The PlayStation 5 Pro launched with grand promises—higher resolutions, improved performance, and an overall step into the future of console gaming. Yet, as time has passed, many owners have found themselves questioning whether the additional power is being put to good use. Rather than delivering a seamless upgrade, the PS5 Pro often feels like an extra layer of settings menus, demanding players fine-tune resolutions and frame rates rather than simply enjoying a smoother experience.
This concern becomes particularly evident with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, one of the most visually ambitious games to arrive since the Pro’s release. Set in the late 16th century, the game takes players through feudal Japan with two distinct protagonists: Yasuke, the African-born samurai, and Naoe, a skilled ninja. From the changing seasons to the intricate details of ancient temples, Shadows is nothing short of a technical marvel. But does it finally showcase what the PS5 Pro is truly capable of, or is it just another example of marginal gains wrapped in high expectations?
On a base PlayStation 5, Assassin’s Creed Shadows already looks phenomenal, boasting ray-traced global illumination, intricate environmental details, and highly detailed character models. The PS5 Pro, in theory, should push these elements even further. And to some extent, it does. The increased GPU power allows for higher-resolution textures, improved lighting effects, and smoother performance. The introduction of PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), Sony’s new upscaling technology, also plays a role in refining image quality without significantly impacting performance. However, the real-world impact varies—while some sequences feel noticeably sharper, the difference isn’t always as dramatic as one might expect from a mid-gen upgrade.
Then there’s the issue of choice. One of the PS5 Pro’s selling points was eliminating the need to pick between performance and visual fidelity. Instead, many games—including Assassin’s Creed Shadows—offer even more settings to toggle between. Players can choose a 4K mode with variable frame rates, a balanced mode targeting 60FPS with upscaled resolution, or a high-performance mode that drops some visual flourishes for a smoother experience. While options are never a bad thing, it raises the question: why hasn’t the Pro been optimized to simply deliver the best experience without requiring players to experiment with settings?
RELATED: 2M Players in 2 Days! AC Shadows is Ubisoft’s New Goldmine
This isn’t an isolated case. Several games marketed with PS5 Pro enhancements have either introduced negligible improvements or, in some cases, even introduced performance issues that weren’t present on the base PS5. Games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Silent Hill 2 Remake have struggled with inconsistent performance, sparking frustration among players who expected a seamless upgrade. Meanwhile, some major releases, such as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, launched without any significant PS5 Pro enhancements at all. It’s a pattern that makes the console feel more like an optional luxury rather than an essential step forward.
That’s not to say Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t benefit from the Pro’s hardware—it absolutely does. The game’s open world, densely packed with foliage, bustling villages, and dynamic weather systems, is undeniably more stable on the Pro. The higher frame rates reduce motion blur, making combat feel more fluid. The enhanced lighting makes night-time assassinations more immersive, while the increased texture resolution ensures that fine details—such as the fabric of Yasuke’s armor or the intricate patterns on a katana—stand out more than they do on the standard PS5. It’s just that, for all these refinements, the difference isn’t always as striking as one would hope.
The problem ultimately comes down to how developers approach mid-generation hardware upgrades. With the base PS5 still being the primary development target, many studios focus on ensuring games run well across the board, treating Pro enhancements as an afterthought. This results in experiences that, while technically improved, don’t always justify the investment for those who made the jump to the Pro. Until more developers fully embrace what the PS5 Pro has to offer, the console will continue to feel like an optional step rather than a necessary evolution.
For those already owning a PS5 Pro, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is one of the better showcases of what the console can do—but even here, the leap isn’t as substantial as many had hoped. And for those still debating whether to upgrade? The answer remains the same: unless developers start treating the PS5 Pro as a must-have, rather than an optional boost, it may never feel like the revolution it was meant to be.