Ever since the PlayStation 5 Pro was first revealed, I’ve seen a common refrain from some skeptics: “I don’t see a difference!”
I was in the same boat when Mark Cerny introduced the console in a YouTube video back in September. A compressed YouTube stream just isn’t the best way to communicate a console that both increases resolution and frame rate. I only started to see just how different the PS5 Pro looks compared to the base model once I could see them side by side in my own home. It took me some time — and a lot of eye straining — to spot some of the finer details outside of its more obvious AI-upscaling benefits, but I was able to see them eventually. The PS5 Pro does improve image quality, but is the bump enough to justify a $700 purchase?
You can read our full PS5 Pro review to decide for yourself, but I’m here to help out all the visual learners in the house. I’ve put together a pop quiz to help you decide whether the PS5 Pro will actually make a meaningful difference for you. Below, you’ll find comparable images of games running on both PS5 and PS5 Pro. Most of these images compare each game running in Fidelity Mode, as to show off the PS5 Pro’s advanced ray tracing. Two of them compare Performance modes between games that haven’t received a proper Pro modes, but are still benefitting from the new console’s upgraded GPU. The final pair come from PS4 games, with one image taken from PS5 Pro with its PS4 game boost option turned on. Can you find the differences? Click on each one to expand them and check your results with our answer guide at the end!
1. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
Let’s start with a (hopefully) easy one to get you settled in. One of these images from Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered was shot on PS5 Pro’s Fidelity Pro Mode, while the other was shot on the base PS5’s regular Fidelity Mode. If you can’t tell the difference between these shots, I expect you’re going to have a fairly hard time with the rest of them.
2. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
All right, rehearsal is over. Here come the tough questions. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart features a Fidelity Pro option on PS5 that lets players tool around with different lighting settings. One of these images was shot in that mode with all settings, such as Ambient Occlusion, maxed out. The other was snapped in the basic PS5 Fidelity Mode.
3. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 features a similar Fidelity Pro option with several tools players can tweak. Like Rift Apart, we maxed out all the settings on PS5 Pro to get the most out of features like reflections and shadows. Can you spot the difference here?
4. Dragon’s Dogma 2
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is one of the biggest third-party games to receive proper Pro modes on PS5 Pro at release. It’s almost a game that sees a lot of obvious benefits from the tech boost, though it might not be obvious at a quick glance. One of these images is running in Fidelity Pro mode and the other is in standard Fidelity Mode on PS5.
5. Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Dragon Age: The Veilguard doesn’t have PS5 Pro specific graphics options at the moment, but EA has confirmed that the game will get some sort of boost from PS5 Pro. To test that claim, here are two images from the game running side-by-side. I’ve focused on foliage here, as I’ve found that it’s an especially handy way to see the difference on PS5 Pro. But is it enough to catch your own eye?
6. Black Myth: Wukong
Does every game running on PS5 Pro instantly look better out of the gate due to the system’s GPU? That’s a tricky question that’ll likely come down to individual games and how well-optimized they are for consoles in the first place. To test that, I’ve pulled these screenshots from Black Myth: Wukong running in standard Performance mode on each. Developer Game Science hasn’t confirmed any Pro upgrade for the game, so you’re just seeing what a totally standard game with no extra modes looks like on the new system.
7. Shadow of the Colossus
One nifty PS5 Pro feature is that it features a toggle that allows players to “enhance” PS4 games. Sony has been quiet about what exactly that means, so you can judge for yourself. Do you see a difference between these Shadow of the Colossus screenshots? This one can be a bit deceiving depending on what you’re focusing on, so you’ll want to pay close attention to the details here.
8. Bloodborne
Of course, we couldn’t end this quiz without Bloodborne. Players have been eager to see how FromSoftware’s PS4 classic would benefit from an enhancement, despite the fact that the base game is locked at 30 frames per second. You won’t see a performance boost in it, but can you tell which is running on PS5 and PS5 Pro? This hard question is the true Dark Souls of quizzes, in my humble opinion.
Answer key
- A: PS5 Pro, B: PS5
- A: PS5, B: PS5 Pro
- A: PS5, B: PS5 Pro
- A: PS5 Pro, B: PS5
- A: PS5, B: PS5 Pro
- A: PS5 Pro, B: PS5
- A: PS5 Pro, B: PS5
- A: PS5, B: PS5 Pro
How’d you do? If you got 100% of these answers right, then the PS5 Pro might be worth your money. If you bombed it? You might want to save your $700. As fun as it is to play around with a fancy piece of tech, the base PS5 is still a powerful console that’ll serve your average player just fine. Just remember the one thing these stills can’t show you: 4K games running at 60 frames per second thanks to PSSR upscaling. A picture is worth a thousand words, but you’ll still need to see it for yourself to get the full picture.
