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Freedom251 › Blog › Gaming Displays

Best PS5 Settings for Ghost of Yōtei: Graphics, Performance and HDR Explained

By Freedom251 Team · · 9 min read

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For most players on a standard PS5 and 60 Hz television, start with Performance mode. It targets 60 frames per second and makes camera movement, combat and riding feel substantially more responsive. Choose Quality or Ray Tracing when you prefer a sharper image or more sophisticated lighting and can accept a 30 fps target. Balanced modes are designed for 120 Hz displays and target 40 fps. On PS5 Pro, Ray Tracing Pro is the strongest all-round starting point: it combines ray-traced global illumination with a 60 fps target and PSSR reconstruction.

HDR is separate from the graphics-mode choice. Calibrate HDR in the PS5 system first, then adjust Yōtei’s brightness and contrast while checking both dark scenes and bright highlights. There is no universal slider number that is correct for every television or room.

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Quick recommendations by console and display

Hardware and display Start with What you gain What you give up or need
Standard PS5 with a 60 Hz TV Performance 60 fps target and the most responsive controls Lower dynamic resolution than Quality
Standard PS5 with a 60 Hz TV, image priority Quality Higher dynamic resolution and a sharper image 30 fps target
Standard PS5 with a 60 Hz TV, lighting priority Ray Tracing Ray-traced lighting 30 fps target
Standard PS5 with a 120 Hz VRR display Balanced or Ray Tracing Balanced 40 fps target with better image quality or lighting than Performance Requires a 120 Hz display; VRR is helpful for uneven output
PS5 Pro Ray Tracing Pro Ray-traced global illumination, a 60 fps target and PSSR reconstruction Uses a lower internal render resolution before reconstruction
PS5 Pro with 120 Hz and VRR Ray Tracing Pro with VRR Uncapped Higher frame rates when scenes allow Output varies by scene; a guide reports approximately 70–90 fps in its testing

These are starting points, not promises of fixed output. Yōtei uses dynamic resolution, and frame-rate behavior can change with the scene, display settings and game updates.

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What each graphics mode changes

The useful way to compare modes is to consider four separate variables: frame-rate target and consistency, dynamic resolution, ray-traced lighting, and display requirements. A higher resolution setting does not automatically look better in motion if a 30 fps presentation bothers you, while a faster mode does not eliminate every image-quality compromise.

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Performance

Performance is the sensible default for a standard PS5 connected to a 60 Hz screen. The mode targets 60 fps and lowers the dynamic-resolution range compared with Quality. An independent 2026 mode guide measured output closer to 1080p during its testing, rather than a fixed 1080p guarantee. Resolution can rise or fall as the game manages a busy scene.

Use this mode if you value low control latency, smooth panning and consistent traversal more than fine distant detail. It is also the least demanding choice for a 60 Hz television because the display cannot show a 40 fps mode correctly as intended.

Quality

Quality targets 30 fps and allocates more rendering resources to image detail. The same guide described standard-PS5 output as slightly below 4K in tested scenes. That figure is an approximate dynamic result, not a locked output specification.

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Quality is a good choice for a slower, cinematic play style or for a large screen viewed close enough that foliage, architecture and fine texture detail matter more than high refresh motion. If 30 fps feels distracting during combat or camera turns, Performance is likely the better trade.

Ray Tracing

Ray Tracing keeps a 30 fps target while prioritising ray-traced lighting. The independent measurements put its standard-PS5 internal resolution around 1440p in the tested scenes. Ray-traced illumination can improve the way light interacts with environments, but it does not make every surface visibly sharper than Quality.

Choose it when lighting and atmosphere are your priority and you are comfortable with the same 30 fps target as Quality. It is not a performance mode; its main distinction is the lighting model.

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Balanced

Balanced is built around a 40 fps target and therefore needs a 120 Hz display. A 120 Hz panel can present 40 frames at an even three-refresh cadence, avoiding the uneven 40-on-60 presentation that would otherwise cause judder. Balanced aims to retain more image quality than Performance while moving more smoothly than the 30 fps modes.

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Do not select Balanced expecting it to work as intended on a 60 Hz television. Without 120 Hz support, use the capped 30 or 60 fps options instead.

Ray Tracing Balanced

Ray Tracing Balanced uses the same 40 fps/120 Hz idea while retaining the ray-traced lighting emphasis. It is the choice for a 120 Hz owner who wants a lighting upgrade over ordinary Balanced and can accept a lower frame-rate target than Performance.

PS5 Pro modes and PSSR

PS5 Pro adds a separate quality/performance trade-off rather than simply making every standard-PS5 option faster. The independent guide measured approximately 4K/30 for Quality, 1440p/60 for Performance, about 1728p/30 for Ray Tracing and an approximately 1080p internal image reconstructed to a 60 fps target in Ray Tracing Pro. All of those numbers are dynamic, approximate observations from testing.

Ray Tracing Pro

Ray Tracing Pro is the recommended first try on PS5 Pro. It targets 60 fps while adding ray-traced global illumination, not merely a small lighting effect. PSSR reconstruction is used to rebuild detail from the lower internal resolution. In motion, that can stabilise fine architectural and foliage detail compared with a straightforward low-resolution image.

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Sucker Punch’s Director of Programming, Adrian Bentley, explained the Pro approach in a PlayStation Blog article published October 23, 2025: “As a native PS5 game, we knew we wanted to improve image quality by leveraging some of the platform’s newer technology.” The article describes short-range ray-traced global illumination and PSSR as part of that effort.

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VRR Uncapped on PS5 Pro

If your PS5 Pro is connected to a 120 Hz VRR display, Ray Tracing Pro can be paired with VRR Uncapped. A 2026 independent guide reported roughly 70–90 fps in its testing. That range is not a guaranteed specification: scene complexity, patches and the limits of your display can change the result.

Uncapped output is useful because VRR matches the panel’s refresh timing to changing frame delivery. Without VRR, fluctuations are more visible as uneven motion. If you prefer predictable pacing, use the capped target instead.

How to enable 120 Hz and VRR

Balanced modes and uncapped Pro output depend on the entire video chain, not just the console setting. The television, the PS5 port, any receiver or switch, and the cable must all support the required bandwidth.

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  1. On the PS5, open Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output.
  2. Enable VRR in the video-output options. Set 120 Hz output to the automatic or enabled option offered by the console and display.
  3. On the television, select the HDMI input mode intended for enhanced bandwidth, gaming or HDMI 2.1, using the label supplied by that manufacturer.
  4. If a receiver, soundbar or HDMI switch sits between the PS5 and TV, confirm that every device in the chain supports 120 Hz and VRR. For troubleshooting, connect the console directly to a compatible TV port.
  5. Use a certified Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1 cable when the console port, television and other equipment require that bandwidth. A new cable cannot add 120 Hz or VRR to hardware that does not support those features.

On a 60 Hz display, stay with the capped 30 or 60 fps modes. A 120 Hz-capable screen is a functional requirement for the intended 40 fps cadence, not merely an optional picture-quality accessory.

HDR: calibrate the system before the game

Yōtei uses the PS5’s system-level HDR calibration and provides an in-game brightness slider plus two contrast choices. HDR Game Analysis reported that the game’s highlights track the calibrated system output closely. The practical consequence is that the console calibration should be your first step; the game controls are for adapting that baseline to your display and room.

Recommended calibration sequence

  1. Put the television in its calibrated game HDR mode. Disable unnecessary image processing and use the set’s documented HDR or HGiG path if it provides one.
  2. On the PS5, open the HDR adjustment in the Screen and Video settings and follow the three calibration screens. Set the symbols until the console’s instructions indicate the correct visibility.
  3. Launch Yōtei and make small changes with the brightness slider while looking at a dark scene containing texture, not a completely black loading screen.
  4. Compare the two contrast options. They change black levels and the appearance of midtones, so select the one that preserves shadow detail without making the whole image look grey.
  5. Check bright snow, sky and sunlit surfaces after every change. If highlights lose texture or become a flat white mass, the setting is too aggressive for that display configuration.

Brightness and black level are linked in this game: HDR Game Analysis found that raising brightness also raises black levels. That is why a value that looks vivid in a bright room can wash out nighttime scenes. No universal value such as 70 is valid for every television; published slider advice describes a particular test setup, not a Sony calibration specification.

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Fixing a grey or crushed HDR image

  • Night scenes look grey: reduce the brightness lift in small steps, try the other contrast option, and verify that the TV is using its calibrated game/HGiG path rather than an aggressive tone-mapping mode.
  • The picture is too dim: raise brightness gradually, then recheck snow, sky and sunlight detail. Do not judge the setting only from a dark scene.
  • Highlights clip: return to the PS5 system calibration and repeat it with the television already in its intended HDR game mode.
  • HDR looks different after changing rooms: ambient light affects perceived shadow detail. Recheck the game setting after changing from a dark room to daylight viewing.

Firmware revisions, display tone mapping and game updates can alter the appearance of these controls, so treat the visible result on your own screen as the deciding test.

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Why the image can vary between scenes

Yōtei is a native PS5 title designed around dynamic rendering rather than one fixed resolution. Sucker Punch has described scenes containing more than one million trees, rocks and bushes, with roughly sixty thousand items ultimately rendered after culling. The engine therefore has to decide which detail is visible and how much resolution or lighting work can be afforded at a given moment.

That explains why mode guides report approximate values instead of a single resolution for the entire game. A quiet view and a dense forest can use different internal resolutions while remaining in the same selected mode. PSSR on PS5 Pro reconstructs detail from that changing input; it does not turn the mode into a native, permanently fixed 4K output.

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Choosing by the way you play

Choose Performance when responsiveness comes first

Pick Performance on a standard PS5 if you notice camera judder, want faster-feeling parries and dodges, or sit at a normal living-room distance where the resolution difference is less important than motion.

Choose Quality or Ray Tracing for a slower cinematic presentation

Choose Quality for sharper reconstructed detail without ray-traced lighting, or Ray Tracing when illumination and atmosphere matter more. Both standard-PS5 choices use a 30 fps target, so compare them from a representative gameplay scene rather than the pause menu.

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Choose Balanced modes only with the right display

Balanced and Ray Tracing Balanced are the middle ground for 120 Hz owners. They are particularly useful when 30 fps feels too sluggish but you still want more visual quality or lighting than Performance provides.

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Choose Ray Tracing Pro on PS5 Pro

Ray Tracing Pro is the broadest PS5 Pro compromise: a 60 fps target, ray-traced global illumination and PSSR. Add VRR Uncapped only if your display supports 120 Hz and VRR and you prefer variable higher frame rates over a fixed target.

Common setup problems

Balanced is unavailable or looks wrong

Check that the TV is actually accepting a 120 Hz signal, not merely advertising a 120 Hz panel. Confirm the PS5’s Video Output screen, the selected HDMI port and every device in the cable chain. A direct console-to-TV connection is a useful isolation test.

VRR does not smooth fluctuations

VRR must be enabled on both the PS5 and the television, and the display must support the console’s VRR range over HDMI. If the game is set to a capped mode, VRR may have little visible work to do; its main benefit appears when frame delivery varies, such as with uncapped output.

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The image is soft in Performance

That is the expected trade-off for the higher frame-rate target and dynamic resolution. Move to Quality if the softness bothers you more than the 30 fps presentation, or use Balanced on a 120 Hz display for an intermediate option.

Ray Tracing does not look dramatically different

Ray tracing primarily changes lighting and global illumination. Its effect depends on the scene, viewing distance and television settings; it is not intended to increase every texture’s sharpness.

Final setup checklist

  • Standard PS5 and 60 Hz TV: Performance.
  • Standard PS5, 60 Hz and image detail priority: Quality.
  • Standard PS5, 60 Hz and lighting priority: Ray Tracing.
  • 120 Hz display: Balanced or Ray Tracing Balanced, with VRR enabled when available.
  • PS5 Pro: Ray Tracing Pro; use VRR Uncapped only with a compatible 120 Hz VRR setup.
  • HDR: calibrate the PS5 first, then tune Yōtei’s brightness and contrast while checking both shadows and highlights.

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Gaming DisplaysGhost of YōteiHDRPS5 ProPS5 settingsRay TracingVRR

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