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How to Fix Blurry Images, Shimmering, or Artifacts With PS5 PSSR

A practical PS5 Pro checklist for diagnosing PSSR blur, shimmer, trails, and flicker—plus when the issue may be a display signal problem instead.

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If a PS5 Pro game looks blurry, shimmers as you move, flickers, or leaves trails with PSSR enabled, there is no single fix for every title. First check whether the problem is limited to one game, update the console and game, then compare the same scene with the system’s Enhance PSSR Image Quality option on and off. If flicker also affects other games or console screens, investigate the display signal rather than treating it as a PSSR issue.

First, find out whether PSSR is the cause

PSSR is a PlayStation 5 Pro feature, and it works only in games that support it. Sony’s PSSR settings guide says the system-level Enhance PSSR Image Quality option is available only on consoles in the CFI-7000 model group. If you do not have a PS5 Pro or the game does not support PSSR, the PSSR-specific steps below do not apply.

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Try to reproduce the issue in a repeatable scene. Check whether it appears only while moving, around fine details such as foliage, hair or fences, in particle effects, or across the whole display. Compare the affected game with another game and with non-game console content. This helps narrow the problem, but does not by itself prove whether PSSR, the game, or the display is responsible.

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  • One game only: Check that game’s update and graphics options, then test the system PSSR setting.
  • Several games or console content: Check display and video-output settings as well as game settings.
  • Only during motion or on fine detail: Compare the same scene while stationary and moving, with each PSSR setting.

Update the console and affected game

Install available PS5 system software from Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings. Then check for an update to the affected game; title patches can change image reconstruction or add game-specific controls. Sony’s system software update guide describes the console update path.

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Do not assume that every game enables PSSR in the same way. For example, Ubisoft said existing Assassin’s Creed Shadows players needed to enable PSSR in the game’s video options after its update, while it was on by default for new players. That is specific to that title and update, not a general PS5 rule. Check the affected game’s own video or graphics menu for options named PSSR, upscaling, image quality, performance, or reconstruction.

Compare Enhance PSSR Image Quality on and off

On a supported PS5 Pro, open Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output > Enhance PSSR Image Quality. Sony says this option is on by default for supported PSSR games and can be switched off if unexpected visual effects appear. Change only this setting, then compare the same scene in the same game. Sony also cautions that results vary by game.

Test What to keep consistent What to assess
Enhanced PSSR on versus off Same title, scene, display, and game graphics mode Fine-detail clarity, shimmer or flicker during movement, ghosting or trails, and performance—assessed separately
Game graphics modes Same scene and system PSSR setting Whether the symptom changes with the game’s image-quality or performance mode
Stationary versus moving view Same scene and settings Whether the issue is tied to motion or remains visible when still

There is no universal winning setting: PSSR’s behavior and available controls depend on the title. Sony’s March 16, 2026 PlayStation.Blog post on upgraded PSSR describes a rollout and title-dependent results. Remedy Graphics Technical Director Tatu Aalto said the newer PSSR responds quickly to visibility changes while improving temporal stability; that is a developer statement, not a guarantee that every game or scene will be artifact-free.

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Why a game may look blurry, shimmer, or leave trails

These symptoms can have different causes. A reconstruction setting may affect fine detail or how it changes from frame to frame; a game’s own rendering mode or implementation may also matter. A display signal fault can produce flicker that resembles a graphics problem. Use the comparisons above to see whether the symptom follows one game and one setting, or persists across content and output modes.

Do not expect an upgraded PSSR version to remove artifacts in every title. In an April 27, 2026 PlayStation.Blog post about Arc Raiders, Embark Studios Technical Art Director Mikael Linderholm described increased image quality and stability with reduced visual noise in that game’s implementation. That is a title-specific developer claim, not a measured general guarantee or a quantified reduction that can be applied to other games.

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Investigate flicker across games as a display or signal issue

If flicker appears in multiple games, changes when you switch video modes, or also affects other console content, check the display connection and output configuration. Sony’s PS5 picture and sound troubleshooting guide recommends checking display firmware, using a direct HDMI connection, selecting a suitable HDMI port and cable, and reviewing resolution and Video Transfer Rate.

Sony says setting Video Transfer Rate to -1 or -2 may improve picture quality when the screen flickers. These settings limit some high-bandwidth outputs, so they are signal-troubleshooting options—not PSSR controls and not a fix for in-game temporal shimmer. If testing whether an intermediary is involved, compare a direct connection to the TV or monitor with the usual receiver or capture-device path, while keeping other settings stable.

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When to escalate—and what not to try first

If an output or resolution fault persists across games after checking the display, port, cable, firmware, and output settings, follow Sony’s troubleshooting guidance; its resolution guide directs users with unresolved resolution issues to PlayStation Repairs. Avoid a factory reset or system software reinstall as an early attempt to fix a game-specific PSSR artifact. Sony warns that reinstalling system software deletes console data.

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