"Helldivers 2" delivered an adrenaline-packed multiplayer experience in 2024 for fans of third-person shooters. The PS5 version of the game has been thrilling but came with a few performance hiccups, especially when it came to reaching 60fps. Enter the PS5 Pro.
However, some players bank on the noticeable improvement they experienced when playing the game. The surprising part? Developer Arrowhead Game Studios did not officially announce any information about the stealth PS5 Pro patch: to see is to believe, just as they always say.
Does this optimization fix the technical problems that were left lingering from the game, or is this just an illusion?
'Helldivers 2' Welcomes Unannounced PS5 Pro Improvement
The performance of "Helldivers 2" on PS5 Pro is pretty evident. It offers more stability, a notable resolution increase, and sharper details in images. Textures seem sharper, edges crisper, and text can be read, even during high-speed action sequences, compared to the base version on PS5.
Eurogamer says this is a long-overdue improvement since the base version of PS5 makes do with rendering at 1080p, but the PS5 Pro jumps to 1440p, which is about 78% more pixels.
But there's no sign of dynamic resolution tweaks in this mode. It doesn't upscale anything to a higher resolution either through Temporal Super Resolution (TSR) or FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR).
Quality Mode: Subtle Improvements on PS5 Pro
Here, in the quality mode, differences appear subtle yet unmistakable. PS5 can execute the game at about 1728p; an upscaling technique used might be FSR 1.
With PS5 Pro, it gets executed on the native 4K resolution as well. Despite this rise in visual fidelity, issues with the depth of field and unstable geometry remain. Another area that could use refinement is the anti-aliasing on both consoles; even the Pro's visual upgrades sometimes fail to smooth edges well.
Take a close look at this video to see the visual boost for "Helldivers 2" on the next-gen console.
Performance Issues: Frame Drops on Both Consoles
Even though the PS5 Pro gives a clear view of the improved stability and quality of images, it doesn't fully remove the performance issues the game has suffered since its launch.
On PS5, "Helldivers 2" frequently drops below 60fps, especially in high-intensity segments, such as the "Super Helldive" missions.
On PS5 Pro, while the game occasionally dips into the 40s and 50s, it generally avoids extended frame rate drops into the 30s, offering a smoother experience in more demanding scenarios. The frame-pacing issues that existed on PS5 are still apparent, even with the upgraded hardware.
Is the PS5 Pro Upgrade Enough to Solve Technical Issues?
The PS5 Pro has some improvements in image resolution and frame rates, but there are still significant issues that affect the overall experience. The lack of modern upscaling techniques like DLSS or FSR 2 means the game's visual quality doesn't quite match that of other high-end PS5 Pro titles.
On top of that, there are network connectivity issues and sometimes game disconnects that persist since the launch. These bugs combined with no ray tracing or other advanced rendering capabilities make "Helldivers 2" not its best self.
For the full list of "Helldivers 2" update 01.002.101 patch notes, just click here.
