PS5 Power Saver mode comes to more games as Sony prepares for its rumored PSP 2 handheld
You can run these PS5 games at lower power settings at the expense of performance
⚡️ Sony is expanding Power Saver mode to more PS5 games, which reduces performance for lower power consumption
🔋 This move is believed to be in preparation for a new PlayStation handheld, potentially called PSP 2, to balance performance and battery life
⚡️ Power Saver mode can significantly cut power draw; for example, Demon’s Souls’ consumption dropped from 230W to under 90W
📈 The list of compatible games is currently small but is expected to grow, primarily with first-party titles
Sony has made more PS5 games compatible with its Power Saver mode in what many believe is in preparation for its upcoming handheld, which could be called the PSP 2.
Death Stranding Director’s Cut and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach can now be played using Power Saver Mode, which is a profile that lowers performance, often scaling back the resolution or frame rate of the game. However, it can lead to a reduction in power consumption of over 50% on a base PS5 console.
Testing has shown that Demon’s Souls requires around 230W when running on a PlayStation 5. But when Power Saver is enabled, the energy draw drops to less than 90W.
Sony will need to manage the power draw of its upcoming handheld if it’s to strike the right balance between performance and battery life. For example, the Nintendo Switch 2 can run games at just 9W, which lets the console deliver excellent performance and decent battery life of around 2.5 to 6 hours.
Portable PCs like the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X can reach far higher TDP at the expense of battery life, but it allows for more performance.
Clearly, Sony is experimenting with lower power modes to make its first-party PS5 games playable natively on the next PlayStation Portable. It’s unlikely to be putting in this amount of effort just to help gamers save a few pennies on their electricity bill.
The list of games that support the PS5’s Power Saver Mode is still relatively slim, but you can expect it to grow in the coming months with more of the best PS5 games available:
Days Gone Remastered
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Death Stranding Director’s Cut
Demon’s Souls
Ghost of Yotei
How to enable Power Saver Mode on PS5
If you’re curious to see how Power Saver mode affects some PS5 games, you can enable it by heading to System > Settings > Select Power Saver > Power Saver for Games >
Select Use Power Saver and whichever games you want to use the feature with.
Up next: Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is being held back by Windows – running Linux boosts game performance
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. He also runs a retro gaming YouTube channel called Game on, boy! Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.