Given how difficult they are to come by still, they may well seem brand new to some gamers, but the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles are now already well over a year old. Plenty of new games have been released for Sony and Microsoft's latest consoles already, and many older titles have been upgraded to make the most out of the new hardware's ibcreased capabilities.

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In many cases, these upgrades go far beyond mere graphical enhancements. This is especially true in the case of the PS5 thanks to the brand-new functionality of the DualSense controller. However, some games benefited from receiving the next-gen treatment much more than others. These are the best next-gen patches and upgrades for the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.

10 Borderlands 3

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The third mainline entry in the Borderlands franchise is great fun even on last-generation consoles, but it's a completely different beast on the new systems. Not only does it run much more smoothly, but its graphics have also received a generous upgrade.

On PS4 and Xbox One, the game ran at 30 FPS in full HD. It was pretty enough, but it could really heat up the systems, making them run loud and lead to frequent crashes. On next-gen consoles, however, players can enjoy Borderlands 3 in 4K at a slick frame rate of 60 FPS without as much as a stutter. Additionally, the haptic feedback implemented on the PS5's DualSense controller further enhances the immersion.

9 FIFA 22

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EA Sports picks up a lot of stick from gamers for releasing pretty much the same FIFA game every year, with the only changes being team roster and jersey updates. Every now and again though, they switch things up and deliver a refreshed experience to players. This is the case with FIFA 22 on next-gen consoles.

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The game has received a major graphical and gameplay overhaul compared to the "legacy edition" that was released for last-gen systems. The developers implemented a brand new HyperMotion engine that takes motion capture to the next level, making player movements all the more realistic. Surprisingly to many gamers, this radically altered the gameplay, with many still struggling to get used to next-gen FIFA's novelty many months after its initial release.

8 Marvel's Avengers

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Despite not being the most advanced game of the last generation, optimization issues made Marvel's Avengers infamous for overworking the PS4's fans and frequent frame rate drops on both Xbox One and PS4. Although its core gameplay was fun enough, many players abandoned the title simply because it overworked their systems.

Thankfully, the next-gen upgrade fixed all of these performance issues. It even went beyond merely improving the frame rate, with the introduction of Dynamic 4K resolution, more detailed textures, and brilliant implementation of the DualSense's haptic feedback to represent the different heroes' unique superpowers.

7 Genshin Impact

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For a game that runs on a variety of systems including smartphones, Genshin Impact's poor performance on the PS4 became relentlessly mocked by the community. After all, frame rate drops and disappearing textures should not be such a frequent occurrence for a title whose greatest appeal lies in smooth, fast-paced combat.

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The PS5 version of MiHoYo's record-breaking hit is a much more polished and playable version of the original. It may seem a little absurd that a game that performed just fine on most flagship smartphones needed a next-gen upgrade on consoles, but it is undeniably a title that greatly benefited from the changes. Alongside performance improvements, PS5 owners are now able to enjoy the game in true 4K and with high-res textures that are exclusive to the console.

6 No Man's Sky

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No Man's Sky is no stranger to revolutionary changes. The game was famously a huge disappointment at launch, but the Hello Games team has proven they deserve a second chance by releasing a series of updates that completely transformed the game, breathing new life into the formula by placing a heavy focus on the title's multiplayer features.

Unsurprisingly, the influx of updates had a negative impact on No Man‘s Sky's performance on the last generation of consoles. As the game grew in size and complexity, these systems had trouble handling it, which led to frame drops and visual inconsistencies. The next-gen upgrade did away with those issues though, while also adding a 4K resolution and 60 FPS support to provide players with butter-smooth gameplay.

5 Ghost of Tsushima

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PlayStation exclusives are known for their fantastic optimization. Ghost of Tsushima was no exception in this regard and was able to run surprisingly well on the then-six-years-old PS4. It was obvious to many, though, that the experience was slightly downscaled in order to accommodate the aging hardware.

When the revamped Director's Cut of the critically acclaimed open-world title finally came out for the PS5, it was clear that Ghost of Tsushima was meant to be enjoyed on a more modern system. With better frame rates and higher resolutions, the already-beautiful graphics were made even prettier, and the DualSense features gave the game's environments even more of an immersive impact on the gameplay.

4 Demon's Souls

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Unlike most of the other titles that received next-gen upgrades, Demon's Souls is actually a complete remake. It was released as a launch title for the PlayStation 5, and while some players were disappointed to get a remake of an already-existing game rather than a brand-new one, it turned out to be a title that perfectly showcases the new system's capabilities.

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FromSoftware's legendary action-RPG that kickstarted the entire Souls franchise benefited greatly from the PS5 treatment. Players are allowed to seamlessly switch between Performance (60 FPS, Full HD) and Cinematic (30 FPS, 4K) modes to experience the true capabilities of the system. Finally, the DualSense controller's features are felt throughout the entire duration of the game, turning the 11-year-old title into a true next-gen experience.

3 Control

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Although it was generally praised as an innovative experience at the time of its release, the original action game Control was plagued by performance issues on last-gen consoles. With the frame rate frequently dropping below 30 FPS and blurry textures to boot, PS4 and Xbox One owners often couldn't fully immerse themselves in its enthralling world.

As was the case with many titles that came out in 2019 and 2020, Control was simply too complex of a game to be comfortably handled by nearly decade-old systems. The PS5/XBX versions run at 60 FPS without any hiccups that would hamper players' enjoyment though, letting them dive into the Federal Bureau of Control mysteries without worrying about anything else.

2 The Last of Us Part 2

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Just like The Last of Us back in 2013, The Last of Us Part 2 was also released in the dying days of the system it was exclusive to. While it ran just fine on the PlayStation 4, it was obvious that its full potential would only be unleashed through more powerful hardware.

Unsurprisingly, the PS5 upgrade brings a lot of quality-of-life changes. First of all, the game is now locked to 60FPS. Secondly, the DualSense's adaptive triggers make gunplay much more immersive, with the controller adapting to different types of weapons, letting players truly feel every single shot. All in all, it is clear that the PS5 version is the way that this title was meant to be experienced.

1 Cyberpunk 2077

Screenshot from Cyberpunk 2077 showing Jackie Welles eating noodles with chopsticks.

Cyberpunk 2077's botched launch will remain a subject of heated discussions within the gaming community for years to come. Despite relentlessly releasing patches to the game ever since it came out in December 2020, many people still think that CD Projekt Red has not done enough to fix what was supposed to be a generation-defining game. However, the next-gen upgrade of the game that was released in February 2022 brought it much closer to what was promised in the promotional materials.

Some shortcomings remain, but it has undeniably been improved in many ways. New weapons and apartments were added, the AI was improved dramatically, and important rebalancing work has been put into the gameplay. Those who have been putting off their playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077 until it was fixed can now fire up the next-gen version without fear of having their experiences completely ruined by bugs and poor AI.

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