PS5 Pro Preview: Everything You Need to Know About the Next Sony PlayStation

Sony’s PlayStation 5 outsold Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and S last year, shipping a whopping three PS5s for every Xbox. But the tech giant hasn’t put its feet up for the rest of the generation, and now it’s official: an upgraded PlayStation 5 Pro is coming soon.

After months of leaks and rumors, the company announced a Pro model of the PS5 during a technical presentation on September 10. The PlayStation 4 also got an enhanced mid-generation upgrade, and likewise, the PS5 Pro promises loads of performance boosts.

Per the presentation, the new model will be packed with a more powerful GPU, improved ray tracing capabilities, and will utilize artificial intelligence to deliver even more polish. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the release.

What is the PS5 Pro?

The PS5 Pro is an upgraded revision to the current PS5. It will be released on November 7, 2024, with pre-orders starting on September 26, and it’s priced at $699.99. That’s a $250 premium over the current digital-only PS5, and $200 more than the model with a disc drive.

Sony confirmed the existence of the PS5 Pro during a technical presentation led by lead architect of the PS5, Mark Cerny, on September 10, as he gave key information about the console and showcased footage of upgraded games running on the hardware.

Most significantly, the Pro version of the console has an upgraded GPU, will have improved ray tracing capabilities for realistic lighting effects, and will use artificial intelligence (AI) to upscale images for added clarity. All combined, these enhancements will allow players to play games with better graphics and higher frame rates.

In addition to this, the PS5 Pro will include a “Game Boost” feature that will work on over 8,500 PS4 games. For PS4 games, this will enhance the image quality and resolution. For both compatible PS4 and PS5 games, it aims to generally stabilize or improve game performance. 

The PS5 Pro will use Wi-Fi 7, in supported territories, and will support variable refresh rate and 8K gaming for televisions with such functionality.

When is the PS5 Pro coming out?

The PS5 Pro is set to release on November 7, 2024. Pre-orders for the console will begin on September 26, priced at $699.99.

For the previous PS4 Pro, the console cost $100 more than the Slim version. Using this logic, some believed that the PS5 Pro would cost $550, given that the PS5 Slim was released at $450. But the roughly $700 price point is a much larger leap than expected.

How powerful will the PS5 Pro be?

Sony says that the PS5 Pro will be almost 45% more powerful than the PS5, based on the capabilities of the enhanced graphics hardware within.

The most concrete improvement is the upgraded GPU. Sony claims that this new GPU is much larger with 67% more “Compute Units,” and has memory that is 28% faster than in the current console. In total, Sony claims, this results in up to 45% faster rendering for gameplay.

But the new console has also upgraded its ray-tracing systems which will allow for the calculation of dynamic light rays at “double or triple” the speed. It will also utilize custom machine learning hardware to upscale the resolution of games, effectively adding detail where it didn’t previously exist. 

The PS5 Pro will also include a 2TB SSD for storing games and data, which is double the size that the console currently ships with. However, the PS5 Pro will only ship in a digital edition, which means there isn’t a version with a built-in disc drive. However, you can purchase the existing disc drive attachment, which is compatible, or just rely on that extra storage space.

What games will the PS5 Pro have?

Of course, you can expect every game that runs on your regular PS5 to also run on the PS5 Pro—that’d be an incredible misfire if not. But they’ll run better on the PS5 Pro, particularly recent and upcoming games where the developers can code in serious enhancements, plus older games will get some automatic enhancements.

These remastered games, if you will, will come in the form of free software updates—so there’s no need to worry about buying a hypothetical copy of The Last of Us Part II Remastered PS5 Pro Enhanced. (Seriously, we’re not buying it again… until the eventual PS6 edition.)

Games already confirmed to have an enhanced version on the way include Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Demon’s Souls, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Gran Turismo 7, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon: Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, The Crew Motorfest, The First Descendant, and The Last of Us Part II Remastered.

Through a “Game Boost” option, over 8,500 backward compatible PS4 games will be able to be played at a higher image quality and smoother performance—with this boost also available for PS5 games that don’t get specially made upgrades by their respective creators.

Sony’s smash hit Astro’s Playroom will also come pre-installed with the PS5 Pro.

What will the PS5 Pro look like?

When the PS5 was announced, the look caused a stir online. Aside from aesthetics, its big and bulky design made it an inconvenient console for many gamers to house. This was largely addressed with the release of the PS5 Slim, which is arguably less awkward to fit into your living room decor, even if it kept the same general vibe.

According to Sony’s blog post, the PS5 Pro splits the difference between the two: It’s as tall as the original PS5, but as wide as the slimmer revision model.

The PlayStation 5 Pro will likely have to tide over Sony gamers for a few years until the next new console generation arrives, which we know Microsoft is already working on—and Sony surely is as well. And the Nintendo Switch 2 is likely coming in 2025 to shake things up in the meantime.

Edited by Andrew Hayward

Editor's note: This story was originally published on April 18, 2024 and was last updated with new information on September 10.