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Devs investigating why their games look bad on the PS5 Pro

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Pyramid Head wields a weapon in Silent Hill 2.
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Developers of games that players have reported look worse on the PlayStation 5 Pro than they do on the PlayStation 5 are looking into the issue.

The PS5 Pro is an advanced version of the base console that’s designed to deliver better performance and graphics in games with some refreshed components and proprietary tech. Sony has a list of enhanced games that take advantage of PS5 Pro features like PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) for AI-powered upscaling. This essentially offers an additional mode for players who want a higher frame rate without sacrificing image quality. This includes Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Silent Hill 2 remake, two games that have been found to have graphical issues and glitches on the PS5 Pro.

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Both Bloober Team and EA have commented on the situation on X. Bloober said it was “working on it” while EA said it is “actively investigating.” There have also been reports about visual issues with Alan Wake 2, although Remedy hasn’t made a statement.

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PlayStation hasn’t commented on the situation. Digital Trends reached out and will update when we hear back.

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We’re working on it!

— Bloober Team (@BlooberTeam) November 18, 2024

Digital Foundry has been testing PS5 Pro enhanced games and specifically called out the Silent Hill 2 remake and Jedi: Survivor in recent videos. The enhanced version of Jedi: Survivor looked “dramatically worse” in testing with PSSR upscaling, and there were graphical glitches in performance mode with ray tracing that dropped resolution down to around 720p. Silent Hill 2 also appeared to be affected by PSSR with flickering and pixelation on certain assets. Removing the PS5 Pro update even improved visual quality. Digital Foundry also looked at Alan Wake 2, and while it holds up better than the other two, it still comes in at a lower resolution with PSSR.

Alan Wake 2 on PlayStation 5 Pro Comparison Video ESRB

Players have also noticed, with many asking Bloober to fix the PS5 Pro patch. While Jedi: Survivor isn’t known for top-tier performance, this represents a big step back for EA, which has been working to improve it on platforms like PC.

It’s unclear why this is happening, but one theory posted on Resetera suggests that these games might be using an earlier version of PSSR, and future updates should clear up any problems. Another theory posits that a bug specifically affects games that run natively on lower resolutions (under 1080p).

There are currently over 50 games that are PS5 Pro enhanced and utilize the PSSR features. More are being added over time, with PlayStation announcing Tuesday that The Callisto Protocol and [REDACTED] from Krafton are getting the update. Hopefully the issues will be fixed soon, as spending $700 on a console only to have games not look up to standard isn’t a great look.

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Carli Velocci
Carli Velocci
Contributor, Games
Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…
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