Following months of reports from players, a detailed tech analysis has confirmed ongoing PS5 and PS5 Pro VRR (variable refresh rate) stuttering issues impacting both first-party and third-party games. We first reported on this issue back in February when a significant number of LG TV owners lodged complaints. But folks over at Digital Foundry have confirmed that the problem isn’t specific to LG TVs. In fact, it’s an issue on Sony’s end.
PS5, PS5 Pro VRR stuttering issues: which games are affected?
Digital Foundry ran extensive tests across 19 games on various displays, and found that the issue mostly occurs in games that support 120Hz VRR with unlocked frame rates. After about 20 minutes of gameplay, there’s a noticeable stutter that happens frequently enough that it’s bothersome.
Digital Foundry noticed that when the issue occurs, there’s a momentary refresh rate spike to 120Hz. They reckon that games with more varying frame rates temporarily drop out of VRR, returning to a fixed refresh rate, and thus causing the stutter.
Based on Digital Foundry’s testing, the following games are confirmed to be impacted by the issue:
- Diablo 4
- Elden Ring
- Hogwarts Legacy
- The Last of Us Part 1
- The Last of Us Part 2
- Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
- Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
- Metaphor Refantazio
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
Of the above games, third-party titles tested on Xbox do not suffer from VRR stuttering.
Sony has yet to acknowledge the issue. The good news is, PlayStation architect Mark Cerny is often a guest on Digital Foundry and we’re pretty sure he’ll be reading this analysis sooner or later.
Here’s hoping a fix comes soon.
