Sony PlayStation 5 Pro

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It’s been four years since the PlayStation 5 debuted (and one year since it received a design revision in the PS5 Slim), which is far too soon for a new console generation. However, it isn’t too soon for a system upgrade in the form of the PlayStation 5 Pro ($699.99). Following in the footsteps of the PlayStation 4 Pro, the PS5 Pro is a more powerful PS5 that isn't different enough to be a PlayStation 6. It has more processing power than any other console, pumping out higher frame rates and better graphics than the PS5, though only for optimized titles. For the price, we wish it had an optical disc drive; you'll need to buy one if you have a physical game library you want to play. Still, the PlayStation 5 Pro could be worthwhile if your favorite releases are on its enhancement list. If not, the base PS5 is still excellent and remains our Editors' Choice winner.

Dimensions, Ports, and DualSense

Measuring 15.4 by 3.2 by 8.2 inches (HWD), the PS5 Pro is slightly smaller than the original 15.4-by-4.2-by-10.2-inch PS5. It's almost identical in size to the 14.1-by-3.8-by-8.5-inch PS5 Slim, a system with a disc drive. It keeps the PS5 aesthetic with large white side panels enveloping a black section like a reverse ice cream sandwich. The panels gently curve and end at sharp top corners, and are bisected by horizontal black bands. The bands are the biggest PS5 Pro visual identifiers: They’re wider, ridged strips rather than the tiny lines on the non-Pro models. As with the other PS5 models, you can lay the Pro horizontally on a flat surface by inserting the two included transparent feet into holes on its side.

You can read the console status using the recessed light strips between the side panels and the center section. It’s just like the other PS5s: White means it’s powered on, orange means it’s in rest mode, and blinking different colors indicates the system is turning on, shutting down, or experiencing an error.

Ports and buttons sit on the main black section between the white panels. The arrangement is identical to the PS5 Slim: two USB-C ports and a power button on the front, and HDMI, two USB-A ports, an Ethernet port, and the power cable connector on the back.

The DualSense gamepad remains unchanged, and it’s still an incredibly advanced controller. It has a standard dual-analog layout with loads of extras, including a touchpad, precise rumble that provides fine tactile feedback, adaptive triggers that vary resistance, and a speaker, microphone, and headphone jack. The controller's only weakness is its rechargeable battery; you can expect anywhere from six to 12 hours on a charge. That's fine for most gaming sessions, but the Xbox Series X controller lasts 15 to 30 hours (either from standard AA batteries or an optional rechargeable battery pack).

More Power, No Optical Drive

The PS5 Pro features a more powerful GPU, with 67% more Compute Units (cores) and 28% faster RAM than the PS5. According to Sony, the system can render the same graphics 45% faster. To enhance the graphics, the PS5 Pro has a more advanced ray tracing engine and AI-powered upscaling called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), which the PS5 lacks.

To use these features, games must be optimized for the PS5 Pro. The console has more than 50 PS5 titles that leverage the new capabilities as of this writing. Sony’s first-party games on the list include God of War Ragnarok, Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Forbidden West, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, The Last of Us Part I, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.

Third-party games include Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Call of Duty Black Ops 6, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Fortnite, Madden NFL 25, and Rise of the Ronin. Games not on the list can potentially produce better frame rates, but they won’t take advantage of the PS5’s increased power.

You don’t need that extra power to enjoy non-PS5-Pro-enhanced games. The system is compatible with all PS5 and PS4 releases and runs them just as well as the standard PS5.

Besides the more powerful hardware, the PS5 Pro has two additional upgrades. Its SSD is 2TB instead of 1TB, meaning it can hold many more titles. It also has Wi-Fi 7, the current top-of-the-line Wi-Fi standard that reaches up to 40Gbps (four times higher than Wi-Fi 6 and 6E) with a compatible router.

The base PS5 has one advantage the PS5 Pro lacks, and it’s a significant one: an optical disc drive. This $700 console can't read PS5 or PS4 discs. If you want to play games on physical media, you must spend an extra $80 for the optional disc drive. We strongly support physical media as a method of preserving video games and ensuring that you can still play the titles you buy in the future. It's a big disadvantage for the PS5 Pro, especially considering its price.

Incredible Performance (With the Right Games)

We can't run our usual, granular gaming PC benchmarks on consoles, but simply eyeballing the PS5 and PS5 Pro shows that the new system has more power. Since the Xbox Series X has roughly the same processing capabilities as the PS5, it's reasonable to consider that any jumps in performance the PS5 Pro has over the PS5 apply to Microsoft's current high-end game console, too.

When played on a PS5 Pro, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 offers the same choice between a Performance mode emphasizing higher and more stable frame rates and a Fidelity mode emphasizing graphical quality. These modes present clear trade-offs on both consoles. That said, the PS5 Pro's floor is raised considerably from the PS5's.

The PS5 Pro's Performance mode looks as good as the PS5's Fidelity mode. In fact, it renders action as smoothly as the latter's Performance mode, if not smoother. Switching to Fidelity mode produces a distinct increase in detail over the standard PS5's Fidelity mode. The system draws Miles' costume with greater textures and makes window reflections look more natural. The graphical improvements are apparent, but not groundbreaking. The differences between the two systems' Fidelity modes recall changing a PC game's graphics setting from High to Ultra.

The PS5 Pro displays Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart slightly more sharply than the PS5. The grass is more detailed and the lighting effects are superior. This is especially noticeable in Fidelity mode, where the light plays across the grass and shines on Clank’s body.

Performance mode gives the PS5 Pro a visible edge. In testing, the system maintained 60 frames per second, with the occasional dip. The regular PS5 seldom ran as smoothly when there was a lot of action on the screen.

Horizon: Forbidden West is arguably the most graphically intense of the four PS5 Pro-optimized games I tested, but it doesn’t showcase a significant increase in sharpness or lighting effects. Sony says the game doesn’t use the new ray tracing.

However, the frame rates are higher and more consistent in the PS5 Pro’s performance mode than the PS5's. That's the biggest benefit. Just don't expect top-of-the-line ray tracing all the time.

As mentioned, games must be officially PS5 Pro-enhanced to take advantage of the system’s power. Gran Turismo 7 will be added to that list in the future, but its enhancements weren't implemented during my times testing. Right now, it isn't the best showcase of the differences between the two consoles. Its PS5 Pro Performance mode looks about as good as the base system's Fidelity mode, just a bit more fluid. Some form of ray tracing is running in all cases. You’ll see sunlight glinting realistically off your car's rear window, regardless of the console.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for the PS5 and Bloodborne for the PS4 look and perform the same on the PS5 and PS5 Pro. I also tried Dark Cloud 2, a PlayStation 2 game available in the PSN Plus Classics Catalog. It was just a jaggy, upscaled, 21-year-old game.

Verdict: A Powerful and Pricey PlayStation Upgrade

The Sony PlayStation 5 Pro is an impressive piece of hardware. It has the best graphics ever seen on a home game console, with better performance than the standard PlayStation 5 or any Xbox. It’s able to hit and maintain 60fps far more consistently and show lighting effects the regular PS5 cannot. That’s only the case for games enhanced to take advantage of it, though, and outside of that list, you effectively have a PS5 with twice as much storage, Wi-Fi 7, and no disc drive. If you don't already own a PS5 and the games you want to play are enhanced for the PS5 Pro, by all means, it's worth considering. But existing PS5 owners don't need to upgrade, and the regular PS5 remains a better value (and our Editors' Choice) if you still buy game discs and don't lust over frame rates or lighting effects.