Best games to play first with PS5 Pro Enhanced

The best of the best on PS5 Pro Enhanced.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
Screenshot by Dot Esports

The PlayStation 5 Pro is finally available to several loyal PlayStation fans who demand more from their consoles and require better visuals and performance. Several first-party and third-party games take advantage of the console’s new capabilities, but some do so better than others.

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Here are some of the best-looking and most responsive games that take advantage of the PlayStation 5 Pro.

Best games to play on PS5 Pro Enhanced

Dead Island 2 

Image showing a zombie in Dead Island 2.
Dead Island 2 gets a visual overhaul. Image via Deep Silver

Dambuster Studios’ excellent second installment in the Dead Island series already launched with marvelous visuals, crisp models, responsive motions, and a great, consistent frame rate. However, the PlayStation 5 Pro takes things up a notch by cranking up the resolution to 4K, with an increased lower bound of 60fps. Additionally, the PlayStation 5 Pro update adds improved shadow quality, longer draw distances, higher-quality motion blur and depth of field, plus better texture filtering. All these new additions make this hack-and-slash more fun and the overall zombie-slaying experience more enjoyable and engaging.

Demon’s Souls

Image showing a character outside in Demon's Souls.
Demon’s Souls is even more engaging on PlayStation 5 Pro. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Demon’s Souls launched with the base PlayStation 5 and showcased what the console is capable of across the board. As such, it’s no surprise the game is also among the first titles to take advantage of the PlayStation 5 Pro’s capabilities with its changes. The most important new change is the PlayStation 5’s base Fidelity mode, which has been significantly upgraded from a 30fps cap to 60. The game utilizes the console’s Spectral Super Resolution support to do this and improves its dynamic lighting in the process. The new improvements make exploring Boleteria and overcoming all its challenges even more engaging to experience.

The Last of Us Part I

Joel in The Last of Us Part 1 PC
The Last of Us Part I makes a good story even better. Image via Naughty Dog

The third release of the first The Last of Us game already launched with impeccable visuals, better frame rates, and newer, more modern-looking models, allowing for the best gameplay experience. The new PlayStation 5 Pro update provides even sharper details and bumps the frame rate to 60fps while outputting 4K resolution. The bump in visuals is incredibly noticeable, especially when compared to other games that have received the Pro treatment. Additionally, the Performance and Fidelity rendering modes are still available and provide a smoother experience and high frame rates compared to the original PS5. These upgrades make the excellent narrative more immersive in the remake and provide a more engaging experience.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Venom yelling in a neon lit street in Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 gets more detailed models and reflections. Image via Insomniac Games

Insomniac’s latest release in the Spider-Man series is already a juggernaut in both visuals and performance. Exploring New York City as your favorite web-slinger has never been as fun or as immersive due to the modern capabilities of PlayStation 5. Combat has a lot more variety and, in the process, is more fun and engaging. The sequel makes a giant leap from the previous title in terms of visuals by including all-new models, expanded cities, a slew of new costumes, and much more. 

However, the new PlayStation 5 Pro support update takes things further by overhauling ray tracing, making New York more vibrant than it has ever been in a video game. The enhancements provide more reflective surfaces and puddles and better performance across the board, making Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5 Pro the best way to play the game.

Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered

An image of Aloy and a mech in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered runs amazingly on the PlayStation 5 Pro. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered launched at a fortuitous time, shortly before the launch of the PlayStation 5 Pro. It promises several improvements over the original, including amazing visuals with 4K and HDR support, faster load times, adaptive trigger support, and much more. The remaster builds upon the original game in many ways and looks as good as a remake when compared to other modern remasters. The PlayStation 5 Pro update further enhances the experience by upgrading the game’s already stellar lighting effects and reflections. It also upgrades the frame rate, provides faster loading times, and crisper textures. While the remaster already offers players a whole lot more to enjoy, the PlayStation 5 Pro nearly perfects the experience and makes Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered the definitive version of the game.

Alan Wake 2

Alan Wake picking up subway ticket
Alan Wake 2 gets a significant quality bump thanks to PSSR. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Alan Wake 2 is one of last year’s most memorable and entertaining survival horror games that offers both Alan Wake and horror game fans an unforgettable narrative and gameplay experience. The game’s original PlayStation 5 launch is no slouch, as it sports a good Quality and Performance mode that sports a stable 60fps. However, the PlayStation 5 Pro version enhances the visual experience by adding new ray tracing features that are highly noticeable in many of the vibrant areas around Bright Falls, improving the overall cinematic experience. It also improves performance mode by adding even more frames than the base version, thanks to the power of the PSSR.

Hogwarts Legacy

An image of the main character from Hogwarts Legacy flying on a Hippogriff, a mixture between a horse and an eagle.
Hogwarts Legacy is more immersive on PS5 Pro. Image via Avalanche Software

Hogwarts Legacy already launched with impressive visuals last year. With outstanding effects, amazing art direction, and detailed models, the game is a feast for the eyes. And while the PlayStation 5 Pro version does not add any new modes, it upgrades the graphical features using PSSR and enhances the visual fidelity to 4K. The console’s High Frame Rate performance mode also uncaps the frame rate at 4K. Additionally, the Pro version upgrades the game’s Ray Tracing capabilities, resulting in clearer reflections, more vibrant colors, and more detailed models. All these improvements make the wizarding world more inviting and the gameplay experience more engaging. 

Baldur’s Gate 3

Characters in Baldur's Gate 3 look out off the edge of a cliff.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is better on PlayStation 5 Pro. Image via Larian Studios

Larian Studio’s installment in the Baldur’s Gate series is no slouch in terms of graphics and performance. While the quality pales in comparison to the PC version, the console version (and specifically the base PlayStation 5 version) has great quality and performance features. However, the PlayStation 5 Pro goes even further by boosting performance throughout the game’s three acts. The new console also upgrades the game’s lighting and provides more detailed environments. So while the Pro doesn’t add any new modes, it improves stability, image quality, and performance throughout. This makes exploring the world of the Forgotten Realms, meeting its many interesting characters, and saving it from the Illithid invasion much more immersive.

Stellar Blade

EVE holding an Alpha Core in Stellar Blade.
Stellar Blade is more thrilling with the technical enhancements. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Stellar Blade launched earlier this year and amazed fans with its impeccable gameplay and, well, stellar visuals. The PlayStation 5 Pro version upgrades the experience in all the right ways as it improves visuals and adds two new performance settings, the Pro and Pro Max modes. The Pro mode provides you a stable and constant 60fps framerate with high-quality fidelity, including 1080p and 1440p. The Pro Max mode, on the other hand, boosts the resolution to 4K at just under 60fps. The extra frames and the improved image quality make Stellar Blade more enjoyable than it already is.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

An image showing Tifa, Yuffie, and Aerith in FF7 Rebirth.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gets a much needed visual boost. Image via Square Enix

Another game that launched as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth sports great visuals at 1080p and 2K fidelity, but is often inconsistent on the base console. Now, with its latest PlayStation 5 Pro-targeted update, the game has received a Versatility Mode, which combines both the 60fps of Performance Mode and the high resolution of Graphic Mode by using the power of PSSR. This allows Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to run at an impressive and consistent 60fps at 4K, giving the game the much-needed quality and performance boost it deserves.

Author
Image of Abdul Saad
Abdul Saad
Abdul Saad is a seasoned entertainment journalist and critic and has been writing for over five years on multiple gaming sites. When he isn't writing or playing the latest JRPG, he can be found coding games of his own or tinkering with something electrical.