The PS5 can play the vast, vast majority of the PS4’s library through backward compatibility, but there are certain games that benefit from enhancements that others don’t. Either though the PS5’s system-level game boost features or through the next-gen upgrades that other releases have received, there are several PS4 releases that can be played in much better shape on the PS5 right now. In this feature, we’re going to talk about a few such games that, thanks to their PS5 enhancements, we’re itching to play through again.
GHOST OF TSUSHIMA
Ghost of Tsushima only just came out on the PS4 a few months ago, and it was an absolutely massive game, so given that, there’s a good chance that those who finished it might not want to go back to it just yet- but the enhancements it’s received on the PS5 are hard to resist. Already a technical and artistic achievement on the PS4, Sucker Punch’s samurai epic is an even smoother experience on the PS5, seeing as it runs at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second. Given Ghost’s slick and punchy combat, that boost in performance is a huge draw.
DAYS GONE
Like Ghost of Tsushima, Days Gone is a massive time investment, but Sony Bend’s zombie apocalypse behemoth’s impressive PS5 upgrade, too, is hard to say no to. Whereas it ran in checkerboard 4K at a capped frame rate of 30 FPS on the PS4 Pro, on the PS5, Days Gone runs in dynamic 4K at an impressive 60 frames per second. Those who’re yet to check out this underrated diamond in the rough should definitely do a PS5 playthrough, but even players who’ve seen the credits roll on a PS4 should consider a replay on Sony’s new console.
SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE
FromSoftware’s games are, without exception, the kind of experiences that would benefit hugely from improved frame rates. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, in fact, would benefit from that more than all the others, given its frenetic and fast-paced combat. Blessedly, that’s exactly what its PS5 upgrade does. While it ran at 30 frames per second on the PS4, Sekiro enjoys a major boost on the PS5 with a 60 FPS frame rate- so do yourself a favour and dive into this one once again.
KILLZONE SHADOW FALL
Guerrilla Games’ debut PS4 game may not have been nearly as impressive as the game that they followed it up with was, but Killzone Shadow Fall was still an important first party release early on in the PS4’s life, especially seeing as it was such a technical showcase back then. Well, it’s no longer that kind of a showcase in 2020, especially on the PS5, but it has still received some enhancements. To be more precise, while the resolution is still stuck at 1080p, the shooter now runs at 60 frames per second. If you have the hankering for a solid 10 hour-long shooter to blow through, look no further than a PS5 playthrough of Killzone Shadow Fall.
DARK SOULS 3
Sekiro: Shadows Die is not the only FromSoftware game that runs better on the PS5 than it did on previous gen consoles. No, that long-awaited 60 FPS patch for Bloodborne is still an unfulfilled wish, but Dark Souls 3 does now run at 60 frames, thanks to PS5’s game boost features. Granted, Souls fans will probably be busier with the Demon’s Souls remake right now, but if you find that you want to keep that train going, a Dark Souls 3 replay on the PS5 should be a real treat with its improved performance.
UNTIL DAWN
Until Dawn was one of the earlier games in the PS4’s sizeable library, and remains a beloved release for millions of fans to this day, so it’s fitting that it’s one of the PS4 exclusives that have received enhancements on the PS5. Though Supermassive Games’ horror adventure title runs at 30 frames per second on the PS4, on the PS5, that frame rate is boosted to 60 FPS. Even though that performance boost is less of an advantage in a game such as Until Dawn as it is in, say, Sekiro or Killzone, 60 FPS performance is always nice to have.
THE LAST GUARDIAN
So this one’s a little curious. The Last Guardian runs on the PS5 at 60 frames per second- but only if you play it on a disc without any of its post-launch updates and patches installed. This is one of those cases where having a disc drive in your PS5 will really pay off, especially seeing as The Last Guardian was mired with performance issues on the PS4. Though it ran at a mostly 30 FPS on the PS4 Pro, the game was infamous for its frame rate drops on the PS4. If you’re looking for the definitive The Last Guardian playthrough, we really hope you have the game on disc.
GOD OF WAR
Like The Last Guardian, God of War’s best PS5 enhancements are restricted to the game’s physical version. If you play it on a disc without any of its post-release patches installed, you can play the game in 4K at a full 60 frames per second, which, to state the obvious, is the best way to play it. Even if you don’t have a disc though, you do still get some boosts on the PS5, with the game’s “Favor Performance” mode running at 60 FPS. God of War had the “Favor Performance” mode on the PS4 Pro as well, of course, but that usually hovered in the high 40s range as far as the frame rate was concerned, so even digital players still get a boost on the PS5.
BORDERLANDS 3
Unlike all the other games we’ve spoken about in this feature so far, Borderlands 3’s next-gen improvements don’t come from game boost or from a patch, but from a dedicated port for the new systems. On the PS4 Pro, Borderlands 3 ran either in 4K and 30 FPS or in 1080p and 60 FPS (though the frame rate was far from stable, especially at launch). On the PS5, meanwhile, runs in 4K and 60 FPS- or, incredibly enough, if you go with Performance mode, in 1080p at a whopping 120 frames per second. That in and of itself is enough to make you salivate, especially for a game with combat as busy as Borderlands has.
NO MAN’S SKY
Like Borderlands 3, No Man’s Sky has seen a dedicated release on the newer consoles, and on the PS5, Hello Games’ open world (open universe?) title really shines. It runs in 4K at 60 frames per second, has faster load times, and touts PS5-specific DualSense features, along with denser environments, improved geometry, higher resolution textures, and various improvements to animations, volumetrics, shadows, lighting, draw distances, and much more. No Man’s Sky has been worth checking out for a long time now, but with its PS5 upgrade, it’s pretty much become irresistible.
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