I finished Ghost of Tsushima on PS4, but curiosity pulled me back to it on PS5.
Knowing the tale already, I spent my first hour simply roaming, testing parries, and marvelling at how natural everything felt compared with the stiff 30 fps I remembered.
Let’s break down the most noticeable improvements to see how these changes unfold on PS5.
What 60 fps really means on PS5
Sony gives you two performance options:
- Resolution Mode: Renders at a checkerboarded 4K resolution while still holding at 60 fps.
- Performance Mode: Scales down to roughly 1800 p for a rock-solid 60 fps.
Underneath, the game engine is exactly the same as on PS4, and the visuals haven’t been rebuilt. But unlocking the frame rate means the engine is no longer fighting a 33 ms-per-frame limit. As a result, animations no longer stutter when a dozen NPCs jam a village square.
Foliage like waving grass or falling leaves now updates smoothly. Even when a rainstorm floods the screen, the PS5’s CPU keeps frame timing rock-steady instead of dropping frames.
In short, all the same art assets simply look and feel more lifelike because they move without hiccups. Buy Ghost of Tsushima on PlayStation 5 for the cheapest prices
Faster Combat and Enhanced Controller Feedback
Higher frame rates are not just prettier, they are faster.
On PS5, rendering at 60 fps means your button press is registered in about 16 ms instead of 31 ms on PS4. That cut in input lag transforms every clash: parrying or switching stances becomes almost second nature.
For instance, I found myself swapping between Water and Wind stances mid-combo without hesitation – something I never trusted at 30 fps.
Beyond speed, the DualSense adds subtle physical feedback:
- Adaptive Trigger on the Bow: When you draw the bowstring halfway, the trigger pushes back gently.
- Click on Full Release: Releasing fully produces a crisp click, which mimics an arrow leaving the string.
- Sword Clashes: Every time blades collide, the controller gives you a short, sharp pulse, so you feel metal-on-metal.
- Guiding Wind: As you let the wind guide you, a soft rolling vibration tracks each directional shift.
These haptic cues might sound small, but in tight duels, they replace visual hints I used to miss on PS4. Sucker Punch even designed the game around “lethality,” where every strike can be fatal. At 60 fps with DualSense feedback, every final blow lands with satisfying weight.
Cleaner Motion and Sharper Scenery
When the PS5 renders twice as many frames, you can dial down motion blur without revealing any stutter. The result is crystal-clear action:
- Legible Banners: Fluttering flags and banners no longer smear across the screen.
- Vibrant Fields: Sprinting through violet irises shows each petal distinctly, rather than melting into a blur.
PS5 uses a “checkerboard” upscaling method to approximate a near-native 4K image while still hitting 60 fps. That means a sunset viewed from the Golden Temple looks almost like a static, prerendered scene where every color and shadow is precise.
Even during mounted charges, the tall grasses separate into neat waves instead of clinging as a single texture.
Real-Time Cinematics and Photo Mode Upgrades
Every cinematic is rendered in real time on PS5. This also lets Sucker Punch finally include full Japanese-voice lip-sync – something the PS4 version struggled to match.
Camera pans during cut-scenes stay silky smooth. Photo Mode reaps the same benefit. Because you’re seeing twice as many frames per second, you can pause on cleaner “in-between” moments – the exact frame when a rain drop hits Jin’s armor or a petal settles on his kimono.
Then you can tweak wind speed and particle density to capture the perfect shot. Tsushima managed to turn ordinary players into virtual photographers with that 60 fps clarity.
Limitations and Final Thoughts
Smooth frame rates can feel like a luxury until you replay a favorite game at 60 fps and realize you can never go back.
Sony promised “drastically improved load times,” and in practice, the blackout screens almost vanish. Fast travel and checkpoint reloads are a near-instant flicker.
But it’s also important to set realistic expectations.
Textures, lighting, and geometry remain unchanged from the PS4 build. There is no full-blown ray-tracing pass or new high-resolution asset pack. DualSense support on PS5 delivers basic haptics and light trigger resistance, but you won’t see the in-depth adaptive-trigger showcases found in first-party PS5 exclusives. In other words, it’s not a complete visual overhaul. If you hoped for a full remaster, you’ll have to wait for Sucker Punch’s next project. Even so, switching to 60 fps on PS5 transforms how Ghost of Tsushima feels.or Sucker Punch’s next project. Even so, switching to 60 fps on PS5 transforms how Ghost of Tsushima feels.
