Quake II
Quake II scales smoothly across all PlayStation hardware generations. The base PS4 targets 1080p at 60fps, though frame rate drops occur in the demanding MachineGames campaign. PS4 Pro ups the target to 4K at 60fps using dynamic resolution scaling, frequently dropping toward 1080p under strain. PS5 delivers the definitive console experience, maintaining a nearly locked 4K resolution at 120fps. Current-gen hardware is ideal, but the game remains highly enjoyable across all PlayStation consoles.
Graphics modes on PlayStation 5 Pro
PS5 Pro delivers the definitive console presentation. Quality mode replaces software ray tracing with hardware-accelerated Lumen for vastly superior reflection stability. Optional PSSR upscaling significantly enhances visual clarity on fine details, though it introduces a slight performance overhead in heavy scenes.
Upgrades Quality mode to hardware-accelerated Lumen ray tracing, increases internal rendering resolutions across all modes, and adds optional PSSR upscaling.
Performance Mode
PS5 ProInternal resolution ranges from 864p to 1440p, reconstructed to 4K via TSR or optional PSSR.
Balanced Mode
PS5 ProFixed 1440p internal resolution upscaled to 4K using TSR or optional PSSR.
Quality Mode
PS5 ProInternal resolution between 1728p and 2160p upscaled to 4K. Features hardware-accelerated Lumen for clean and stable reflections on metallic and curved glass surfaces.
Graphics modes on PlayStation 5
Quake II on PS5 delivers top-tier performance, targeting 4K resolution at 120fps. Framerates remain practically locked throughout gameplay with minimal dynamic resolution drops. Updated 3D models, smooth dynamic shadows, and enhanced light maps run flawlessly.
Standard Mode
PS5Renders up to 4K with updated MD5 skeleton models, per-pixel dynamic lights, and light map improvements.
Graphics modes on PlayStation 4 Pro
PS4 Pro targets a 4K resolution at 60fps but relies heavily on dynamic resolution scaling during heavy action. Dynamic resolution frequently drops down toward 1080p, though performance remains high and fluid overall.
Standard Mode
PS4 ProUses dynamic resolution scaling that drops closer to 1080p under heavy rendering loads.
Graphics modes on PlayStation 4
Base PS4 targets 1080p at 60fps. While classic Quake II campaigns hold a solid 60fps, the new MachineGames expansion introduces performance drops due to increased level complexity and enemy density.
Standard Mode
PS4Outputs up to 1080p resolution with dynamic scaling enabled.
PS5 vs PS5 Pro
Side-by-side comparison of graphics modes, resolution and technical features.
PS5 Pro provides a substantial enhancement over base PS5 by introducing hardware-accelerated Lumen ray tracing in Quality mode, increasing rendering resolutions up to 2160p native, and offering optional PSSR upscaling for significantly improved fine detail clarity.
| Metric | PS5 | PS5 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Score | 81Great | 83Great |
| Recommended mode | Standard Mode | Quality Mode |
| Modes available | 1 | 3 |
| Peak target FPS | 120 | 60 |
| PSSR | No | Yes |
| Ray tracing | No | Yes |
| VRR | Yes | Yes |
| 120 Hz support | No | Yes |
| PS5 Pro Enhanced | No | Yes |
- Performance Score
- 81Great
- Recommended mode
- Standard Mode
- Modes available
- 1
- Peak target FPS
- 120
- PSSR
- No
- Ray tracing
- No
- VRR
- Yes
- 120 Hz support
- No
- PS5 Pro Enhanced
- No
- Performance Score
- 83Great
- Recommended mode
- Quality Mode
- Modes available
- 3
- Peak target FPS
- 60
- PSSR
- Yes
- Ray tracing
- Yes
- VRR
- Yes
- 120 Hz support
- Yes
- PS5 Pro Enhanced
- Yes
Known issues
The newly added MachineGames episode pushes geometry and enemy counts beyond original levels, resulting in frame drops on base PS4 hardware.
Due to Bluetooth bandwidth constraints on DualSense controllers (which carry both input data and audio), split-screen multiplayer is capped at 4 players on PlayStation consoles compared to 8 on Xbox and PC.
The Quality (30fps) and Balanced (40fps) modes suffer from uneven frame delivery, leading to noticeable judder when panning the camera.
Software-based ray tracing causes blotchiness and flickering in reflections and shadows, accompanied by aliasing and image noise around fine geometric details.
Enabling PSSR upscaling can reduce framerates by around 5fps in demanding scenes and produce slight visual instability as dynamic resolution adjusts.
Video analysis
Independent technical videos referenced in our analysis.
DF Retro: Doom - Every Console Port Tested and Analysed! Digital Foundry• ... Quake II - Welcome to the Machine. Civvie 11•1.4M views · 18:47 · Go ...
I thought I had Quake I on PlayStation 5, but nope – so here we are with Quake II! And honestly, what a trip down memory lane this was.
16GB SSD: 240GB Hard Disk: 1TB OS: Windows 10 Pro About this game : Developed by id Software in 1997, Quake II is a critically acclaimed ...
The Gold Standard Remaster | Quake II Review (Game Pass) ... Digital Foundry•541K views · 26:10. Go to channel Mystery Game Fight Club · Is ...
Unboxing the Enhanced Version of Quake II for the Sony PlayStation 5 (PS5) console. The original version was released on the PC in 1997.
Quake 2 Nintendo Switch Review | Quake II Remastered In Incredible Form! · Comments.
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Frequently asked
Answers built from the verified data on this page.
What frame rate does Quake II run at on PS5 Pro?
On PS5 Pro, Quake II offers 3 graphics modes: Performance Mode targets 60 FPS at 2160p; Balanced Mode targets 40 FPS at 2160p; Quality Mode targets 30 FPS at 2160p.
What frame rate does Quake II run at on PS5?
On PS5, Quake II offers 1 graphics mode: Standard Mode targets 120 FPS at 4K.
Does Quake II support 120 Hz on PlayStation?
Yes. Balanced Mode on PS5 Pro, Standard Mode on PS5 run with 120 Hz output on a compatible display.
Does Quake II use PSSR on PS5 Pro?
Yes. At least one PS5 Pro graphics mode of Quake II uses PSSR, Sony's machine-learning upscaler, according to the sources cited in our analysis.
Is Quake II worth playing on PS5 Pro?
PS5 Pro provides a substantial enhancement over base PS5 by introducing hardware-accelerated Lumen ray tracing in Quality mode, increasing rendering resolutions up to 2160p native, and offering optional PSSR upscaling for significantly improved fine detail clarity.
What is the PSFoundry Performance Score of Quake II?
Quake II 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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