No Man's Sky
Update 1.20 brings noticeable stability improvements across PlayStation platforms. Base PS4 targets 1080p30 and holds its target far more consistently than prior patches. PS4 Pro introduces two distinct behaviors tied to system output settings: setting the console to 1080p yields an outstanding, nearly locked 60fps experience, whereas setting output to 4K renders at 1800p with severe frame-rate drops into the 20s. For PS4 Pro owners, 1080p performance mode paired with an HDR display is strongly recommended as the definitive console experience.
Graphics modes on PlayStation 5 Pro
No Man's Sky on PS5 Pro offers substantial technical improvements over standard hardware, featuring a 60fps mode upscaled via PSSR to 4K and a 30fps 8K presentation mode. General graphics settings are upgraded across the board with ultra-quality reflections, enhanced lighting, and improved ambient occlusion.
Adds PSSR upscaling for 4K 60fps output, an 8K 30fps mode, improved lighting, ultra quality reflections, and higher quality ambient occlusion across all modes including PS VR2.
4K 60fps Mode
PS5 ProUses PSSR upscaling to 4K, featuring improved lighting, ultra quality reflections, and enhanced ambient occlusion.
8K Mode
PS5 ProOutputs at 8K resolution with improved lighting, ultra quality reflections, and higher quality ambient occlusion.
Graphics modes on PlayStation 4 Pro
PS4 Pro delivers an exceptional 60fps experience at 1080p, provided the console's system settings are manually configured to 1080p output. Conversely, 4K system output runs at native 1800p but suffers from severe frame drops into the low 20s during particle-heavy action and resource extraction.
1080p Performance Mode
PS4 ProNative 1080p resolution with HDR support. Requires setting PS4 Pro system resolution output to 1080p in system settings.
4K Resolution Mode
PS4 ProRenders at native 1800p (3200x1800) with temporal anti-aliasing. Clean planetary vistas, though minor pixelation/artifacts occur around brightly lit space station geometry.
Graphics modes on PlayStation 4
Base PS4 receives a welcome stability boost in update 1.20, maintaining 1080p30 far better than earlier versions. Added HDR support and ambient occlusion enhance overall visuals, though light shafts seen on PC are omitted.
Standard Mode
PS4Outputs native 1080p with HDR rendering and horizon-based ambient occlusion. Light shaft volumetric lighting present on PC is absent.
Known issues
When PS4 Pro system resolution is set to 4K, fill-rate heavy scenarios like resource mining or dense particle effects cause the unlocked frame rate to drop below 30fps into the low 20s.
New horizon-based ambient occlusion creates dithered, messy shading when weapons are held close to surfaces and severe banding artifacts on space station objects.
Video analysis
Independent technical videos referenced in our analysis.
DF Direct Weekly #173: PS5 Pro RT Features, PS5 Pro No Man's Sky Settings, Fallout London Launches! ... Go to channel Digital Foundry · DF ...
▻ Digital Foundry at Eurogamer: https://eurogamer.net/... ▻ Follow on Twitter: / digitalfoundry. No Man's Sky on PS5 Pro Has 8K Support...
... No Man's Sky 05:45 Star Wars Jedi Survivor 06:37 Horizon Forbidden ... Digital Foundry•320K views · 27:33. Go to channel Mind Pulp · the ...
DF Direct Weekly #173: PS5 Pro RT Features, PS5 Pro No Man's Sky Settings, Fallout London Launches! Digital Foundry · 156K views ; DF Direct ...
There's post PS5 Pro clarity in this week's Direct, with Rich, John and Alex discussing No Man's Sky at 8K resolution (tested!)
The PS5 Pro is likely going to be just for games that aren't specifically pushing things like the new rage racing features and whatnot.
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Frequently asked
Answers built from the verified data on this page.
What frame rate does No Man's Sky run at on PS5 Pro?
On PS5 Pro, No Man's Sky offers 2 graphics modes: 4K 60fps Mode targets 60 FPS at 4K; 8K Mode targets 30 FPS at 8K.
Does No Man's Sky use PSSR on PS5 Pro?
Yes. At least one PS5 Pro graphics mode of No Man's Sky uses PSSR, Sony's machine-learning upscaler, according to the sources cited in our analysis.
Is No Man's Sky worth playing on PS5 Pro?
The PS5 Pro update brings PSSR AI upscaling to target 4K output at 60fps, introduces an 8K mode at 30fps, and enhances graphical features including lighting, reflections, and ambient occlusion, with benefits extending to PS VR2.
What is the PSFoundry Performance Score of No Man's Sky?
No Man's Sky scores 83/100 on PS5 Pro. The Performance Score measures technical performance only — frame rate, image quality, graphics modes, visual features, responsiveness, loading and stability — not how good the game is.
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