with the project, I can see the similarities.

Stellar Blade's OSTs have been on repeat on my playlist ever since I heard Silent Street while playing the demo, and I think it will remain like that for a long time.

Combat in this game is nothing out of the ordinary, but it reminds me of hack-and-slash titles. I am a big fan of games like DMC, Ninja Gaiden, or Onimusha, and have been craving an action-adventure title that follows a hack-and-slash formula and is not a Souls-like.

The Stellar Blade PC port fulfills that itch, and I can certainly appreciate Shift Up for not jumping on the Souls-like bandwagon (despite borrowing a few elements from the genre such as resting will respawn the enemies, and replenish consumables).

The gameplay also offers a lot of variety; there are a few parts where you shift from the standard hack-and-slash gameplay to a corridor shooting segment that reminds me of games such as Dead Space or Resident Evil.

While the combat in the game is fine, I did notice a concerning issue with the Stellar Blade PC port that I will discuss later.

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What's new in the Complete Edition, and should you purchase it?

Doro the destroyer of ARK (Image via Shift Up)

The new Complete Edition bundles the NieR Automata expansion with the new Goddess of Victory: NIKKE DLC, and also throws in some bonus outfits. The NieR DLC was already out, so I am not going to go over it. But let's talk about the Stellar Blade x NIKKE collaboration.

The NIKKE DLC brings in a set of quests, collectibles (including outfits), and a guest appearance from two beloved characters: Volt (the mechanical dog) and Scarlet. The quests revolve around you helping Scarlet by completing a set of shooting gallery challenges.

Scarlet, my beloved (Image via Shift Up)

Scarlet's design is one of the best that Shift Up has transitioned from a 2.5D model with an anime aesthetic to one that reflects Stellar Blade's art style. I absolutely love how good she looks, especially considering she is one of my favorite characters. Besides, every outfit available for Eve is so detailed and well-crafted that it authentically replicates each NIKKE's look.

As you would expect, these challenges follow the cover-shooter formula from NIKKE, and to be very honest, they were quite fun. You need to mow down a horde of enemies while dodging their attacks by jumping from cover to cover, and then defeat a final boss similar to what you do in Shift Up's popular mobile gacha title.

The UI also reflects that of NIKKE, including the one you get by finding collectibles around the world.

Modernia's outfit remains one of the best (Image via Shift Up)

With all that said, I think you should go for the Complete Edition based on a few things. If you are a big fan of NIKKE or NieR, or just want more content, then yes, the Complete Edition is worth it. However, if you just want the base game experience, I would not suggest this version of Stellar Blade.

The NIKKE DLC, especially, is full of references catered towards long-time fans of the game.

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Some concerns

Blurry textures (Image via Shift Up)

As stated earlier, I have a few concerns regarding the Stellar Blade PC version. One of the key visual bugs I encountered was that textures were not loading properly in certain areas. This was something I noticed in the demo while exploring the initial area of Eidos 7, and unfortunately, it still remains in the actual game.

There were quite a few areas even beyond Eidos 7 where I noticed that textures were not loading properly, leading to objects appearing blurry. This is not game-breaking by any means, but it certainly looks very odd.

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about the input delay in this game. I don't think that this was the case with the PS5 version, but the Stellar Blade PC port definitely suffers from a weird input delay that I have experienced.

This slight delay will certainly be a big problem while fighting enemies, as Stellar Blade is not an easy game by any means. At times, when I wanted to activate abilities like Blink immediately after a parry, I found that it instead activated the corresponding Beta Skill tied to the button.

I have tried the game on two controllers and a keyboard, and faced input delay issues on every one of them. I do think that this is a problem unique to the PC port, as none of my friends who played the game on PlayStation have faced this issue.

At the time of writing this review for the Stellar Blade PC port, this issue persists, although it might eventually be fixed by Shift Up. Regardless, I felt obligated to point it out as a critic, since it's our responsibility to highlight both the positives and the negatives.

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In conclusion

The Stellar Blade PC port is indeed quite stellar (Image via Shift Up)

Stellar Blade PC is one of the best ports of a PlayStation-exclusive title to the platform. The game runs quite well, with no noticeable drops in frames, at least in my experience. Furthermore, there are no significant bugs, and the performance holds up quite well without overheating your system, given you have a decent PC.

The Stellar Blade PC version is the definitive way to experience this fantastic journey. The power of a decent PC allows the game to shine visually, where the PS version can lack a bit. Also, the new Complete Edition combines the DLCs, adding more content to the game.

The input delay remains my main concern, as at the end of the day, this is an action-adventure game featuring real-time combat. The fights are not exactly a walk in the park, and input delays can cause frustrating game-overs at times.

I absolutely love the NIKKE mini-games, especially since I have been playing Shift Up's mobile title for over a year. The shooting gallery challenges are fun, and the Stellar Blade x NIKKE crossover costumes are genuinely well designed. The bonus? An encounter with a familiar meme, Doro.

I think the Stellar Blade PC version is a great addition to the action-adventure catalogue of games on the platform. To be honest, as much as I love Souls-like titles, I am tired of every second game being one. We deserve good hack-and-slash games that mix difficulty with great combat, and Stellar Blade is a great example.

I recommend the Stellar Blade PC version for those looking forward to the title, and also those searching for a good action-adventure video game that isn't a Souls-like. Stellar Blade for PC is indeed stellar, and is another great addition when it comes to PlayStation exclusives being ported over to the platform.

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Stellar Blade PC and Complete Edition

Our scorecard (Image via Sportskeeda)

Reviewed on: PC (Key provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Platforms: PC and PS5

Developer: Shift Up

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Release Date: June 12, 2025