Path Tracing on PS5 Pro Redefines Console Graphics Expectations Ahead of PS6

The next steps in console graphics technology are beginning to shape expectations for real-time rendering, particularly with the advent of path tracing on those platforms. The latest technical show-and-tell has shown progress in consoles and given a taste of what's possible next.

GDC Showcases Path Tracing on PS5 Pro

Zubie Tech has published a breakdown of the GDC Demo. The report shows that EA demonstrated a game with full path tracing on F1 25 on the PS5 Pro at 30fps, with an internal 1080p resolution and PSSR upscaling to 4K.

The technique used is heavily dependent on upscaling. The game is rendered to 1080p and then upscaled to 4K using PSSR. The expectation of native 4K rendering is no longer, thanks to technologies such as DLSS, FSR, and PSSR that have revolutionized high-resolution gaming.

Performance and EA's Native Technology

Footage from the event showed that full path tracing was running on the PS5 Pro during EA's Formula 1 2025 demo. The performance of normal path tracing is reportedly 20fps. But EA used its own technology, EA Seed Orca, to boost performance to 30fps while still using PSSR to output 4K.

Digital Foundry's Rich said that even higher performance could be achieved if the base resolution is dropped even further and upscaling is increased. PSSR 2.0 allows resolutions as low as 865p, while still delivering a high-quality 4K output. 

Previous generations of PSSR didn't perform well in this range, but 2.0 has improved the quality of lower base resolutions.

Not a Release, Just a Technical Demo

There are no plans at this time to release an update for F1 25 to include this path tracing feature. The tech demo is only a showcase of what the PS5 Pro can achieve. But it demonstrates that path tracing could be a possibility for future games, especially in high-end modes.

Performance vs. Playability Debate

Performance vs. Quality is an obvious issue. 30 fps is not the best frame rate for a racing game, and many gamers would consider it inferior to a higher frame rate. This is a fair point. While frame rate is important, it is easy to overlook the significance of the achievement.

If the PS5 Pro can render with full path tracing at 1080p and 30fps, that establishes a minimum for what future consoles will be capable of. The true importance is what it means for the future.

What This Means for PlayStation 6

The current PS5 Pro performance would indicate there is potential for future hardware to perform significantly better. If this path-tracing quality is achievable now, the PlayStation 6 could deliver 60fps path tracing, depending on the performance gains.

While the initial PlayStation 6 might not reach this level, a mid-cycle refresh with a PlayStation 6 Pro might. This is not dissimilar to how things work in the PC industry, where GPUs are regularly upgraded to advance technology.

Generation Cycles vs. PC Hardware

The PC hardware cycle is short because there are often annual releases. This enables rapid development of new technology. Consoles, on the other hand, have longer release cycles, often measured in years. And with mid-generation replacements, consoles such as PlayStation now release new hardware every 4-5 years.

This is why many new features are first introduced on PC, and then migrate to consoles. But as this demo illustrates, consoles are catching up to PC.

A New Milestone for Consoles

The PS5 Pro's ability to run path tracing at 1080p and 30fps, upscaled to 4K, is significant. It is not at an unplayable level of performance. It shows that the system can support extremely advanced rendering techniques.

This was not widely expected. It was thought that path tracing was well beyond the capabilities of existing console generations and could result in very low frame rates. On the contrary, the PS5 Pro delivers consistent performance, likely a result of engineering improvements.

This development suggests that path tracing is not only new, but also the future of console gaming.

The PS6 is likely to build off of this achievement and path tracing could be a common, rather than novel, feature.

The achievement here suggests that the transition towards fully path-traced games is currently under way, and that current hardware won't be irrelevant in the future.