After many months of anticipation, Sony has announced that Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support is coming to PlayStation 5 consoles later this week. In a blog post on the official PlayStation website, Sony details how fans can enable the long-awaited feature and lists games that will officially support VRR when it launches later this week for PS5.
Earlier this year, Sony announced that PlayStation 5 consoles would receive support for VRR-compatible TVs in the future but never gave a firm date. VRR is a newer technology that allows compatible televisions and computer monitors to dynamically sync the screen refresh rate with the console's frame output, effectively eliminating screen tearing. Among a few hefty PlayStation 5 software enhancements in recent weeks, Sony is finally rolling out the highly anticipated VRR support, albeit with some limitations.
Players will receive a new PS5 system update which will automatically enable Variable Refresh Rate if the user’s console is connected to a compatible display. VRR will require players to own an HDMI 2.1 TV or computer monitor with existing Variable Refresh Rate compatibility in order to fully utilize VRR on supported games. Users can also manually enable VRR under the “Screen and Video” tab in the system settings. Additionally, Sony has included an option to allow VRR for unsupported games though the company warns about potential visual hiccups when turning this feature on.
Not all games are guaranteed to be a smooth VRR experience unless developers have officially patched support for the technology in existing or future titles. Sony's blog post lists 14 games receiving VRR patches this week, with more to come.
- Astro’s Playroom
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Destiny 2
- Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition
- DIRT 5
- Godfall
- Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
- Tribes of Midgard
Sony warns that “unexpected visual effects” could occur if VRR is enabled for unsupported titles. These games could be subject to visual oddities depending on what television is being used, the visual mode chosen, or the game the user is playing. With VRR support now enabled, the PlayStation 5 is closer to parity with PC and the Xbox family of consoles, which have had the technology for some time now.
Despite PlayStation 5 receiving Variable Refresh Rate support, there is still a handful of missing software features that fans have been waiting for. The PlayStation 5 still does not support 1440p monitors, which is a popular resolution among gamers. Other fan-requested features include universal Bluetooth support, themes, and folders. Sony's blog post states that the company is always excited to bring fan-requested features, so perhaps gamers will see their wishes granted in due time. As PlayStation 5 delivers on its second year of games and enhancements, players will have to stay tuned to see what comes next.
Source: PlayStation Blog