PS5 Pro: price, release date, specs, pre-order and everything you need to know
Here's everything we know about Sony's PlayStation 5 Pro
🔜 Sony is set to launch the PS5 Pro this year on November 7
📆 An announcement took place on September 10 and pre-orders go live on September 26
💰 The PS5 Pro’s price is $699.99, which is $100 more than many expected
💪 The console will offer better performance, higher resolutions, superior ray tracing, and 8K for some titles
Sony has confirmed that the PS5 Pro – a more powerful, mid-gen refresh of the existing PlayStation 5 – is real after months of speculation. But what can players expect from a souped-up PS5? And is it even necessary?
The new console will finally allow Sony’s system to hit 8K resolution – despite the logo appearing on the PS5’s retail box and disappearing after the PS5 Slim was released. The PS5 Pro will also offer superior ray tracing performance and more stable frame rates at 4K.
Sony released the PS4 Pro in 2016, the first time the company had released a mid-cycle hardware upgrade during a console generation. PlayStation 5 Pro will follow suit in November this year, just as the PlayStation 5 reaches its fourth year on sale.
Here’s everything we know about the PS5 Pro.
PS5 Pro specs
Here’s a quick breakdown of the PS5 Pro specs vs the standard PS5:
💨 CPU /Clock Speeds 8-core/16 thread Zen 2 CPU at 3.5GHz/3.85GHz vs 8 core/16 Thread Zen 2 CPU at 3.5GHz
💪 GPU Compute Units/ Architecture: 60 CUs, RNDA 3 (TBC) vs 36 CUs, RDNA 2
🚄 TFLOPs/GPU Clock Speed: 33.5TF/2.18GHz (TBC) vs 10.23TF/2.23GHz
💭 GDDR6 Memory: 16GB at 18Gbps vs 16GB at 14Gbps
🎮 Memory Available For Games: 13.7GB vs 12.5GB
📏 Memory Interface/Bandwidth: 256-bit/576GB/s vs 256-bit/448GB/s
🗄️ Storage: 2TB SSD vs 1TB SSD
If specs aren’t your thing, here’s a quick breakdown of what the PS5 Pro delivers:
⚙️ 45% faster rendering
🧠 28% faster memory
🎮 Advanced ray-tracing
🤖 AI upscaling
🚀 Game Boost mode for backward-compatible titles
🗄️ 2TB SSD
👏 Astro's Playroom installed
🛜 WiFi 7, VRR & 8K (for real this time)
🙅♂️ No disc drive (can be purchased for $79.99)
🤷♂️ Vertically stand sold separately (should cost $29.99)
The PS5 Pro will accomplish two things with its more powerful specs: better ray tracing performance and 8K resolution. Although there are a growing number of PS5 games with ray tracing support, frame rate and resolution almost always take a hit. Ray tracing takes a lot of computational power, and even though it’s a great addition for console gamers, it feels like a step too far for the current-gen consoles. However, PS5 Pro will solve this.
Even though the PS5 box includes an 8K logo, it isn’t actually capable of outputting at 8K resolution. Only one PS5 game runs at 8K: The Touryst. But because the console can’t output at 8K, it simply downscales to 4K. The PS5 Pro can output at 8K, which makes it appealing to those with capable displays. But don’t expect many games to hit that target with 60fps or even see any PS5 120fps games running at 8K – 60fps is currently the limit due to bandwidth restraints.
The PS5 Pro reportedly has 33.5TF of GPU compute power compared to the 10.2TF in the standard PS5 (we’ll need to wait until this is confirmed) and Sony will likely move to a 6nm production process allowing the APU to run at higher clock speeds. This added graphical horsepower will let the console boost existing PS5 titles that may struggle to maintain a steady 60fps or bump the resolution of titles that aren’t displaying at a native 4K resolution.
PS5 Pro price
When it comes to the price of the PS5 Disc vs Digital, Sony’s consoles cost $499 and $399, respectively. However, Sony has since released a PS5 Slim model, replacing the existing PlayStation 5 design. It costs $499 and $449 for the disc and digital models, respectively.
The PS5 Pro is more expensive than the standard PS5 and costs $699.99, $100 more than the PlayStation 3 cost when it launched in 2006. Sony recently raised the price of the standard PS5 and Digital Edition in Japan, making the PS5 Pro price easier to predict though people were still shocked by the $699 price tag – especially as the PS5 Pro doesn’t have a disc drive and you’ll need to buy a stand if you want to position the console vertically.
The PS4 Pro launched at $399, the same price as the PS5 Digital Edition, but it was unlikely Sony would hit that price point again, especially as the PS5 Slim isn’t receiving the typical price cut. The last thing the Japanese company will want to do is launch a more powerful console and raise the price down the line again, as it did with the PS5 in every country outside the US.
PS5 Pro release date
The PS5 Pro release date is November 7, which is when many predicted the Nintendo Switch 2 would launch and the Xbox Series X Slim. It turns out Sony won’t have any competition from Nintendo or Microsoft when it does release the PS5 Pro in November, as the Switch 2 is due out in March 2025 and Microsoft hasn’t announced an Xbox Series X Slim.
When the PS5 Pro is released in November 2024, it'll be four years since the PlayStation 5 was released. Sony released the PS4 Pro around three years after the PlayStation 4 was first released, so it wasn’t too implausible to think we’d see a PS5 Pro around this time.
PlayStation 5 Pro development kits were reportedly sent out to studios in November 2023, meaning developers will have had 12 months to get the best PS5 games running on the souped-up PlayStation 5.
The console was officially announced in September 2024 after many leaks, which aligns with a November 2024 release date. Sony had conceded that the PS5 has entered the latter half of its life cycle and that hardware sales will begin to wane, making the PS5 Pro all the more likely.
Analysts also believed that the PS5 Pro would be released this year to capitalize on the upcoming launch of GTA 6 in 2025. “There seems to be a broad consensus in the game industry that Sony is indeed preparing a launch of a PS5 Pro in the second half of 2024,” Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based games consultancy Kantan Games, told CNBC.
“And Sony will want to make sure to have a great piece of hardware ready when GTA VI hits in 2025, a launch that will be a shot in the arm for the entire gaming industry.”
PS5 pre-order date
PS5 Pro pre-orders begin on September 26, which aligns with Sony’s track record. Sony announced pre-orders for the PS5 and PS4 Pro in September 2020 and 2016, respectively, soon after they were officially revealed.
They both came out in November (the same as the PS5 Pro’s release window) just before Black Friday. The only exception to this rule is PS5 Slim, which came out in November with no pre-order phase.
Do we need a PS5 Pro?
Playing PS5 games at a higher resolution and more stable frame rates will appeal to those who care about graphical fidelity and the best performance. But a PS5 Pro doesn’t make sense right now.
This generation has been hampered due to PS5 supply issues and the widespread impact of Covid-19. It means we’re still seeing cross-gen titles released (games that are on PS5 and PS4), with genuine PlayStation 5 exclusives in short supply.
Some may argue that we’re still waiting to see the generation truly begin, and releasing a more powerful console would only make the current PS5, which has surpassed 60 million units sold – feel like a second-run product before it’s even hit its stride. At $699.99, some may also ask why is PS5 Pro so expensive.
Sony hasn’t been shy in releasing new products, though. We’ve already been treated to the PSVR 2, the DualSense Edge controller, and the PlayStation Portal and PS5 earbuds, all released this year. The PS5 Slim also released in November 2023, as Sony continues to push new hardware.
Previous PS5 Pro leaks
In the run-up to the PS5 Pro’s reveal, we tracked all the leaks and rumors which you can find below.
PS5 Pro may be all-digital
Sony may ditch the disc drive on the PS5 Pro to keep the console’s price down. The console could adopt the same modular design as the PS5 Slim, allowing users to purchase a disc drive separately which can then be attached. The PS5 Pro is expected to cost between $599 and $699.
PS5 Pro’s design is all but confirmed by Sony
Sony has accidentally confirmed the PS5 Pro’s design, which had previously leaked. Eagle-eyed users noticed Sony had included a silhouette of the console in its PlayStation 30th Anniversary image that looks strikingly similar to the reported design.
The PS5 Pro’s design may have been revealed
Known leaker billbil-kun shared a sketch of what the PS5 Pro design will look like on Dealabs, based on the final packaging of the new console. The PS5 Pro will retain many elements of the PS5 Slim, including two USB-C ports and detachable cover plates.
Insider billbil-kun also confirmed that the new console will be revealed in the first half of September, with a release date for November planned.
Is this a picture of the PS5 Pro?
The PS5 Pro might have been spotted in this new photo. A picture has been uploaded by Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima’s personal assistant, Ayako Terashima, and it shows a mysteriously covered-up object in the background. Thanks to Zuby_Tech for spotting it first.
In the picture, Kojima appears to be using the hidden console to test his upcoming PS5 game, as a USB cable is attached to the system.
PS5 Pro chips may have shipped
A Chinese chip maker has seen sales increase thanks to new PS5 models, suggesting the PlayStation 5 Pro has been in production. PS5 hardware sales have declined, so to see a chip maker say that “game console application orders have rebounded” is at odds with that fact.
PS5 Pro launch should help Sony’s declining hardware sales
PS5 hardware sales have fallen 32% year-on-year ahead of the PlayStation 5 Pro’s pending launch. The souped-up console is expected to be announced in September with a release date set for November and should give the company’s bottom line a significant boost. Sony will be hoping those who remain on PS4 will finally jump to its latest console, though it’ll have its work cut out convincing people a more powerful system is necessary or a must-have.
PS5 Pro references spotted in No Man’s Sky update
We’re still waiting for Sony to reveal the PS5 Pro, but the console’s existence has been confirmed once again, this time in the source code of a new No Man’s Sky update. Dataminers found references to ‘Trinity’, the PS5 Pro’s codename and that the new console will supposedly be able to render the game’s graphics at a sharper dynamic resolution and increase graphical detail from high to ultra.
PS5 Pro could be shown at TGS 2024
Sony has announced that it will attend Tokyo Game Show 2024 for the first time since 2019. That’s significant because the last time Sony attended TGS was just before the PS5 launched. There’s a good chance the PS5 Pro could be revealed at Tokyo Game Show 2024, then, as Sony revealed its PS4 Pro in September 2016 and it launched on November 10, 2016.
The PS5 Pro is still tipped to be released this November, despite no announcement from Sony just yet. However, check out all the past PS5 Pro leaks below to see why it’s more than likely a more powerful PlayStation 5 Pro is on the way.
PS5 Pro specs confirmed again
Another source has verified that the purported specs of the PS5 Pro are indeed real and that developers have been told to get ready for Sony’s new console. The Verge has obtained the full list of specs for the more powerful PS5 and said developers are “able to order test kits right now”.
Developers have also been told to make sure every game submitted for certification from August should be “compatible with the PS5 Pro”. Games that are classed as PS5 Pro Enhanced will need to demonstrate an increase in resolution and/or frame rate, and add ray tracing options or improve upon the existing implementation.
PS5 Pro game requirements revealed
The latest PS5 Pro leak has outlined the requirements a game has to meet to be classed as PS5 Pro Enhanced. The PS5 Pro Enhanced label can be given to PlayStation 5 games as long as the system improves titles in one or four of the following ways:
Increased target resolution for titles that run a fixed resolution on the standard console
Increased target maximum resolution for titles that run at variable resolution on the standard console
Increased target frame rate for titles that target a fixed frame rate on the standard console
Inclusion of PS5 Pro ray tracing effects
PS5 Pro Enhanced games must use PSSR to upscale a game’s resolution to 4K, a proprietary upscaling solution known as PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution.
PS5 Pro specs leaked
An older PS5 Pro leak has spilled the beans on the console’s reported specs. According to Insider Gaming, the PS5 Pro’s has increased by 28% over the standard PS5, while the CPU is identical apart from including a ‘High CPU Frequency Mode’, which boosts the CPU by 10% over the current model.
The GPU is reportedly 45% faster than the PS5 for rasterization and offers an improvement of up to 4x in ray tracing performance. The PS5 Pro will also employ a proprietary upscaling solution known as PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution), which should provide similar results to Nvidia’s popular DLSS and AMD’s FSR upscaling technologies.
Don’t expect a storage increase, however. The PS5 Pro will retain the 1TB SSD of the PS5 Slim.
This leak was later corroborated by the tech experts at Digital Foundry, who confirmed the tech specs were real and that the PS5 Pro would be ‘the most powerful console yet’.
PS5 Pro codenamed Project Trinity
According to Keytogaming, the PS5 Pro has reportedly been in development since early 2022 and is codenamed ‘Project Trinity’. That’s similar to previous codenames Sony has used: Morpheus was the codename for PSVR, and Neo was the codename for the PS4 Pro. Despite many thinking Sony is giving The Matrix films a subtle nod with its naming scheme, they’re actually all from Greek mythology.
In May 2023, Insider Gaming reported that a PS5 Pro was tipped for next year and “100% in development”, but also caveated that “…the PlayStation 5 Pro could be canceled at any given time.” However, it seems like a PS5 Pro is very much in development, according to the latest leak.
PS5 Pro's early details revealed
A new PS5 Pro leak has shed light on the console’s purported specs. According to a post on Resetera, the PlayStation 5 Pro will have a substantially more powerful GPU and a CPU with a higher clock speed. The console will also use a new upscaling technique to boost performance.
Up next: Everything we know about the PSP 2
Last updated: September 11, 2024