3 PS5 Pro Enhanced games so good they make it worth the money

The PS5 Pro hit shelves last November, promising that players will no longer have to choose between the best visual fidelity and the smoothest frame rates.

But, there have been frustratingly few first-party Sony games in the months since launch to really make the significantly upgraded hardware sing (and there currently aren’t too many on the horizon either).

That doesn’t mean that the PS5 Pro isn’t worth picking up if you're a graphics-hungry gamer, though.

Here are three great reasons why.

Returnal - Gameplay Trailer | PS5 - YouTube

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Returnal

Housemarque’s brutally difficult, stunningly atmospheric roguelite was already one of the crown jewels in the PS5’s library, and its recent PS5 Pro patch makes it even better.

The third-person sci-fi shooter has 2.5x the pixels of the base version on PS5 Pro, which the developer has mostly achieved without sacrificing performance. That resolution boost really makes a difference too.

While it’s true that in a game like Returnal you’re often too focused on scraping through each enemy encounter in one piece to admire the scenery, the alien planet of Atropos is an awesome creation and deserves to be explored in the highest possible fidelity.

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH | Enhanced on PS5 Pro - YouTube

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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

The second part of Square Enix’s widely ambitious Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy was one of the standout games of 2024, but performance was notably disappointing on console, particularly if you opted for the blurry performance mode to get those improved frame rates.

Thankfully, it’s a very different story on PS5 Pro, which genuinely offers a night and day improvement in the visual department.

Thanks to the beefed-up console’s PSSR upscaling tech, you can get the true 4K/60fps experience without having to choose one or the other, which is exactly what the PS5 Pro promised to do. Exploring incredibly detailed locations like Costa del Sol and the Gold Saucer in much sharper image quality on the Pro is a literal game-changer.

Forza Horizon 5 - Launch Trailer | PS5 Games - YouTube

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Forza Horizon 5

Wait, why is the best Xbox racing game ever made popping up in a PlayStation-focused article?

In case you haven’t been paying attention, Microsoft has all but abandoned the console wars and now releases its first-party fare on other platforms, and the PS5 Pro is naturally a huge beneficiary of this. The Mexico-set open-world racer, Forza Horizon 5, is a phenomenal looking game wherever you play it, but the increased power of Sony’s premium console means it can render a lot more environmental detail in the 60fps performance mode.

So you’re effectively getting the fidelity of the 30fps mode at double the frame rate. As bizarre as it sounds, this makes the PS5 Pro the definitive Forza Horizon 5 experience on console. Sorry Xbox fans.