Sony Silently Fixed One of PlayStation 5's Most Annoying Problems

PlayStation 5 users can finally breathe a sigh of relief. After months of frustration and online debates, Sony has quietly resolved one of the most irritating technical issues plaguing the PS5: Its inconsistent Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support. With the latest system update, the VRR functionality on both PS5 and the more powerful PS5 Pro has been fixed—bringing a major quality-of-life improvement to millions of users worldwide.

One of the most important parts of modern game hardware is VRR. It keeps the computer and TV in sync when the frame rate of a game changes by changing the refresh rate of the screen on the fly, meaning that if a game goes from 60 frames per second to 55 for a short time, the screen won't tear or stutter. Instead, it will adjust and keep the game running smoothly.

In theory, it's an important tool for games that can't keep a locked frame rate all the time. VRR changes the game for action games, racing games, and movies as long as it works. Since the PS5 added VRR support for the first time in 2022, the function has not been perfect. Many people at other tech sites said that the PS5's implementation felt broken.

Some people thought the problems were caused by certain TV brands or games, but others thought the real issue was deeper and was built into the PS5's system-level software. There were micro-stutters, judder, and a general lack of smoothness in situations where VRR should have made things better, not worse.

Strange errors were getting in the way of the promise of smooth gameplay when frame rates changed. There were problems with the way games looked in Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon's Souls, and even Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II that couldn't be avoided. Players who had bought high-end OLED and QLED TVs were especially upset because they were expecting perfection but instead found a minor yet annoying drop in quality.

There was a new software update, and everything changed. Sony released a system update with no additional information or patch notes. The update mentioned changes to "usability on some screens." That line alone was hard to understand, so no one paid attention. But soon after it went live around the world, players with keen eyes started to report something strange: the VRR bugs were gone.

Digital Foundry, known for in-depth performance testing, stated that early testing matches what people are seeing: VRR now works on a wide range of games and displays. For games that had frame rates that were all over the place or jitters that no one could explain, the increase is clear right away.

This fix seems to work on both the regular PS5 and the PS5 Pro, which is especially good news since the Pro was released with a better GPU and better expectations for stable picture quality. Now that VRR has been fixed, the Pro model can finally show its strength in situations where the frame rate needs to change dynamically.

The effect of this fix is not small at all. Games that were almost impossible for sensitive users to play before are now much closer to how they were meant to be. There are no longer sudden tears or stutters in fast-paced action scenes, open-world changes, and high-fidelity cutscenes. When paired with a VRR-compatible display, games like Hogwarts Legacy, Cyberpunk 2077, and Elden Ring, which were all known for having unlocked or variable frame rates, now run much more smoothly.

That's not all; this update also has good news for the future. More and more developers are using unlocked frame rate goals to improve graphics while keeping the player immersed. This is because the PlayStation 5 ecosystem is always changing. As long as VRR works right, developers can make settings with more detail without being limited to 30 or 60 frames per second. 

Better performance options are now possible, especially in games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Insomniac Games' future Wolverine that push the limits of what is possible visually. Sony hasn't said much about the fix, even though it's clear that it will help. There hasn't been a blog post or technical comment that goes into great detail about what went wrong or how it was fixed. 

Given the importance of the change, this is a surprising move. Sony seems happy to let the performance speak for itself, which could be because of company policy or a desire to promise less and achieve more. Still, this quiet makes me wonder about some things. Was this a problem with the display? A problem with the way the system's frame pacing algorithm worked with panels that allowed VRR? Or was it something more complicated that had to do with HDMI standards and how the firmware on the system and the hardware for the display worked together? 

For now, the most important thing is that VRR works, and it works well. The truth may finally be found through technical analysis. It might be a good idea for people who have been putting off turning on VRR at this time. People who have TVs that support VRR can now enjoy the benefits as intended. This includes LG's OLED series, Samsung's Neo QLEDs, and Sony's Bravia XR models.

Now is also a good time for PlayStation fans to play some of the platform's most demanding games again, knowing that the controls will work better and more smoothly. Sony has recently lowered the prices of both the PS5 and the PS5 Pro and rumors suggest that, a new PlayStation system may be released in 2028. This fix couldn't come at a better time. It shows that Sony is still committed to making the user experience better and keeping hardware standards high for a long time to come.

This quiet but important fix to VRR is a significant win in a business where post-launch support can make or break a console's reputation. It finally makes sure that the feature works as smoothly as it sounds, which is a big step toward giving players the premium next-gen experience they were promised. The message is clear: PlayStation hears you, even if it doesn't always talk.