Elden Ring: What's The Difference Between The PS4 And PS5 Version?

"Elden Ring" is the latest game by FromSoftware, the legendary developer behind "Dark Souls," "Bloodborne," and "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice." These games have helped the studio build its reputation for scenic worlds filled with gruesome monsters and nightmarishly difficult combat. "Elden Ring" promises to follow in its predecessor's footsteps while expanding on the classic formula with a stunning, brand new open world (that's chock full of poison swamps). The game suffered through long delays in its production and fans have been on the edge of their seats waiting for its arrival, but now "Elden Ring" is finally upon them and they're ready to build their character, choose their class, and set off on their journey to become the Elden Lord!

Not every version of the game will be the same, however. For some, the world of "Elden Ring" might look a little different than others. That's because the game will be released on multiple platforms. PS5 owners may be privy to a few perks which aren't available on the PS4, although it's worth noting that the official PlayStation website states players who buy the game on PS4 can upgrade to the PS5 version for free. It's also worth mentioning that PSLS wrote in their review, "no DualSense-specific features are utilized besides vibration" in the PS5 version, so PS4 owners won't have to worry about missing out on any cool adaptive trigger mechanics. It seems most of the variance is going to come down to visuals. Here are the main differences between the game on the two consoles.

The first difference between the two games is going to come down to the change in graphical fidelity. The PS5 is capable of running games at 4K resolution with HDR while maintaining solid frame rates that blow the PS4's capabilities out of the water. That means PS5 gamers (who have a compatible screen) will be able to view the world of "Elden Ring" with a clearer, brighter, and more vibrant picture than their PS4 owning friends. It also means that they will see less motion blur during fast action and camera turns. That's because the PS5 has much newer and more powerful graphics hardware than what's available in even the more advanced versions of the PS4, so it can generate more complicated images faster.

It isn't just graphics though. The PS5 uses a solid state drive (SSD) for storage, whereas the PS4 used an older, spinning drive (HDD). One of the major benefits of the SSD is that it reads and writes information much faster. In-game, this translates to faster loading times and fast-travel as well as helping to reduce things like texture pop-in — an essential feature for avoiding frustration every time the player sees a "You're Dead" screen.

While the PS5 has the capability to outperform the PS4 in terms of both resolution and frame rates, many games have also given the players the option to prioritize one over the other. It seems that "Elden Ring" will have this option as well. According to the game's page on GameStop "Elden Ring" gives players the option to use "GRAPHIC MODE to enhance the game's visuals (up to 4K) or PERFORMANCE MODE for a higher frame rate (up to 60FPS)." This option doesn't seem to be available on the PS4 version. For reference, Cool Blue reports that the PS4 and PS4 Slim can only reach a resolution of 1080p at 30FPS. The PS4 Pro is capable of coming closer, but is still outperformed by newer hardware.

Most PS5 players will probably want to keep the game in Graphic Mode, as FromSoftware games don't tend to be fast-paced enough to require the extra framerates. Those who don't have 4K displays or who simply have a low tolerance for motion blur may find that they prefer the performance mode, however. Either way, it's nice to have the choice.