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The Ultimate Guide: 3 Ways To Skip Cutscenes In Stellar Blade (And What Unlocks The Full Feature)

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The ability to skip cutscenes in a narrative-heavy, replayable action game like Stellar Blade is a crucial quality-of-life feature, especially for players diving into New Game Plus (NG+) or multiple fresh playthroughs. As of the latest updates in December 2025, the developer, Shift Up, has significantly improved the cutscene-skipping functionality, addressing a major point of criticism from the game's initial launch.

Initially, players were frustrated by the inability to skip major story moments on their first run. However, thanks to a series of substantial patches throughout 2024 and 2025, the game now offers a much more streamlined experience for repeat players. Understanding the different types of cutscenes and the specific conditions required to unlock the full skip feature is key to maximizing your speed and efficiency on subsequent runs.

The Definitive Guide to Skipping Stellar Blade Cutscenes

The system for skipping cinematics in Stellar Blade is not a simple "press X to skip" from the start. It is conditional, based on your progression and the type of scene being shown. This structure encourages first-time players to absorb the lore and narrative of Eve’s mission to reclaim Earth, while offering veteran players the freedom to bypass scenes they have already watched.

1. The Full Cutscene Skip: Unlocked After First Completion (New Game Plus)

The most important rule to know is that the full, unrestricted cutscene skip feature is only unlocked after you have completed the game once. This means you must roll the credits and start either a New Game Plus (NG+) or a subsequent fresh save file on the same profile. Once this condition is met, almost every major cinematic and story moment becomes skippable.

  • How to Skip: When a major cutscene begins, look for a small button prompt, usually the Circle (O) button, in the upper right corner of the screen.
  • Action Required: You must hold down the Circle (O) button for a brief moment to confirm the skip. A simple tap will not work.
  • Scope: This applies to the elaborate, pre-rendered, or highly detailed in-engine cinematics that drive the main narrative and boss introductions.
  • The Delay Factor: Some players, especially on older PS5 systems or during heavy loading sections, have noted a slight delay before the skip prompt appears, or before the skip actually registers. This is often due to the game needing to fully load the next playable area or scene.

This post-completion unlock is a common design choice in story-driven action RPGs, ensuring that the developer's vision for the first playthrough is respected while improving replayability for the hardcore audience.

2. Skipping Minor Dialogue and In-Game Interactions

Even on your very first playthrough (New Game), you have control over the pacing of less critical narrative moments. These are typically the shorter, less cinematic scenes that involve character dialogue or brief in-engine interactions, often called "dialogue boxes" or "in-game cinematics."

  • Dialogue Acceleration: For lines of dialogue that appear in text boxes, you can often mash the X button to speed up the text display, effectively skipping ahead to the next line or the end of the conversation. This is a fast way to get through vendor conversations or minor quest dialogue.
  • Interactive Scenes: For very short, static in-game scenes, a skip prompt may appear instantly, allowing you to hold Circle (O) to bypass the brief moment. These are usually transitional moments rather than major plot points.

This partial skip ability is available from the moment you start the game and is essential for anyone aiming for the Platinum Trophy or simply re-running side quests.

3. The Quality-of-Life (QoL) Patch Improvement

One of the most significant changes came with a major Quality-of-Life (QoL) update, specifically Patch 1.004/1.005 released around June 2024. This patch directly addressed player feedback regarding the cumbersome nature of cutscene management.

Key Features of the QoL Skip Update:

  • "Skip" UI Toggle: The patch added an option to toggle the "skip" UI for cutscenes ON or OFF. This means players who find the prompt distracting can hide it, while those who rely on it can ensure it's always visible. This is a small but important customization option.
  • Expanded Skip Coverage: While the full skip is still tied to game completion, the QoL update expanded the number of *certain* cutscenes that could be skipped, even if they were not major cinematics. This further refined the experience for all players, reducing mandatory downtime.
  • Vendor Dialogue Skip: Another minor but highly appreciated QoL change was making vendor and shopkeeper dialogue instantly skippable, removing the need to listen to repeated lines when buying or selling items.

The continuous support from Shift Up, demonstrated by these post-launch patches, solidifies their commitment to improving the player experience, especially for those dedicated to multiple playthroughs of Stellar Blade.

Topical Authority: Why the Skip Feature Was Conditional

Many players initially questioned why a modern game released in 2024 did not feature an immediate, universal cutscene skip. The conditional nature of the feature—requiring a full playthrough first—is a deliberate design choice rooted in narrative and technical considerations.

Narrative Integrity: Stellar Blade is a story-driven game with a strong focus on its protagonist, Eve, the detailed world of Xion, and the mysterious history of the Naytiba. Developers often restrict skipping on a first run to ensure the player fully engages with the story, character development, and emotional beats as intended. Allowing a skip on the first run risks confusing players who might miss crucial plot information.

Technical Loading Screens: In many modern games, a "cutscene" is not just a video; it often acts as a cleverly disguised loading screen. While the cinematic plays, the game is silently loading the assets, geometry, and enemies for the next playable area. Skipping the cutscene entirely could lead to a hard stop and a visible, lengthy loading screen, which is generally considered worse for immersion than a cinematic.

The compromise—unlocking the skip feature for NG+—solves both problems: the narrative is preserved for the first experience, and subsequent runs benefit from the skip, often because the game can preload assets more efficiently or simply accepts the minor, delayed loading that might occur.

The Stellar Blade Replay Experience: NG+ and Skipping

For those looking to maximize their time in the post-apocalyptic world, the New Game Plus mode is where the cutscene skip truly shines. NG+ in Stellar Blade is designed to be a faster, more challenging replay experience, encouraging players to explore different narrative paths and unlock all the game's endings.

With the full cutscene skip unlocked, players can:

  • Speedrun Attempts: Significantly cut down on non-gameplay time, making speedrunning the game a much more viable and enjoyable activity.
  • Focus on Combat: Bypass lengthy story segments to quickly get back to the core combat loop and test out new skills, gear, and challenging difficulty settings.
  • Collectibles Hunting: Rapidly navigate back to key areas to mop up missed collectibles, Nano-Suits, and memory sticks without sitting through exposition.
  • Alternate Endings: Quickly reach the crucial decision points in the narrative to view the different endings Stellar Blade offers.

In summary, while the initial lack of a skip feature was a minor annoyance for some, the developer’s commitment to post-launch support has ensured that the current version of Stellar Blade offers a robust and player-friendly cutscene skipping system for all subsequent playthroughs, making the NG+ experience a true highlight of the game.

The Ultimate Guide: 3 Ways to Skip Cutscenes in Stellar Blade (And What Unlocks the Full Feature)
stellar blade skip cutscenes
stellar blade skip cutscenes

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