Base PS5 Gets AI Upscaling, but Only in Patched Games

The standard PS5 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) now has AI upscaling, called QSSR, but only in games that have been patched to use it: so far Marvel’s Wolverine and Ghost of Yōtei, both updated on 1 October 2026. There is no console setting and no system update involved; in Wolverine it is on by default.

Sony’s own announcement says the PS5 Pro (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)’s upscaler, PSSR, “remains the gold standard”, so the Pro keeps the sharper picture in games that support both.

What QSSR is

Quick Spectral Super Resolution is a cut-down version of PSSR, the AI upscaler Sony introduced with the PS5 Pro. An upscaler renders the game at a lower resolution and rebuilds a sharper image from it; PSSR does that with a neural network that, in Sony’s words, “analyzes game images pixel by pixel”.

Until now, Sony says, PSSR’s “computational demands made bringing that experience to PS5 impossible.” QSSR gets around that with what the PlayStation Blog post calls “a streamlined neural network architecture” and “a hand-tuned implementation that maximizes performance on PS5”. It comes from Project Amethyst, Sony’s graphics collaboration with AMD.

Sony promises “some notable improvements to both image detail and image stability”. It gives no resolution or frame-rate figures.

Which games, and how they get it

Game	Update	QSSR on PS5
Marvel’s Wolverine	1.002.000, 1 October 2026	On by default, per Insomniac’s patch notes
Ghost of Yōtei	Patched 1 October 2026	An added graphics option, per Sony; Sucker Punch’s own notes not yet posted
Any other game	Needs its developer to patch it in	Sony says QSSR is “offered broadly to all PlayStation developers”

QSSR lives in each game, not in the console. Sony’s system software notes, current version 26.06-14.10.00 included, never mention it, though the same page documents the Pro-only PSSR setting in detail. So a game you own gets QSSR when its developer ships an update, and not before.

According to The Verge’s 1 October report, a Sony engineer told Digital Foundry that QSSR is “fundamentally a drop-in replacement for titles that already support PSSR”. If that holds, the games with PS5 Pro patches are the likeliest candidates. Sony has named no others.

Do you need to switch it on?

In Marvel’s Wolverine, no: Insomniac’s notes for update 1.002.000 say the game “uses QSSR on PS5, on by default”. For Ghost of Yōtei, Sony calls it “an additional graphics option on PS5”, so check the game’s graphics menu after updating.

There is no PS5-wide switch. The one console-level upscaling setting Sony documents, Settings › Screen and Video › Video Output › Enhance PSSR Image Quality, is “available only on PS5 Pro”.

QSSR is aimed at detail and stability, not frame pacing. If a game hitches, that usually has another cause, such as a shader being compiled mid-frame.

What it means for the PS5 Pro

	PS5	PS5 Pro
AI upscaler	QSSR	PSSR
Sony’s description	“Notable improvements” to detail and stability	“Gold standard”
Games using it	Two, as of 5 October 2026	Sony lists over 100 PS5 Pro Enhanced titles; the enhancements vary by game
Console setting	None	Enhance PSSR Image Quality, on by default since version 26.06-14.00.00
Typical output	Closer to 1440p upscaled, per Digital Foundry via The Verge	4K, which Sony pitches with 60fps or up to 120fps in compatible games

The Verge, summarising Digital Foundry’s first look at the technology, says QSSR is not as fast as PSSR because the base PS5 lacks dedicated machine-learning hardware, and to expect closer to an upscaled 1440p on PS5 against upscaled 4K on Pro. The same engineer, quoted in that report, said Pro games “almost uniformly output to 4K”, while on PS5 teams tune their targets per graphics mode.

So QSSR narrows the gap in two games today, and in whatever gets patched later. It does not give a PS5 the Pro’s 4K target, its library of Pro-enhanced games, or the system setting that applies enhanced PSSR to games built for the original version.

The difference Sony describes is pitched at 4K, so it shows most on a 4K screen; our TV shortlist covers those. Online play costs the same on either model, and our breakdown of console running costs covers what you pay after the box. Which PS5 is which sets out the three models’ prices and differences.

Questions people ask

Does the regular PS5 get PSSR?

Not PSSR itself. The standard PS5 gets QSSR, Quick Spectral Super Resolution, which Sony describes as a lighter “performance tier” of the same AI upscaling. PSSR stays on the PS5 Pro, and Sony still calls it the gold standard.

Which PS5 games support QSSR?

Two so far: Marvel’s Wolverine and Ghost of Yōtei, both patched on 1 October 2026. Sony says QSSR is offered to all PlayStation developers, so others can add it, but each game needs its own update.

How do I turn on QSSR on PS5?

Update the game. There is no PS5 system setting for it. In Marvel’s Wolverine, update 1.002.000 turns QSSR on by default. Sony describes it as an additional graphics option, so look in the game’s own graphics menu.

Do I need a PS5 system update for QSSR?

Not according to Sony’s own notes. QSSR arrives in game patches, and PlayStation’s system software update notes, up to version 26.06-14.10.00, do not mention it.

Is QSSR as good as PSSR on the PS5 Pro?

Sony says not: PSSR “remains the gold standard on PS5 Pro.” The Verge, reporting Digital Foundry’s early look, says to expect closer to an upscaled 1440p on PS5, against upscaled 4K on Pro.

Is the PS5 Pro still worth buying now the base PS5 has AI upscaling?

The gap is narrower in two games and unchanged everywhere else. Sony lists over 100 PS5 Pro Enhanced titles, and the Pro’s Enhance PSSR Image Quality setting works across PSSR games. QSSR covers two games so far.