PS5 Pro: leaks, specs, price, and expected release date

Here's everything we know about Sony's rumored PlayStation 5 Pro

(Credit: Sony)

Sony might be gearing up to release a PS5 Pro – a mid-gen refresh of the existing PlayStation 5 – as early as next year. But what should players expect from a more powerful PS5? And is it really necessary?

New leaks and rumors suggest the console will finally allow Sony’s system to hit 8K resolution – despite the logo appearing on the PS5’s retail box – and will offer superior ray tracing performance and more stable frame rates at 4K.

Sony released the PS4 Pro in 2016, which was the first time the company had released a mid-cycle hardware upgrade during a console generation. The expectation, then, is that a PlayStation 5 Pro will follow suit, especially as the PlayStation 5 will be three years old in November. Here’s everything we know about the PS5 Pro so far, as well as some predictions.

PS5 Pro leaks

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 in the past: Morpheus was the codename for PSVR, and Neo was the codename for the PS4 Pro. Despite many thinking that Sony is giving The Matrix films a subtle nod with its naming scheme, they’re actually all from Greek mythology.

Back 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 specs

(Credit: Insomniac Games)

The PS5 Pro will likely 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, a PS5 Pro could solve this.

Even though the PS5 box includes an 8K logo, it isn’t actually capable of outputting at 8K resolution. In fact, only one PS5 game runs at 8K: The Touryst. But because the console can’t output at 8K, it simply downscales to 4K. If the PS5 Pro is able to output at 8K, it would at least make 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 will reportedly feature 18.6TF of GPU compute power compared to the 10.2TF found in the standard PS5. It’s also likely that Sony will move to a 5nm production process allowing the APU to run at higher clock speeds. This added graphical horsepower should 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

The PS4 Pro launched in 2016 for $399. (Credit: Sony)

When it comes to the price of the PS5 Disc vs Digital, Sony’s consoles cost $499 and $399, respectively. The PS5 Pro will obviously be higher and could cost $599, the same price that the PlayStation 3 launched at back in 2006.

The PS4 Pro launched at $399, the same price as the PS5 Digital Edition, but it’s unlikely Sony will be able to hit that price point again. 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

While a PS5 Pro release date hasn’t been shared – hardly surprising as the console is all but a rumor at this point – it’s tipped to release in November 2024, which is the same time frame as many predict the Nintendo Switch 2 will launch and the newly revealed Xbox Series X Slim.

If the PS5 Pro is released in November 2024, it'll be exactly 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 isn’t too implausible to think we’ll see a PS5 Pro around this time.

Development kits are reportedly going out in November this year, meaning studios will have 12 months to get the best PS5 games running on the souped-up PlayStation 5.

Do we need a PS5 Pro?

Playing PS5 games are a higher resolution and at more stable frame rates will appeal to those who care about graphical fidelity and having the best performance available, but a PlayStation 5 Pro seems a bit premature.

This generation was hampered due to PS5 supply issues and the widespread impact of Covid-19. It means that 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 40 million units sold – feel like a second-run product.

Sony hasn’t been shy when it comes to releasing new products, though. We’ve already been treated to the PSVR 2, DualSense Edge controller, and the PlayStation Portal, PS5 earbuds, and PS5 Pulse Elite headset are all out this year.

We’re also expecting Sony to release a PS5 Slim, which could ditch the disc drive and sell it as a separate add-on. Would a PS5 Pro oversaturate the market? We’ll have to wait and see.

Last updated: September 20, 2023