To improve your PS5 experience, start with the settings that match your priorities: choose Performance Mode for smoother motion in games that support it, check video options against your TV or monitor, set privacy controls for the audience you want, and tailor accessibility and audio options to your needs. These settings are preferences—not guarantees of a particular frame rate or image-quality improvement—and available controls can vary by game, display, and console model.
Choose game presets for smoother motion or higher image quality
For a console-wide preference, open Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Game Presets. Select Performance Mode to favor smoother motion, or Resolution Mode to favor higher image quality. Sony describes these as common settings you can customize in advance in its PS5 game presets guide.
Presets apply to PS5 games, and not every game supports every preset. Performance Mode does not force a specific frame rate: the game must offer a performance mode, and its actual output depends on that title. Other available presets can cover difficulty, first- and third-person camera movement, subtitles and audio, and online multiplayer session options. If a game has its own settings menu, check it for title-specific choices.
Match video output to your display
Open Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output to review resolution, refresh-rate, VRR, HDR, and related options. Automatic resolution selects the highest resolution supported by the connected TV or monitor. Sony’s video output guide also describes a 1440p output test; where the display supports 1440p, it can test SDR and HDR at 60 Hz or 120 Hz, as well as VRR.
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- Heighten Your Senses. Discover Deeper, highly immersive gaming experiences.
- Feel your in-game actions and environment simulated through haptic feedback
- Chat online through the built-in microphone or connect a headset directly via the 3.5mm jack
- Play on more devices Connect using a USB Type-C cable or Bluetooth wireless technology so you can easily play on more devices including Windows PC and Mac computers, Android and iOS mobile phones.
- Elevate PC gaming with advanced features like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers in a range titles
VRR and 120 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) adjusts refresh rate in real time, but it requires a compatible display and a game that supports VRR. Results vary by TV. The Apply to Unsupported Games option may help stabilize frame rate in unsupported games; if it causes unexpected behavior, turn it off.
120 Hz output likewise requires both a compatible display and a game that supports 120 Hz. If enabling it causes video output problems, Sony advises turning it off. Automatic Low Latency Mode (ALLM) can switch a supported TV into low-latency mode during play. Sony notes that VRR output can activate low-latency mode even when ALLM is Off, so turning off ALLM alone may not disable all low-latency behavior.
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- Haptic feedback - Feel physically responsive feedback to your in-game actions with dual actuators which replace traditional rumble motors. In your hands, these dynamic vibrations can simulate the feeling of everything from environments to the recoil of different weapons. .Operating temperature : 41 °F to 95 °F (5 °C to 35 °C)
- Adaptive triggers - Experience varying levels of force and tension as you interact with your in-game gear and environments. From pulling back an increasingly tight bowstring to hitting the brakes on a speeding car, feel physically connected to your on-screen actions.
- Built-in microphone and headset jack - Chat with friends online using the built-in microphone or by connecting a headset to the 3.5mm jack. Easily switch voice capture on and off at a moment’s notice with the dedicated mute button. Internet and account for PlayStation Network required.
- DualSense Controller PS5 and PC compatible. Not compatible with PS4.
- PS Remote Play requires Remote Play App connected to Wi-Fi, PS4 or PS5 console with the latest system software and compatible game. A PS4 or PS5 console with a wired connection via a LAN cable is recommended. Version 4.0 of the Remote Play App on iOS and iPadOS or version 4.1 on macOS is required for games to be playable with the controller over Bluetooth.
HDR and calibration
On When Supported keeps non-HDR games and apps in SDR. Always On converts non-HDR-compatible games and apps to HDR output. This is a preference and compatibility choice, not a universal image-quality upgrade. Use Adjust HDR to calibrate brightness for your display.
Flicker and model-specific options
If the screen flickers, Sony suggests trying Video Transfer Rate values of -1 or -2. These limit output and reduce some high-bandwidth modes, so they are troubleshooting options rather than routine performance tweaks.
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- Bring gaming worlds to life - Feel your in-game actions and environment simulated through haptic feedback*. Experience varying force and tension at your fingertips with adaptive triggers*
- Find your voice, share your passion - Chat online through the built-in microphone. Connect a headset directly via the 3.5mm jack. Record and broadcast your epic gaming moments with the create button
- A gaming icon in your hands - Enjoy a comfortable, evolved design with an iconic layout and enhanced sticks. Hear higher-fidelity** sound effects through the built-in speaker in supported games
- Multi-device connectivity - Connect using a USB Type-C cable or Bluetooth technology and easily play on more devices including Windows PC and Mac computers.
- Elevate PC gaming with advanced features like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers in a range of blockbuster PC titles.
Some controls are limited to Sony’s CFI-7000 model group in the cited guide: 8K output, Enhance Image Quality for PS4 Games, and Enhance PSSR Image Quality. 8K also requires compatible content and a compatible TV; the PSSR option applies to certain compatible games. Do not assume these options are available on every PS5.
Set PS5 privacy for the people you want to reach you
Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Privacy. You can choose one of four presets or review individual controls. Sony’s PS5 privacy settings guide describes the presets as Social and Open, Team Player, Friend Focused, and Solo and Focused.
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- Ultra Customizable Controls
- Mappable Back Buttons
- DualSense Wireless Controller Features Built In
- Replaceable Stick Modules and Caps
Choose based on who should be able to find you, see your activity, or contact you. If you need finer control than a preset provides, review settings for real name and profile-picture visibility, friends and profile information, online status and current activity, gaming history, friend requests, parties, games and messages, blocking, and crossplay game invitations. Privacy changes are linked to your account and carry across devices.
For a child account, the family manager, parent, or guardian may set the privacy profile and decide which controls the child can change. Sony also says parents and guardians can view a child’s activity through the PS Family app.
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- Enjoy precise, comfortable control over 10,000+ supported Steam games.
- Easily pair the controller directly to your Windows PC via Bluetooth or play as you charge with the included USB Type-C cable
- Stay paired with up to four different Bluetooth devices, making it easy to enjoy the controller across Windows PC, Mac, PS5 consoles and smartphones. Discover more connection tips and tricks at playstation.com/pair-dualsense
- Access the latest available controller firmware directly from your PC with the free-todownload PlayStation Accessories app
- Play games streamed from your PS5 or PS4 console to your PC via the PS Remote Play App
Use accessibility settings to tailor the console
Open Settings > Accessibility to find options for visual presentation, text, screen reading, captions, chat transcription, audio, and controller behavior. You can add the accessibility section to Control Center for quicker access. Sony’s accessibility settings guide lists features including game accessibility information, haptic feedback, controller settings, display-area adjustment, display and text settings, screen reader, closed captions, chat transcription, and mono audio.
Display, text, and motion
Display and text options include color filters and intensity, text size, bold text, high contrast, check marks for enabled settings, auto-scroll speed, and reduced motion. Invert Colors reverses text and background colors and turns HDR off, so check the effect on your display before leaving it enabled.
Chat transcription and controller feedback
Chat transcription can convert other players’ voice chat into text and read aloud text you enter. In-game chat transcription depends on support from the game. Sony’s cited Canada guide lists English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish; language and feature availability can vary by region.
Haptic feedback has hardware limits: Sony names DualSense, DualSense Edge, and PS VR2 Sense controllers as supported devices in the cited guide. Check the game’s own accessibility information panel to see which features it supports rather than assuming a console setting will apply inside every game.
Review sound and microphone controls
In Settings > Sound, you can select an output device and manage automatic device switching. Sony’s audio settings guide also describes microphone controls, including muting the microphone by default or when it is unused. Exact options can depend on the connected equipment.
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