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CD Projekt Red is once again revisiting Cyberpunk 2077, this time with a dedicated update for the PlayStation 5 Pro that leans heavily into the hardware’s visual and performance capabilities.
Launching April 8 as a free update, the PS5 Pro version is designed to elevate the overall experience through a combination of 4K output, enhanced ray tracing, and improved performance. The goal is straightforward: make Night City feel more detailed, more responsive, and ultimately more immersive than it has on console so far.
A key part of that upgrade comes from PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), Sony’s AI-driven upscaling technology. Rather than relying on traditional methods, PSSR enhances the image on a per-pixel basis, resulting in noticeably sharper detail across environments, character models, and lighting effects. In a game as visually dense as Cyberpunk 2077, that added clarity goes a long way in bringing the city’s layered design into focus.
Lighting, however, remains the real centrepiece. The update introduces improvements to ray tracing through BVH8 support, allowing for more advanced handling of reflections, shadows, and global illumination. Night City’s signature look — its mix of harsh neon, deep shadows, and reflective surfaces — benefits significantly here, with scenes appearing closer to the studio’s original artistic intent.
The update also introduces three distinct graphics modes, giving players flexibility depending on how they prefer to experience the game. Ray Tracing Pro Mode is the most technically ambitious, enabling the full suite of ray tracing features, including reflections, ambient occlusion, skylight, shadows, and emissive lighting. It targets 40 frames per second on displays with variable refresh rate support, or 30 FPS without. At the other end, Performance Mode prioritises frame rate, pushing up to 90 FPS on VRR-enabled displays while maintaining strong visual fidelity. Sitting between the two is Ray Tracing Mode, a balanced option that retains select ray tracing enhancements while aiming for a stable 60 FPS.
With Cyberpunk 2077 currently available through the PlayStation Plus Game Catalogue for Extra and Premium members, the timing of this update also lowers the barrier for new players. At the same time, it offers returning players another reason to revisit Night City with a more refined presentation. Years on from its original release, Cyberpunk 2077 continues to evolve through incremental updates like this. The PS5 Pro upgrade doesn’t redefine the game, but it does represent a meaningful step forward — one that brings its technical performance closer in line with the scale and ambition of the world it set out to create.