The big Destiny 2 Next-Gen update is here and fans have been quick to see exactly how Bungie has improved the experience for those lucky players to have a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S before 2021. Alongside a number of Next-Gen performance enhancements in Destiny 2, like an increased framerate cap with improved resolutions, the biggest improvement would have to be the new loading speed.
The load screens in Destiny 2 are notorious for leaving players hovering in orbit over planets or flying through slip-space for huge amounts of time, an issue that plagued the original game even more egregiously. So, seeing some of these loading times drop from multiple minutes per planetary jump, to gliding from the title screen to standing planet-side in less than a minute, is almost enough of a selling point to push Next-Gen consoles alone.
In a recent video, it can be seen that the actual load time to go from the PS5 menu to walking around on Destiny 2: Beyond Light's new Europa area is one minute and ten seconds. This is a powerful improvement over the speed before the recent update, and a drastic upgrade from the load times on PS4 and Xbox One, which can take over a minute just to reach the character selection screen. It isn't clear yet how the Xbox Series X/S compares to the PS5, but given the two systems' comparable specs, players on Microsoft's console are likely to be seeing the same improvements.
Aside from letting players jump into the action at record speeds thanks to the Next-Gen update getting the most out of the PS5's hardware, this could also be great for a number of the most popular activities. Coming out just in time for Destiny 2: Beyond Light's first Iron Banner event, these load times should make jumping into the Crucible a much smoother experience. Even with the reduced number of available maps in Beyond Light, loading onto a whole new planet for a PVP match could often break up the flow of gameplay.
The speedy load times and near elimination of load screens has long been the top selling point of the PS5, alongside the new DualSense controllers' haptic feedback. So, Destiny 2's Next-Gen update living up to that promise shouldn't be a surprise, even though seeing it in action is still almost difficult to comprehend. Seeing how Bungie is now able to maximize on these new consoles, the future of Destiny might be looking up as Next-Gen becomes the standard.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.