Atif Qazi
8K is a resolution frontier that is yet to be conquered not just for the gaming industry but also for the multimedia industry in general.
To ask for 8K gaming at a time when even 4K is too much to ask at a respectable frame is like a far-fetched dream, but as far as the question “Does PS5 support 8K resolution?” goes, the answer is affirmative.
PS5 CAN support 8K resolution. However, given how demanding that would be for any respectable game out there, it would be impossible to deliver 8K resolution at the minimum playable 30FPS without HEAVILY compromising on the visual quality.
As such, PS5 is simply NOT designed with 8K gaming in mind.
PS5 has an HDMI 2.1 interface capable of supporting native 8K resolution output. However, there is a difference between rated specs, and whether PS5 is in fact able to pump out such a high resolution at a respectable frame rate.
In all reality, though, whether PS5 can game at 8K resolution depends upon the game itself.
HDMI 2.1 and Display Modes Supported by PS5
Let me give you a bit of a primer on the HDMI interface version and the display modes supported by PS5.
As mentioned earlier, PS5 features the HDMI 2.1 interface. This interface can support up to 10K resolution at a 120Hz refresh rate (with DSC).
This is a significant step up from the older HDMI 2.0 interface which supports a maximum of 4K @ 60Hz and HDMI 1.4 (the most popular) which supports a maximum of 4K @ 30 Hz.
The following table explains the HDMI versions further:
| HDMI Version | Max Resolution | Refresh Rate | HDR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 | 1440P | 1080P = 60Hz 1440P = 30Hz | No |
| 1.3-1.4 | 4K (4096 x 2160) | 1080P = 120Hz 1440P = 60Hz 4K = 30Hz | No |
| 2.0 | 4K (4096 x 2160) | 1080P = 240Hz 1440P = 144Hz 4K = 60Hz | Yes |
| 2.1 | 8K (7680 x 4320) | 1440P = 240Hz 4K = 144Hz 4K = 240Hz (DSC) 8K = 120Hz (DSC) | Yes |
Now despite HDMI 2.1 being capable of supporting up to 10K resolution, PS5 is capped at a native resolution of 4K @ 120Hz max.
The following is a list of all the display modes PS5 supports NATIVELY in MAJORITY of the games:
- 1080 @ 30Hz – 30 FPS
- 1080 @ 60Hz – 60 FPS
- 1080 @ 120Hz – 120FPS
- 1440 @ 30Hz
- 1440 @ 60Hz
- 1440 @ 120Hz
- 4k @ 30Hz
- 4k @ 60Hz
- 4k @ 120Hz
Just Because PS5 CAN Does NOT Mean It DOES
This is a very important point to realize.
Just because PS5 CAN support 8K, DOES NOT mean there is any game that supports such high resolution.
In fact, there is ONLY ONE game out there that works at native 8K resolution:
The Touryst – 8K @ 60FPS. This singular games is only 8K game for PS5.
The Touryst, a very simple and light game, holds the title of being the FIRST game that can work at 8K resolution on PS5.
It would be a shame to buy an uber-expensive 8K TV or 8K monitor just so you can play this ONE random game.
No Native or Upscale 8K Games for PS5 (Other than The Touryst)
So other than this relatively simple game, there is NO other title that works at upscale 8K resolution let alone on native 8K resolution on PS5.
PS5 Simply Does Not Have the Hardware for 8K Resolution
Now the question comes to WHY PS5 cannot do 8K gaming despite having an HDMI 2.1 interface.
The simple answer is that it does NOT have the hardware capable of pumping out 8K frames that too at a playable 30, let alone 60, FPS.
PS5 features 10.28 teraflops of GPU power. This is equivalent in performance to the low-mid range NVIDIA RTX 3050 or the older RTX 2080 graphics card.
| Device | Teraflops |
|---|---|
| PS4 / PS4 Slim | 1.84 |
| Xbox Series S | 4 |
| PS4 Pro | 4.2 |
| NVIDIA GTX 1660Ti | 5.4 |
| NVIDIA RTX 3050 | 9.1 |
| PS5 | 10.28 |
| NVIDIA RTX 2080 | 10.6 |
| NVIDIA GTX 1080Ti | 11.3 |
| Xbox Series X | 12 |
| NVIDIA RTX 3060 | 12.7 |
| NVIDIA RTX 2080Ti | 14.2 |
| NVIDIA RTX 4060 | 24 |
| NVIDIA RTX 3080 | 29.8 |
| NVIDIA RTX 4090 | 100 Power Overwhelming |
RTX 2080 is nowhere near capable of delivering an 8K gaming experience and neither would PS5 naturally.
As such, it’s essential to set realistic expectations when it comes to the PS5’s capabilities, particularly concerning 8K gaming.
PS5 even struggles to consistently deliver 4K gaming at 60 frames per second (FPS) for more demanding titles and a majority of the newer titles are only limited to 4K at 30 FPS (with some like The Plague Tale Requiem even ditching 4K completely).
Have a look at the following table and see how the majority of the newer games ONLY work at 4K @ 30FPS in native mode.
| Game | 4K Type |
|---|---|
| A Plague Tale: Innocence | Native 4K @ 60 FPS |
| Apex Legends | Native 4K @ 60 FPS |
| Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | Native 4K @ 60 FPS |
| Assetto Corsa Competizione | Dynamic 4K @ 60 FPS |
| Biomutant | Native 4K @ 30 FPS |
| Dynamic 4K @ 40-60 FPS | |
| Borderlands 3 | Native 4K @ 60 FPS |
| Dynamic 4K @ 120 FPS | |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II | Dynamic 4K @ 60 FPS |
| Deathloop | Dynamic 4K @ 60 FPS |
| Devil May Cry V: Special Edition | Native 4K @ 30 FPS |
| Dying Light 2 | Native 4K @ 30 FPS |
| Dynamic 4K @ 60 FPS | |
| Elden Ring | Native 4K @ 30 FPS |
| Fortnite | Native 4K @ 60 FPS |
| Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut | Dynamic 4K @ 60FPS |
| Ghostwire: Tokyo | Dynamic 4K @ 60 FPS |
| God of War: Ragnarok | Native 4K @ 30 FPS |
| Dynamic 4K @ 60 FPS | |
| Grand Theft Auto V: Enhanced Edition | Native 4K @ 60 FPS |
| Hogwarts Legacy | Native 4K @ 30 FPS |
| Hunting Simulator 2 | Dynamic 4K @ 60 FPS |
| Iron Harvest: Complete Edition | Dynamic 4K @ 60 FPS |
| Jumanji: The Video Game | Native 4K @ 60 FPS |
| Upscale 4K @ 120 FPS | |
| A Plague Tale: Requiem | Upscale 4K @ 60 FPS |
| Uncharted: Legacy Of Thieves Collection | Native 4K @ 30 FPS |
| Watch Dogs Legion | Native 4K @ 30 FPS |
Final Words
So as far as 8K gaming is concerned, it’s worth noting that the PS5’s hardware is theoretically capable of supporting 8K output.
But you’d obviously not want to play 8K @ 10 or 11 FPS. The lags will just be unbearable. But that is what PS5 is capable of at such high resolutions realistically.
As such, the practical applications of this feature are currently limited, as there are few (if any) games that have been developed with 8K resolution in mind.
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