The PlayStation 5 has largely been a success for Sony, overcoming its early supply chain problems to become a popular option for players looking to enjoy the best experiences from talented developers. The original console pushed the boundaries of what a console could achieve, bringing 60fps gameplay, 4K visuals, ray tracing support, and so much more to the table.
And then came the PS5 Pro. It was built to overcome the PS5’s limitations, with having to choose between improved resolutions and framerates being a main factor. However, with the PS5 Pro, Sony promised to remove that painful choice with 4K 60fps gameplay, AI upscaling, and a boost to performance that would set the mid-gen console apart.
And it seems like the PS5 Pro does have its takers despite initial skepticism about the need for an upgrade, and the argument that games were barely making the most of the PS5 as it was. But now that a full year has passed, has this powerhouse been worth the time, effort, and its price tag?
Dive in and let’s find out.
A Solid Design and A Premium Build
While the PS5 Pro’s design might find the same criticisms as the original console, there’s no denying that it stands out from the crowd. But, more importantly, it’s a design that ensures optimal cooling, and we’re yet to hear our fans spin fast enough for them to be noisy. As far as reliability is concerned, the PS5 Pro continues to be a solid offering from Sony.
While our base PS5 has thrown out a few warnings about overheating when we put it through its paces, the Pro is yet to break a sweat and seems well-suited to long gaming sessions with no drops in performance whatsoever. However, we’re well aware that it’s only been a year since the PS5 Pro, and it’s going to be interesting to see games like GTA VI push it to its limits later down the line.
As far as comparisons with the PS5 Slim are concerned, we’d say that the Pro is a different console aimed at different players. The Slim is still a perfectly suitable option for those of you who don’t mind a slightly lower resolution or framerate, as long as games run well enough for you to play them. But for those of you who would like your games to look and feel the best that they can be, the Pro is the one for you.
Pro Performance
Of course, there are players who can always overlook a design they don’t like on a machine that performs as promised. On that front, the PS5 Pro does bring its beefier GPU and PSSr to the fray, and it’s been solid for the most part.
You might argue that developers aren’t really making the most out of its features, but several of 2025’s releases have justified having that extra power under the hood. When it comes to sustaining 4K at 60fps, the PS5 Pro continues to flex its muscles, which is especially true for games that come with a dedicated mode.
It’s enough of an upgrade over the base PS5 to justify the extra cash you’d spend on it, while its frame pacing and upscaling performance do a great job for the most part. However, there have been complaints about how PSSR handles upscaling in certain specific instances, but those are far enough from each other and nothing that a few updates or patches can’t handle. For instance, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Days Gone, and a few others suffered from image quality issues that made their PS5 versions better options.
However, games like The Callisto Protocol, Alan Wake 2, and several others have been quite solid on the PS5 Pro. Ultimately, it’s important to remember that PSSR is only a year old and is sure to improve as time goes on (more on that in a bit).
Ray Tracing and Balanced modes are certainly becoming common for the powerhouse, and having them on while you experience either a familiar title or a brand new one continues to give us a reason to smile at our screens. Exploring Ezo in Ghost of Yotei, for instance, has been nothing short of a visual treat with ray tracing and 60fps making the entire experience feel quite different from the one you get on a base PS5.
Sucker Punch also stands out for its deft use of the DualSense controller, using the touchpad and gyroscope to bring immersive, unique touches to the experience. It showcased how the controller can be integrated into a game quite well and was better than the majority of titles whose focus was on either haptics or the adaptive triggers. There are notable exceptions, of course, but things can and should be better on this front. Perhaps STALKER 2 could change that?
As far as PSSR and its ability to improve on your gaming experience are concerned, it does hold up against its rivals well enough to be taken seriously. If Sony manages to sustain the momentum it has garnered, the technology could be quite the console seller when the PS6 eventually comes along.
The Pro’s Popularity
As far as developer and player adoption is concerned, the PS5 Pro seems to be a popular option. There are a ton of titles that come with Pro Enhanced features from both first-party and third-party developers. Many popular titles do come with a notable difference in how they perform on the base PS5 and the Pro, with better graphics, ray tracing, and performance options for the latter.
Guerilla Games has been a noteworthy user of the PS5 Pro to bring Horizon Forbidden West and its remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn to a level of polish that makes them stand out. Sucker Punch made excellent use of the Pro’s capabilities to make its take on ancient Japan stand out from Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
But that’s not to say that developers outside of Sony’s umbrella of studios are falling behind. Enhanced versions of games like F125 and Gran Turismo 7 have been great examples of third-party studios making good use of the expanded skill set of the PS5 Pro.
However, there have been versions of games that have just been higher-resolution versions of the original releases. It’s largely been up to different studios and the amount of resources they have toward developing Pro Enhanced versions for their games. But on balance, the PS5 Pro has managed to make a name for itself on the landscape of modern gaming as far as developers are concerned.
But what about players? Are all of the console’s bells and whistles enough to justify its hefty price tag? On that front, it’s still a console for absolute enthusiasts who simply want the best possible graphics and performance from their consoles. But for more casual gamers who may not have a display capable of 120fps or incredible resolutions, the base PS5 is more than enough.
A Great Software Experience
Of course, the user interface and the games on offer are equally important on a console that’s currently the flagship of a long line of great gaming platforms. The user interface on the PS5 Pro maintains Sony’s clean UI elements, presenting your most recent games right up at the front of your app queue, while the new additions, such as the new tabs and the ability to customize your wallpaper, are all welcome additions to the experience.
Granted, there is the firmware update that’s slated to give the Pro’s PSSR capabilities a significant boost. Announced in March 2025, this could be just around the corner and could address several issues with upscaling on a long list of games. If you’ve been waiting on a fix for one of your favorite titles, this holiday season might be a great time to upgrade.
As far as the PSVR2 is concerned, there are a few titles that come with PS5 Pro Enhanced versions, but we’re going to have to wait and see if that list continues to grow enough to justify their existence. It’s good that the DualSense continues to be a great controller even on the Pro, and its Elite version is among our favorites.
Has the PS5 Pro Been Welcomed?
Although the Pro has been praised for the improved potential for developing stunning, well-performing games, its inconsistent upscaling performance and its price continue to be pain points for Sony’s behemoth.
It’s expensive enough to be an upgrade that’s out of many budgets, and its benefits might not justify its purchase for such consumers. However, for titles that make use of its capabilities well, their Pro Enhanced versions are excellent ways to enjoy the experiences they have to offer. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a great example of that.
It’s also important to look at the PS5 Pro as the predecessor to the PS6, whenever it comes along. The Pro’s very existence and its development cycle have already fuelled speculation about the next big leap for Sony’s gaming powerhouse. That might be a great reason for many PS5 owners to skip the Pro altogether. It also raises questions about the need for mid-gen upgrades to popular consoles.
But if 2025 has been any indication, there have been so many excellent titles whose visuals and performance have benefited from more power under the hood. Modern gaming seems to have only just begun making use of the PS5 and the Pro, and there is a strong argument to be made for the PS5 Pro’s presence on Sony’s lineup.
A year later, the PS5 Pro continues to be a worthy presence in modern gaming, allowing PlayStation fans who want the very best gaming experience from their console. Its brilliant spec sheet and Sony’s touches make it a powerful console that’s held back only by its prohibitive pricing.
But would we recommend the upgrade? For PS5 owners, the Pro makes sense only if you have the display for it. For those of you on other platforms, the PS5 Pro is the one to get if you can fork over the extra cash for it. Sony’s lineup of exclusive titles continues to be a solid reason for you to take the plunge.
As for the future, there is plenty to be excited about. AMD and PS5 architect Mark Cerny recently discussed “Project Amethyst,” unveiling three pillars: Neural Arrays, Radiance Cores, and Universal Compression, as the next wave of Sony/AMD graphics tech. For PS5 Pro’s near future, the software-leaning pieces should matter first: smarter PSSR via ML efficiency and broader in-flight compression that steadies 4K recon, asset streaming, and 60/120 fps targets. The heavy lifting from dedicated Radiance Cores is PS6-class, but the R&D behind it will still trickle down as better hybrid-RT techniques and tooling on PS5 Pro.
The PS5 Pro continues to be a beast of a console, for those who can find the right uses for it.
