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For a standard PS5 connected to a 60Hz television, start with Performance mode. It targets 60 frames per second and is the smoothest practical choice. If you have a 120Hz display with VRR, Balanced or Ray Tracing Balanced raises image quality while targeting 40 fps. On PS5 Pro, Ray Tracing Pro is the best general-purpose starting point: it targets 60 fps, adds ray-traced global illumination, and uses PSSR reconstruction. A 120Hz VRR display also lets PS5 Pro use VRR Uncapped for higher but variable frame rates.
There is no single best setting for every screen. Ghost of Yōtei’s modes exchange sharpness, lighting quality, frame rate and frame-time consistency, while HDR depends heavily on the individual television or monitor.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Ghost of Yōtei PS5 | $53.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Ghost of Yotei (PS5) | $52.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Riders Republic PlayStation 5 Standard Edition | $25.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Perp The Persistence Enhanced Amélioré(e) Anglais PlayStation 5 | $18.18 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut | $43.80 | Buy on Amazon |
Best Ghost of Yōtei settings by PS5 and display
Use this table as the quick answer, then adjust for your tolerance of image softness, ray-traced lighting and variable frame pacing.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →| Setup or priority | Recommended setting | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Standard PS5 with a 60Hz TV | Performance | Targets 60 fps and works with a conventional 60Hz display. Balanced modes require 120Hz. |
| Standard PS5 with a 120Hz VRR TV or monitor | Balanced or Ray Tracing Balanced | Targets a 40-fps cadence and provides a higher-quality image than Performance. |
| PS5 Pro with any display | Ray Tracing Pro | Targets 60 fps while adding ray-traced lighting and PSSR reconstruction. |
| PS5 Pro with a 120Hz VRR display | Ray Tracing Pro with VRR Uncapped | Allows higher, variable output; independent testing reported roughly 70–90 fps in this configuration. |
| Screenshot-first play | Quality | Prioritizes the highest sharpness target at a 30-fps cadence. |
The published resolution figures are dynamic or internal targets, not guaranteed fixed output. A scene can render at a different resolution or frame rate when lighting, foliage, effects or combat demand more GPU time.
#1 Best Overall
- Stunning graphics and gameplay, explore the wild and striking lands around Mount Yotei on foot or horseback. Travel picturesque parts of northern Japan through grasslands, snowy ridges, fields of wildflowers, and more.
- Discover renegade combat, engage in lawless katana combat and battles with adversaires. Train with various sensei as you find and learn to use each new weapon.
- An unconventional story and journey, take in the cultural beauty of Japan, bathe in an onsen, visit shrines to pray, try Sumi-e painting, and so much more.
- Choose your weapon, battle Atsu's opponents as you see fit, with levelled-up dual katanas, odachi, kusarigama and other new weapons.
Standard PS5 graphics modes explained
The launch version on the standard PS5 provides three principal modes. Patch 1.1 adds two 40-fps options for compatible 120Hz displays.
Quality
Quality targets 30 fps and renders slightly below 4K without ray tracing. It is the clearest conventional mode on a standard PS5, making distant architecture, texture detail and photo-mode compositions look sharper than Performance. The 30-fps cadence is substantially less fluid during camera movement and combat, so it suits players who value image definition over responsiveness.
Performance
Performance targets 60 fps and uses dynamic resolution that can move closer to 1080p when the game needs additional performance. It does not use ray-traced lighting. The lower internal resolution can make fine foliage, particles and distant geometry look softer, but the doubled frame-rate target makes camera control, aiming and traversal feel much more immediate. On a 60Hz television, this is the practical default because the display cannot show the 40-fps Balanced cadence correctly.
Ray Tracing
Ray Tracing targets 30 fps at approximately 1440p and adds ray-traced lighting. The lighting model can produce more convincing indirect illumination and scene depth, but the mode keeps the same 30-fps class of motion as Quality. Choose it when the visual effect of ray-traced lighting matters more to you than maximum sharpness or responsiveness.
How to choose among the three
- Choose Performance when smooth control is your first priority.
- Choose Quality when you sit close to a large 4K screen, take screenshots or prefer sharper static detail.
- Choose Ray Tracing when you specifically want ray-traced lighting and accept a 30-fps target.
Switching modes changes the rendering budget and frame-rate target; it does not alter the game’s underlying content or progression.
Balanced modes: the 40-fps option
Patch 1.1 introduced Balanced and Ray Tracing Balanced. Both target 40 fps and require a 120Hz display. A 40-fps signal fits evenly into a 120Hz refresh cycle, giving each frame three refresh intervals. That produces noticeably smoother motion than 30 fps while allowing more rendering quality than a 60-fps mode.
Rank #2
- Discover a bold, new story of a warrior in Japan who is on her own mission of vengeance.
- Set 300 years after the critically acclaimed Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yōtei is a standalone experience set in 1600s rural Japan. The story follows a haunted, lone mercenary named Atsu. Thirsty for revenge, she travels through the beautiful, rugged landscapes of northern Japan, hunting those who killed her family many years earlier.
- Sixteen years after her family’s death, Atsu’s quest across Ezo brings her to unexplored lands in search of a gang of six outlaws, but she finds much more than vengeance. Throughout her journey, Atsu will discover unlikely allies, and greater bonds than she could have imagined.
Balanced
Balanced raises image quality over Performance while retaining a 40-fps target. It is the sensible middle ground for a standard PS5 connected to a 120Hz screen when you want smoother motion than Quality but do not need ray-traced lighting.
Ray Tracing Balanced
Ray Tracing Balanced combines the 40-fps target with ray-traced lighting. It gives up some resolution or other rendering headroom compared with ordinary Balanced so the lighting effects can fit within the budget. Use it when lighting quality is more important than maximum sharpness.
Why Balanced may not work on a 60Hz television
A 60Hz panel cannot display a 40-fps cadence evenly. The console may let you select the mode, but the display timing can introduce uneven frame presentation. Use Performance on a 60Hz screen, or upgrade to a 120Hz HDMI 2.1 display if Balanced is the reason you are changing hardware.
PS5 Pro modes and PSSR
PS5 Pro adds higher-resolution targets and a dedicated Ray Tracing Pro mode. The reported figures are approximate internal or output targets and can vary by scene.
| PS5 Pro mode | Frame-rate target | Reported resolution target | Ray-traced lighting | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality | 30 fps | 4K | No | Maximum conventional sharpness at a 30-fps cadence. |
| Performance | 60 fps | 1440p | No | Smooth play without ray tracing. |
| Ray Tracing | 30 fps | About 1728p | Yes | Ray-traced lighting with a 30-fps target. |
| Ray Tracing Pro | 60 fps | About 1080p internal rendering reconstructed with PSSR | Yes, including ray-traced global illumination | The strongest all-round combination of lighting and responsiveness. |
Why Ray Tracing Pro is the default recommendation
PS5 Pro’s additional ray-tracing hardware lets the game target 60 fps while using ray-traced global illumination. PSSR, Sony’s reconstruction technology, rebuilds detail from the lower internal render; Sucker Punch says it is intended to improve architectural and foliage detail and motion stability. The result is not the same as native 4K rendering in every scene, but it is designed to preserve detail while sustaining the higher frame-rate target.
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Programming director Adrian Bentley described the goal this way: “As a native PS5 game, we knew we wanted to improve image quality by leveraging some of the platform’s newer technology.”
Rank #3
- Battle against over 50 players simultaneously in a massive multiplayer playground.
- Compete in an all-out mass start race—collide, grind, and fight your way to the finish
- Customize your character to show off your style to your friends or show up the competition.
- Bike, ski, snowboard, or wingsuit through a seamless open world in Career mode or multiplayer events.
- Go wild on the heights of iconic US national parks like Yosemite, Zion, and Bryce Canyon.
When to use another Pro mode
- Quality: select it for photo mode, static scenery or a strong preference for a 4K target over motion fluidity.
- Performance: use it when you want 60 fps but do not want the lower internal rendering and ray-traced lighting trade-offs of Ray Tracing Pro.
- Ray Tracing: choose it if you prefer the higher approximate resolution of the 30-fps ray-tracing mode.
- Ray Tracing Pro: use it as the starting point for normal play, then test VRR Uncapped if your display supports it.
120Hz and VRR setup
Ghost of Yōtei does not have a dedicated 120-fps mode. A 120Hz display is used for the 40-fps Balanced modes and for higher variable output through VRR. Patch 1.1 exposes VRR choices named Smoothed and Uncapped.
Enable the console features
- Open Settings on the PS5.
- Go to Screen and Video > Video Output.
- Set 120 Hz Output to Automatic.
- Set VRR to Automatic.
- Start the game and select the desired graphics mode, then choose Smoothed or Uncapped where the VRR setting is available.
Check the HDMI chain
Your television or monitor must support HDMI 2.1 VRR on the specific input used by the console. If the PS5 passes through an AV receiver or soundbar, the receiver, soundbar, cables and display must all support the required 4K/120Hz bandwidth. A certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cable is appropriate when the connected hardware supports these features; the cable alone cannot add 120Hz or VRR to an incompatible display.
Smoothed versus Uncapped
Smoothed favors steadier frame pacing. Uncapped allows the game to present frames above the normal cap when the hardware has headroom, so output varies with the scene. Independent testing reported roughly 70–90 fps for PS5 Pro Ray Tracing Pro with VRR Uncapped, while Balanced Ray Tracing was reported to range around 40–60 fps. Those are test ranges, not guarantees for every location or display.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchVRR reduces visible tearing and makes changes within the supported range less distracting, but it cannot make an unstable frame rate identical to a locked one. If you notice the camera speed or animation cadence changing as scenes become heavier, use a capped mode or VRR Smoothed instead.
HDR settings: calibrate the display, not a universal number
There is no honest single HDR brightness value that is correct for every television. Panel peak brightness, black level, local dimming, room lighting and the display’s picture preset all change the result. Ghost of Yōtei uses the PS5’s system-level HDR calibration, then provides an in-game brightness slider and two contrast choices.
Recommended calibration order
- Put the television or monitor in its intended HDR picture mode and disable any automatic picture setting that changes brightness during play.
- On the PS5, open Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output > Adjust HDR.
- Complete all three PS5 calibration screens. Adjust until the symbol is barely visible where the console instructs you; do not copy a number from another display.
- Launch Ghost of Yōtei and open its display or HDR options.
- Set the in-game brightness while viewing a representative bright scene containing snow, sky or a strong light source and a dark scene containing shadows. Preserve highlight detail without making the darkest areas gray.
- Choose between the two in-game contrast options by checking both bright highlights and shadow separation. Keep the option that retains detail at both ends of the range.
Revisit the game slider after changing the television’s HDR preset, peak-brightness mode, local-dimming behavior or room lighting. A number that looks correct on one display can clip highlights or crush shadows on another.
Rank #4
- PS5 Features include raytracing modes and immersive haptic feedback for DualSense
- Use darkness and cover to avoid being overwhelmed by the ship's deadly new inhabitants
- Seek out the weapon fabricators to increase your firepower as you journey deeper, into the dark and terrifying depths, but beware ammo is limited
- Gather materials & schematics for weapon upgrades and suit customizations with buffs
- Harvest DNA material to improve health, toughness and defensive capabilities.Survive an ever changing labyrinth. Each and every expedition into The Persistence will be disorienting and different.Death is just the beginning. Fatal encounters will result in Zimri's consciousness being uploaded into a new cloned body, ready to try again, with any upgraded stats, suits & weapon schematics kept to aid the next attempt to save the ship
Motion blur, camera sensitivity and comfort controls
Graphics mode determines the rendering budget and frame-rate target. Motion blur, camera sensitivity and visual-comfort controls change how movement feels without changing those targets.
If Performance feels uncomfortable
Before dropping to a 30-fps mode, reduce or disable motion blur and adjust camera sensitivity in small increments. Excessive blur can make a 60-fps image appear smeared, while an overly high sensitivity can make camera movement feel unstable. These controls are personal-preference settings, so change one at a time and test during both traversal and combat.
If 30 fps feels too slow
Move to Performance on a standard 60Hz display, or to Balanced on a 120Hz display. Do not expect a camera or sensitivity adjustment to compensate for the frame-time difference between 30 and 60 fps.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Decision guide for common setups
You have a standard PS5 and a 60Hz television
Select Performance. Quality and Ray Tracing remain valid visual alternatives, but both target 30 fps and the Balanced modes need a 120Hz panel. Calibrate HDR through the PS5 first, then use the game’s brightness and contrast controls.
You have a standard PS5 and a 120Hz VRR television
Start with Balanced for the cleaner image, or Ray Tracing Balanced if you prefer ray-traced lighting. Enable 120 Hz Output and VRR as Automatic. If motion varies in busy scenes, try VRR Smoothed; if you prefer the highest available output and accept fluctuation, try Uncapped.
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You have a PS5 Pro and a 60Hz television
Use Ray Tracing Pro for its 60-fps target, ray-traced global illumination and PSSR reconstruction. A 60Hz display cannot show the additional output available from VRR Uncapped, so leave the console and game on their normal capped behavior.
Best Value
- Beyond war, ancient beauty endures: Roam vast countryside and expansive terrain to encounter rich characters, discover ancient landmarks and uncover the hidden beauty of Tsushima.
- The rise of the Ghost: Seek support from old friends and new unlikely allies to reclaim Tsushima.
- Mud, Blood and steel: challenge opponents with your katana for an immersive Samurai combat experience.
- Become legends together: play with friends or via online matchmaking in a series of two-player story missions or four-player wave-based survival missions in the legends online co-op
- A whole new island to explore: Travel to Iki Island to investigate rumors of a Mongol presence in a brand-new story with deeply personal stakes.
You have a PS5 Pro and a 120Hz VRR display
Begin with Ray Tracing Pro and test VRR Uncapped. The reported 70–90-fps range can vary by scene. Keep the capped or Smoothed option if the changing cadence is more distracting than the extra frames are beneficial.
You care most about screenshots
Use Quality on the console tier you own. Its 30-fps target is a deliberate trade for the highest conventional sharpness target; pause before capturing images to avoid motion blur.
Troubleshooting uneven motion or missing options
Balanced is unavailable
Confirm that the game is updated to patch 1.1 and that the display reports 120Hz capability. On the PS5, check Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output and set 120 Hz Output to Automatic. A 60Hz-only display will not meet the Balanced requirement.
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Use the display’s HDMI 2.1 input, enable its VRR or game mode if required, and check every device between the PS5 and screen. An AV receiver or soundbar that lacks 4K/120Hz VRR support can limit the signal even when the television itself is compatible. Test a direct PS5-to-display connection to isolate the middle device.
Uncapped mode looks worse than capped mode
Variable output is expected. When a scene moves between 70 and 90 fps, or between approximately 40 and 60 fps in a Balanced ray-tracing configuration, the changing frame cadence can be more noticeable than a stable cap. Select VRR Smoothed or the appropriate capped graphics mode.
The HDR image is washed out or too dark
Run the PS5 HDR calibration again with the display already in HDR mode. Then adjust the game’s brightness and contrast while viewing both bright and dark representative scenes. Avoid copying a numeric value from a different television.
Bottom line
Performance is the right default for a standard PS5 and 60Hz TV. A 120Hz display unlocks the 40-fps Balanced choices, and VRR makes supported variable output easier to watch. PS5 Pro owners should begin with Ray Tracing Pro, adding VRR Uncapped only when they prefer higher but changing frame rates. HDR has to be calibrated to the particular display through the PS5 and then fine-tuned in the game.
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