The Last of Us 2 PS5 patch test highlights what a difference 60FPS can make

The Last of Us 2 has received a PS5 patch test video which highlights how much the game has improved on the next-gen console. 

Courtesy of Digital Foundry, we can now see exactly what The Last of Us 2’s PS5 patch has to offer players.  

The game has been upgraded from 30FPS on the PS4 Pro to 60FPS on the PS5. These extra frames per second brought several improvements to the game both visually and during gameplay. As discovered in Digital Foundry’s video, when played on the PS5, The Last of Us 2 is much more responsive. Not only does the game look much smoother both in cutscenes and gameplay, but aiming is also easier, and there are almost no loading screens throughout the entire game. 

Digital Foundry tested several moments in the game, and found that the scene where Ellie is heading to the Aquarium using a speedboat; manages to deliver completely locked 60FPS noting that “the entire sequence is now perfectly smooth.” Especially compared to how it previously was on the PS4, as according to the video, any scenes involving a lot of water would usually drop a few frames. 

For good measure, the team behind the test also explored other areas in the game - most notably ones with a lot of enemies (eg: Abby in the hospital’s basement) - and found that “these [areas] were already a stable 30FPS on the PS4 Pro and the frame rate is completely stable on the PS5 as well.” In fact, the team found that “no matter how complex the scene it always seemed to hit its target” on the PS5. 

They did however notice a small irregularity during Abby’s half of the game adding that during the scene where Abby and Lev are attempting to reach the hospital via the Seraphite’s sky bridges “when standing in [a] specific area and engaging the enemies - the frame rate slips just below 30FPS” this is particularly interesting as whilst playing on the PS5 it is apparently the only scene in the entire game that drops at all. The PS5 version of the game is automatically set to 60FPS by default, however if players do want to maintain the original 30FPS there is in fact an optional toggle located in the game’s menu.  

As for the PS5’s impressive load times, The Last of Us 2’s patch also benefits from them too. Like the video states: “this game is mostly seamless if you play it through. If you’re just engaged in the story, once it’s actually loaded, the entire game plays without a single loading screen [...] but if you reopen the game and continue your save or load a different chapter you have to wait for the game to load.” However, the upgrade has brought the PS4 Pro’s load times from 1 minute and 30 seconds down to just under 45 seconds. 

Lastly, the video highlights specific moments in the game that have improved with the patch adding that Ellie and Abby’s speedboat journeys along with Abby’s Rat King boss, and the events that play out towards the end of the game on Seraphite Island are now performing the best they ever have. However “whether you’re playing at 30FPS or 60FPS [...] this is now the smoothest version of the game.” 

To get the most out of your PS5 playthrough, take a look at our The Last of Us 2 tips before you get started.