Updated 19 October 2026.
If you play Elden Ring on PS5 Pro, start by deciding whether you care more about smooth movement or extra visual detail. The console’s feature list does not, by itself, tell you which upscaling technology the game uses or what frame rate you will see in every area.
What the official information confirms
Bandai Namco added ray tracing to Elden Ring on PS5, Xbox Series X and PC in version 1.09. The publisher warned that enabling it could affect frame rate and resolution. This is a game setting with a performance cost, rather than a free improvement that every player should enable.
Sony describes PSSR, higher frame rates and advanced ray tracing among PS5 Pro’s features for compatible games. That wording matters. Do not assume Elden Ring uses a particular PSSR implementation simply because you are running it on that console.
Try these settings in a consistent scene
| Your priority | Starting point | What to compare |
|---|---|---|
| Smoother combat | Prioritize Frame Rate, with ray tracing off. | Camera movement, busy fights and uneven frame delivery. |
| Image detail | Compare Prioritize Quality with the performance setting. | Distant detail and the tradeoff in motion. |
| Ray-traced effects | Enable ray tracing and revisit the same area. | Whether the visual change is worth any loss of smoothness. |
Use the mode names your installed version offers. The table gives comparison steps, not measured FPS results. This guide does not claim an independently tested benchmark or a fixed resolution for each mode.
- Install the available game and console updates.
- Load the same save and revisit the same route or encounter.
- Change one setting at a time.
- Compare while moving the camera and during combat, rather than only in a still scene.
- Keep the setting whose tradeoff you prefer.
Weather, effects, enemies and location can change the workload. A single quiet scene cannot establish a game’s minimum frame rate. A monitor refresh-rate readout also does not automatically show the game’s rendered frame rate.
Upscaling, resolution and FPS are different things
Upscaling reconstructs an output image from a lower-resolution input. The TV receiving a 4K signal does not prove that the game rendered every frame natively at 4K. Likewise, connecting a 120 Hz display does not make every game run at 120 FPS.
Before relying on a “PS5 Pro enhanced” claim for a specific feature, check the game’s current patch notes and the developer’s explanation. Sony’s PSSR update announcement describes the upscaler, but it should not be substituted for confirmation about an individual game.
If the game feels less smooth than expected
Turn ray tracing off and compare the same scene first. Then check the installed version and restart the game. Bandai Namco’s version 1.15 notes include platform-specific performance troubleshooting; read the PS5 instructions rather than applying the separate PC settings to a console.
When interpreting hardware claims, remember that graphics memory bandwidth is only one part of a system. A faster specification does not translate into the same percentage increase in every game.
FAQs
Does PS5 Pro automatically add PSSR to every game?
No. The console supporting PSSR is different from a particular game using it. Look for game-specific confirmation.
Should I turn on ray tracing?
Try it in the same scene with it on and off. Keep it only if you prefer the visual difference to the performance tradeoff.
Does 4K output mean native 4K rendering?
No. Output resolution and the game’s internal rendering resolution can differ.
Can this guide promise a locked frame rate?
No. That would require current, reproducible measurements for the exact version, mode and test conditions.