Während die PS5 Pro mit vielen Titeln beeindruckende Fähigkeiten zeigt, liegt das Kernproblem nicht an der Konsole selbst, sondern daran, dass Entwickler Schwierigkeiten haben, ihre Spiele darauf zu optimieren. Berichte über bestimmte Spiele, die auf dem Pro-Modell schlechter laufen, deuten oft auf Probleme bei der Implementierung von PSSR hin, was darauf hindeutet, dass Studios möglicherweise noch nicht vollständig bereit sind, die spezifische Technologie der PS5 Pro zu nutzen. Dies wirft Bedenken bezüglich der Bereitschaft für zukünftige Generationen auf, insbesondere da Leistungsprobleme nicht nur auf die Pro beschränkt sind, sondern zahlreiche aktuelle Releases betreffen.
In Zukunft scheint es immer wahrscheinlicher, dass PlayStation den Zeitplan für die nächste Konsolengeneration verlängern könnte, wodurch ein PS6-Launch im Jahr 2028–2030 möglich wäre. Dies würde Entwicklern mehr Zeit geben, sich anzupassen und ihre Optimierungspraktiken zu verbessern. Außerdem behindert die fortgesetzte Unterstützung für die PS4 den Fortschritt, da viele Spiele immer noch für die ältere Hardware veröffentlicht werden. Um bessere Leistung auf der PS5 Pro zu erzielen und höhere Qualität in Spielen zu schaffen, sollten Entwickler ihre Aufmerksamkeit ausschließlich auf Plattformen der aktuellen Generation richten und die Gegenwart gegenüber der Vergangenheit priorisieren.
Das Problem mit der fehlenden Optimierung für die Pro-Hardware kenne ich zu gut – bei meinem Spiel XY läuft es auf der Pro tatsächlich schlechter als auf der Standard-PS5, genau wie im Artikel angesprochen. Es ist frustrierend, wenn das Potenzial der Technik nicht ausgeschöpft wird, und die Idee, dass der PS6-Start bis 2030 verschoben werden könnte, macht durchaus Sinn, um den Studios mehr Zeit zu geben. Vielleicht sollte ich mich erstmal auf die Titel konzentrieren, die die PSSR-Technik schon gut nutzen – habt ihr da Empfehlungen?
Danke, dass du deine konkrete Erfahrung mit Spiel XY teilst – genau diese Art von Berichten unterstreicht das im Artikel beschriebene Optimierungsproblem. Für Titel, die PSSR bereits gut umsetzen, lohnt ein Blick auf technisch fokussierte Kanäle wie Digital Foundry, die oft detaillierte Performance-Vergleiche veröffentlichen. Konzentrier dich ruhig zunächst auf die Spiele, die die Pro-Stärken ausspielen, und teile gerne später, welche Titel dich überzeugt haben.
Das mit der mangelnden Optimierung für die PS5 Pro kann ich mir gut vorstellen, besonders wenn selbst PSSR Probleme macht. Ich habe selbst schon erlebt, dass ein Spiel auf der Pro kaum flüssiger lief – da frage ich mich, ob der Aufpreis wirklich lohnt, wenn die Studios nicht nachziehen. Sollte Sony die PS6 wirklich erst um 2030 anpeilen, wäre das vielleicht sogar gut, damit endlich mal der Fokus auf aktueller Hardware liegt. Was denkt ihr, liegt das größere Problem bei den Entwicklern oder daran, dass man noch zu sehr am PS4-Support festhält?
Deine Erfahrung, dass manche Spiele auf der Pro kaum flüssiger laufen, spiegelt genau die im Artikel beschriebenen Optimierungsherausforderungen wider. Ich denke, das größere Problem liegt aktuell bei den Entwicklern, die sich in die neuen Technologien wie PSSR erst einarbeiten müssen, während der PS4-Support sicherlich auch Ressourcen bindet. Ein guter nächster Schritt ist, vor einem Kauf gezielt Tests für das gewünschte Spiel zu suchen, da die Performance stark variiert – ich würde mich freuen, von deinen weiteren Erfahrungen zu hören!
That’s accurate. Compare a few different games to see what’s possible.
Take the latest major release, BO7—like previous titles, it performs poorly on the PRO. The standard mode fails to deliver smooth frame pacing and animations. It’s shocking how bad it looks given the small maps and overall quality. “PRO Enhanced” is a joke.
It’s a bit of both. PSSR has some visual issues and can be heavy to run, possibly due to hardware limitations, so you might not get as much of an FPS boost as you’d like.
That said, I’m not writing off the PS5 Pro just yet. Sony has promised PSSR2 for next year, so it’s worth waiting to see how much it improves. AI upscalers need a lot of data to get better, and PSSR is still very new.
As consoles become more powerful, developers grow lazier and companies greedier. That’s why we see so many unoptimized Unreal Engine 5 games. Instead of using the console’s power to create better games, they use it to save money by skipping optimization and creativity.
What do you mean by “a lot of games”? I can only count four or five that have issues on the Pro, and the problem is mainly with PSSR implementation. More than half of those have already been fixed. I believe Silent Hill F is the only one currently affected.
I was about to mention the same thing—I initially thought it was just Silent Hill F and Silent Hill 2.
I believe many games already in development were delayed by a year or so due to Covid-related holds. Consider how many more games have been released this year compared to the previous two years. If those games had come out a year earlier, they would likely have received Pro enhancements by now. This is just a theory.
It’s surprising that there’s a list of games performing worse on the Pro than the base model, not just one. Hopefully, this doesn’t grow and developers can better adapt to the technology.
Games should not run worse on the Pro model. This is inexcusable.
I understand your point, and Sony should indeed push developers to optimize their games better. It seems like anyone can use the “Pro Enhanced” label with minimal effort.
It seems they aren’t taking the Pro seriously. The whole point of the Pro is to eliminate the choice between graphics and performance, allowing us to have both. I believe several factors are holding developers back. If a studio like Sandfall Interactive can create a well-optimized, beautiful game like Clair Obscur on a lower budget, why can’t other multi-million dollar developers do the same?
This isn’t actually how it works. Engineers understand that there’s always a trade-off between performance and high-quality graphics—you generally can’t have both. AI has made progress, but achieving the best of both worlds in 4K at 60+ fps with full ray tracing and top-tier graphics isn’t realistic yet.
With current technology, the best you can expect is 60 fps at whatever resolution the system can render, which sometimes drops as low as 360p before upscaling. Optimization plays a role, but even well-optimized games typically render between 720p and 1080p. If you’re satisfied with how games run on the base PS5, the Pro version doesn’t increase the native resolution—it still doesn’t reach 1440p. However, it can render at a higher internal resolution when possible, such as 720p instead of 360p, and applies better upscaling.
The overall improvement is only about 20%, so expecting major leaps isn’t reasonable. That boost brings performance closer to a 4070 equivalent, but since consoles are more optimized than PCs, it’s more like a highly optimized 3060 performing at 4070 levels. Performance may improve over time with updates to PSSR.
You can have both, as many games run at 60 fps and still look great. The issue arises when developers push ray tracing or high-fidelity settings beyond the system’s capabilities. Just because a game isn’t on max settings doesn’t mean it doesn’t look impressive.
Sony games and some newer titles include unlocked frame rate options, which provide an immediate FPS boost. I hope future consoles will offer this feature across all games, allowing us to enjoy higher frame rates in quality modes without waiting for updates tailored to new hardware.
Developers often lack the time to make changes post-launch. FSR4 is another significant issue for AMD, as many games that could benefit from it—including those from AMD partners—don’t receive the update. Many games have custom development interfaces, making post-release modifications labor-intensive. The PS5 Pro is in a difficult position, as most developers will likely rely on variable or higher resolutions, which may not provide meaningful improvements. They need time to optimize features that leverage the GPU without overloading the CPU. It’s important to remember that ray tracing is CPU-intensive, and since the CPU isn’t being upgraded, simply enhancing graphics could lead to performance issues.
The main issue is that PSSR is currently incompatible with Unreal Engine 5, as it conflicts with Lumen lighting and causes flickering and other visual problems. Even Microsoft, which has generally handled Pro enhancements well, encountered issues with Overwatch 2’s Pro version, resulting in a worse experience than the base console—similar to what happened with some Konami games. Microsoft removed PSSR, acknowledging it’s broken with UE5, and reverted to TSR. Now the PS5 Pro version is the best among PlayStation 5 versions, though the Series X runs more smoothly, partly because the game was originally optimized for Xbox and PC before being ported to PS5 earlier this year.
So far, all Pro games that perform worse on the Pro than the base console are built on UE5. Only one developer, Game Science with *Black Myth: Wukong*, has successfully implemented PSSR in a UE5 game. While *Wukong* has performance issues, its PSSR implementation is excellent, showing it’s possible but requires significant effort that many developers aren’t willing to invest.
It’s unclear why developers continue to attempt using PSSR in UE5 games when this issue is likely well-known in development circles. There are alternative enhancements available for Pro games, and it’s in Sony’s best interest to resolve this promptly. UE5 is the most widely used engine, and having compatibility problems with PSSR is a significant concern. Sony’s decision to delay a fix until next year is frustrating and suggests a lack of urgency in supporting the Pro, which doesn’t bode well for its long-term success this generation.
I’m currently playing the Resident Evil 4 Remake on the Pro, and the overall polish and visuals are underwhelming. With more time dedicated to the Pro enhancement, it could have been significantly better.
If a game is CPU-intensive, the PS5 Pro won’t significantly improve performance over the base model. The hardware upgrade is minimal, and Sony could have enhanced it more to address this bottleneck. However, I don’t agree that many games are poorly optimized. Some, particularly those using UE5 due to engine issues, may struggle, but overall, the games I’ve played this generation perform well. Designing visuals with ray tracing disabled helps, as console hardware isn’t particularly strong in that area.
When you mention performance, are you referring to brief technical analysis or actual gameplay experience?
In my case, I’ve played two of the games often cited as problematic—MGS Delta and Silent Hill f—and both looked and ran excellently on my OLED display.
I’ve been impressed with PSSR and seeing titles like AC Shadows receive fixes and improvements during gameplay. That’s exactly why I chose to purchase a Pro.
A similar situation occurred with the PS3. It had powerful hardware, but developers found it challenging to work with while also developing for Xbox and sometimes PC. However, when games were designed specifically for the PS3, we got titles like Uncharted, The Last of Us, and God of War 3.
Sony should have advised developers to switch to FSR if their game’s PSSR performance is below average. For example, Silent Hill F could have improved its visuals by increasing the internal resolution and using TSR instead, which would likely reduce flickering and deliver better results.
Which games have issues with the PS4 Pro? I’m about to buy one for Black Friday, mainly for titles like Days Gone, Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, The Last of Us series, God of War, Uncharted, and other PlayStation exclusives.
PlayStation exclusives make the best use of the Pro’s capabilities.
The PS5 Pro’s optimization is limited because developers prioritize the base PS5, which has a larger user base. They rely on the Pro’s enhanced hardware for performance gains rather than creating specific optimizations, similar to how many AAA games are handled on PC.
We don’t know how many PS5 Pro consoles have been sold. If the ratio between the PS5 and PS5 Pro is greater than 10:1, that would mean the PS5 Pro has sold less than the Xbox Series S. Have you noticed how poorly optimized some games are on the Series S? With game budgets as high as they are, developers need to prioritize optimization for the most widely sold consoles.
The PS5 has similar hardware to the Series X, which is what developers are targeting. After that, they make upgrades for the PS5 Pro and downgrades for the Series S (and sometimes the Switch 2). The key point is that this happens afterward.
The PS6 won’t face the same issue as the PS5 Pro because developers will shift their focus to targeting that console.
Ultimately, the responsibility lies with Sony to address their console’s issues. If they allow developers to continue with poor optimizations, it will likely hurt sales of the PS6 Pro when it eventually releases.
I understand your point, but do you really think 2027 is too soon for the PS6, considering the current state of gaming?
2027 is a reasonable timeline. Games will continue to be developed for the large PS5 user base for a few years after the PS6 launches. Developers will begin optimizing for the PS6 once it has a substantial installed base, eventually shifting entirely to the new platform. The PS5 Pro, priced at $749 for a modest upgrade, was always expected to have a smaller audience. In contrast, the PS6 will be designed and priced to sell widely, like the PS5, making it essential for developers to prioritize optimization—even as they ensure games remain compatible with the PS5.
It’s probably too soon for that; 2028 seems more likely.
I can get on board with a 2028 release. Looking at games like Horizon Forbidden West and Ghost of Yotei, which are graphically incredible, I wonder how they’ll make games look even better. I’m not saying they won’t, but it’s impressive.
PlayStation exclusives are an exception because their studios code directly to the hardware, maximizing performance. Third-party developers don’t do this, so those games have a much higher performance ceiling.
I’m more optimistic about the future now, since the PS5 and Xbox Series X only have 16GB of RAM, which is modest compared to PCs. The additional 8GB or so expected in the PS6 and next Xbox will make a significant difference by reducing the need for heavy optimization.
With optimization less of a challenge, developers will have more room to focus on adding features.
The Series S is also holding back developers. If they could focus solely on the PS5, PS5 Pro, and Series X, their games would have better optimization. I’m only referring to consoles, as PC is a different matter.
The PS4 was the biggest limitation for developers this generation. Due to its large install base, studios had to create versions for the PS4, which has a CPU roughly four times slower than the Series S and uses a very slow HDD.
That’s a significant issue. Many gamers are still on PS4 because, as they point out, most games are still being released for it, so they don’t see a reason to upgrade. I don’t blame them—they’re people who prioritize gameplay over graphics or frame rate. However, we’re now in the fifth year of the PS5 and the first year of the Pro model. It’s time to move on from the PS4. It was a fantastic console, and I enjoyed it for seven years, but that era is over. It’s last-generation hardware, and we should focus on next-gen advancements. Before we know it, we’ll be in 2026.
Many developers have moved on from the PS4 by now, likely all for 2026 releases. For instance, BF6 is a major AAA title that developers stated wouldn’t have been feasible on the PS4, allowing them to focus on newer platforms. However, some games can still be designed for both generations, depending on the developers’ priorities and budget.
The Series S has significantly outsold the Series X. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much optimization on the Xbox side. It seems they are essentially running the PS5 versions, possibly with slightly higher resolution.
You’re looking at outdated data. The report about the Series S outselling the Series X is from 2023. More recent reports indicate sales are now split 50:50 between the Series S and Series X. Additionally, the Series X typically uses higher resolutions than the PS5. You’re incorrect on multiple points.
Even if we cut the numbers in half, there still aren’t enough Xbox Series X consoles to justify special optimization. The install base is roughly 70 million PS5s compared to 15 million Series X consoles. First-party Xbox games perform similarly on PS5, so your expectations seem unrealistic.
Based on a 4:1 sales ratio between the PS5 and PS5 Pro, the installed base is likely well over 10:1 due to the PS5’s multi-year head start. You’re correct that developers may not prioritize optimizing for the PS5 Pro, given its smaller user base at this stage.
The PS5 Pro was likely designed with FSR4 in mind. Hopefully, this will help developers optimize their games more quickly.
Currently, only Silent Hill 2 performs worse on the Pro than on the base model. The shimmering issues in Silent Hill F are mainly limited to the first 15 minutes, particularly with the grass in the initial area. After that, the image quality is significantly better than the base PS5 version, especially during motion.
On the bright side, more developers are learning from the Pro, which should benefit future games. I’m very happy with the Pro myself—I haven’t had any major issues in the games I’ve played, and I’ve gained many great benefits.
When you put it that way, it makes sense. The PS5 Pro seems like a test for the PS6, so we PS5 Pro owners are essentially beta testing the next console.
We are currently testing an FSR4 version of PSSR, set to begin early next year. This will likely provide Sony, AMD, and developers with valuable data in preparation for the PS6.
This is exactly why I believe this generation should be extended by at least four more years. We’ve barely tapped into the potential of the base PS5, not to mention the PS5 Pro.
It’s not surprising that a mid-generation game with only a fraction of the PS5’s player base isn’t well optimized.
What does this mean? The PS4 is holding back game development, but it’s not the fault of PlayStation gamers since many games are still being released for the PS4.
You’re on the right track, but the issue is that some developers take the lazy approach by simply enabling PSSR to check the “PS5 Pro” box without optimizing game performance. If they spent more time fine-tuning PSSR, the results would be significantly better.
That said, this doesn’t fully address the notorious shimmer effect in Unreal Engine 5 when using PSSR, which is more of a game engine problem. It’s especially noticeable in games rendered at sub-HD native resolutions, where the inherent noise from the low base resolution is amplified by upscaling.
Sony needs to convince or require developers who publish on the PS Store to optimize their games for the Pro as well. For example, Konami consistently gets away with poor Pro enhancements, which is ultimately Sony’s fault for allowing this behavior across their games. Sony should stop publishing their titles until they optimize for both PS5 models—that would quickly get their attention.
Sony should absolutely do this. We paid a premium for high-quality hardware, and we expect new games to make full use of it. Personally, I won’t play games that don’t run well on the PS5 Pro, such as Silent Hill f.
Consider building a PC for a more customizable and cost-effective computing experience.
They are not required to optimize games for the Pro model.
I’ve noticed this issue as well. In every game I play, I encounter stuttering, texture loading problems, occasional lag, and visual glitches like disappearing clothes or flapping items during cutscenes. Meanwhile, my girlfriend’s standard PS5 runs the same games without any issues. This happens across all titles—Where Winds Meet, Monster Hunter Wilds, Lost Soul Aside, and even Call of Duty.
This is a failure to optimize.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s the console or not; if something is bad, it’s bad.