It’s been a year since the PlayStation 5 Pro was released, and in that time, a lot has happened in the hardware space. Tariffs, inflation, and vague market factors have forced manufacturers to raise their console prices (sometimes more than once), PC gaming handhelds have made a strong play for the at-home experience, and the Nintendo Switch 2 has taken the industry by storm. Still, as the only “premium” console on the market, the PlayStation 5 stands alone. But the question is: one year later, is the PS5 Pro worth it?
Obviously, there are a lot of factors that go into answering a question about a console’s worth. That was true in 2016 when the PS4 Pro launched, and is even more true in 2025. The luxury of a home console is now seen as exactly that. What once felt like an initially-painful splurge now feels like a genuine expense. $700 $750 is a lot for a console, and especially one that is merely a better version of an existing one.
The PlayStation 5 Pro Price Has Gone Up Not Down Since Launch
The big elephant in the room is that price tag, which went from $699 at launch to $750 now. Eventually, that price might come back down, but the current economic market suggests that won’t be anytime soon. So, for those early adopters, picking up the PlayStation 5 Pro feels like a wise investment, not unlike picking up a Nintendo Switch 2 at launch, when Nintendo said that the price could increase based on market factors. If you bought the PS5 Pro at $699, you got it at the best price.
$700 was still a steep price for a console, and that is always going to be a factor when it comes to the value of a console. If you have the disposable income, if you’re a regular gamer – basically, if you can sustain the financial hit of $700 – then the discussion digs deeper into the utility of the PS5 Pro.
The PS5 Pro Offers Upgraded Visuals and Performance on Exclusives
When talking about triple-A exclusives on the PlayStation 5 Pro since launch, you’re primarily looking at two titles: Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei. Two sequels to highly successful PS5 exclusives that took significant visual leaps compared to their predecessor. Experiencing those games on PS5 Pro is simply incredible. The visual fidelity on display, the higher frame rate, and the crisp presentation were enough of a benefit to my experience that I was happy to have the PS5 Pro.
Death Stranding 2 comes strong out of the gate with an impressive sequence of Sam walking through the mountainous region of Mexico, and that is stunning on the console.
Ghost of Yotei has the same visual panache that Ghost of Tsushima did in its opening moments, and takes all of those tiny details (blades of grass, flowers blowing in the wind, fire embers dancing amidst epic showdowns) and pushes them to a new level.
Both games look and play great on the PlayStation 5 Pro and take advantage of the hardware with console-specific fidelity modes that balance higher frame rate with higher resolution. If you have a 4K television or a 4K 120 Hz monitor, the games certainly look impressive.
Some (Not All) Games Run Better on the PlayStation 5 Pro
The same is true for most games that launched alongside the PlayStation 5 Pro or are PlayStation exclusives. Taking advantage of Sony’s PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) technology, these games can deliver both high fidelity and high-er frame rate than on the base PS5. It’s similar to Nvidia’s DLSS tech, in that it upscales the picture using AI. Under a microscope, some can see the difference between a native and upscaled picture, but the average gamer is unlikely to notice. The benefits are there, and they help PS5 Pro-enhanced games look that much better.
Not all games take advantage of the PS5 Pro-enhanced option, and even some that do end up running into problems. It mostly seems to be a third-party issue, but titles like Borderlands 4, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, and most recently The Outer Worlds 2 have delivered subpar PS5-Pro enhanced options. Granted, Borderlands 4’s optimization needed some work across the board, but while base level consoles and the PC version were gradually improved, the PS5 Pro version didn’t get the same priority.
Ultimately, that seems to come down to adoption rate, with PlayStation 5 Pro sales trending behind the PS4 Pro when it launched. Without a strong player base, the incentive for third-party publishers to deliver a fully featured enhanced fidelity mode (or include any sort of mode at all) is lower. Sony is going to put a higher priority on PS5 Pro support than third-party developers/publishers will.
Wolverine and GTA 6: Gaming on the PS5 Pro in 2026
Looking to the future, Wolverine is the big game on Sony’s schedule for 2026, but there are likely to be others. Even then, if you are excited for Insomniac Games’ ultra-violent take on the iconic X-Men character, the PlayStation 5 Pro version is presumably going to be the best way to experience the game. Other 2026 titles like Resident Evil Requiem and Halo: Campaign Evolved should also take advantage of the more powerful hardware, although they will have PC versions that can push visuals and performance even higher.
And then there is Grand Theft Auto 6, arguably the biggest video game release of all time. With Rockstar Games not releasing a PC version until sometime later, the PS5 Pro could be the best console to experience the highly anticipated open-world crime game.
That assumes that there will be PS5 Pro enhancements built into GTA 6, but even then, the more powerful hardware usually gives games a boost. Hopefully, it isn’t like the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Remasters, which were disappointing on a number of levels.
Should You Buy a PS5 Pro or Wait for PlayStation 6?
So, is the PlayStation 5 worth it one year later? For me, the benefits to PS5 exclusive games, that it will likely deliver the best-looking version of Grand Theft Auto 6 at launch, and that the price seems to only be going up, are reasons enough to be happy I have one. For you, picking up a PS5 Pro ultimately depends on your investment in the PlayStation ecosystem, whether you have a high-end PC, and if you have the disposable income.
There are plenty of reasons to be attracted to the PlayStation 5 Pro, but just as many reasons for someone to pass on it and wait for the inevitable PlayStation 6. PlayStation ports on PC can serve as a middle ground as well. So many circumstances come into play, but I'm happy to have one.
- Brand
- Sony PlayStation
- Original Release Date
- November 7, 2024
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $749.99
- Processor
- AMD Ryzen Zen 2 (8 cores, 16 threads, 3.5GHz)
- Resolution
- Up to 8K
- HDR Support
- Yes