Skip to main content

PlayStation Plus’ PS1 games run at 60Hz in North America

Despite North American players’ fears that PlayStation Plus Premium’s PS1 games would be the PAL versions that run at 50Hz, Video Games Chronicle confirmed that North American PS1 classics will be based on the NTSC versions that run at 60Hz.

PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium - Game Catalog | PS5 & PS4 Games

PS1 classics were rolled out region by region, with Asian territories getting first access to the library of PS1 games in May. However, it was discovered that the PS1 games available in those regions were based on the PAL versions rather than NTSC. PAL PS1 games, which were made for the European market, run slower and look worse because they were limited to 50Hz at the time of release. North American PS1 games simply look and run better at 60Hz.

Recommended Videos

PS1 classics are one of the main selling points of the new PlayStation Plus Premium tier that launches today in North America and features a library of classic titles that are emulated on the PS4 and PS5. The launch selection consists of 13 classic titles, though that list will be updated regularly in the middle of each month. The service has yet to launch in Europe, which will get it on June 22.

This PAL issue also existed for the PlayStation Classic console that packed in 20 PS1 games on a miniaturized version of the original console, leading many to believe Sony would repeat this mistake when bringing these games to the new service. The fact that this isn’t the case with PlayStation Plus Premium in North America is certainly good news for those wanting a convenient way to play PS1 games on their modern systems. However, it still doesn’t address the overall small quantity of titles available. We hope that Sony will be able to bolster this list of classic titles quickly in the coming months, or this most expensive tier may not seem worth the cost.

Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over five years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…
The Witcher 4 runs at 60 FPS and has ray-tracing even on the base PlayStation 5
Ciri wielding a burning chain in The Witcher 4.

At the State of Unreal 2025 event, CDProjekt Red revealed the first real look at The Witcher 4 gameplay. While it was a limited demo primarily focused on the improvements to Unreal Engine 5, we did get a solid look at how the game runs, even on a base PlayStation 5, and all the small ways tweaks and optimizations have been applied to make the game look as good as it does.

And that's the biggest takeaway from the demo: it looks really good. The presentation opened with a new trailer for the game, showing a rather grumpy merchant in a wagon traveling down a bumpy road, only to have his journey cut short by the appearance of a Manticore. Ciri later finds the remnants of the attack, and then we see a smooth transition from cutscene to gameplay.

Read more
PlayStation State of Play June 2025: How to watch and what to expect
Two samura face off in

E3 may be long dead and buried, but its spirit still lives on every June. This week is a loaded one for video game showcases, as we'll get Summer Game Fest, the Xbox Games Showcase, and more streaming over the next few days. Now you can add one more must-watch showcase to your radar: PlayStation's State of Play.

Tomorrow, June 4, Sony will give fans a major update on what's coming to PS5 with a sizable stream. That's great news, because the back half of Sony's year is a bit of a mystery right now beyond two or three major games. What else in store for PS5 owners this year? Here's all the information you need so you can catch the show. And if you can't watch it live, stay tuned to Digital Trends, as we'll keep you updated on all the big news.

Read more
3 new PlayStation Plus games to play this weekend (May 30-June 1)
Key art for Destiny 2: The Final Shape. It shows three characters standing in front of an orange sky.

Under normal circumstances, we would have to wait until next week to get our drop of new PlayStation Plus games, but this is a special occasion. We're currently right at the start of the Days of Play event where Sony celebrates with tons of community events and huge discounts on PS5 games and accessories. The icing on the cake is that we're not only getting four new games for Essential members, but an additional four for Extra and two more for Premium, with several already available. That's a lot to keep up with if you weren't prepared for it, which is where I come in. We will have to wait for most of the games until Tuesday, but here are a few new games you can start playing over this weekend to start the celebrations early.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape

Read more