Cyberpunk 2077 is about to get a serious visual glow-up on PlayStation 5 Pro, with CD Projekt Red rolling out a free update on April 8, 2026. This isn’t a token “Pro enhanced” badge—CDPR is leaning hard into PSSR upscaling, upgraded ray tracing tech, and three distinct graphics modes that finally let PS5 Pro owners tailor Night City to their display and performance priorities. If you’ve been waiting for a reason to reinstall (or to see what the fuss is about via the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog), this is the cleanest excuse yet.
CDPR’s Kuba Knapik (VP and global art director) frames it as a full-court press to make Night City “shine as brightly as possible,” and the feature list backs that up: 4K visuals, “powered-up performance,” and ray-traced lighting, shadows, and reflections pushed closer to the team’s original artistic intent.
What’s in the PS5 Pro Update: PSSR 4K, Better Ray Tracing, and a Night City That Pops
The headline feature is PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) support. CDPR says the tech upscales the image using AI, going “through each pixel, one by one,” with Knapik calling out the end result in vivid terms: “The result is incredible, with every inch of Night City — every thermal katana, every gonk on the street, every supercharged sports car — coming to life.”
That’s not just marketing poetry; it’s a clear statement of intent. Cyberpunk 2077 lives and dies by texture detail, signage readability, and the way its dense geometry holds together in motion—especially at night, especially in busy streets, especially when you’re moving fast. PSSR’s job here is to keep the image sharp and stable while the console spends its budget where it matters most.
On the ray tracing side, CDPR is also making a very specific technical change: implementing BVH8 (8-way Bounding Volume Hierarchy) support to improve how the game handles ray-traced lighting, shadows, and reflections—particularly in more complex scenes. Knapik emphasizes that lighting is a “key pillar” of the game’s identity, from dusk transitions to the oppressive neon glow of Night City’s megacorp sprawl.
And yes, CDPR is absolutely selling the fantasy: Knapik paints a scene of sunlight catching the fairing of a Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X before you disappear into a dark alley lit by neon secrets. It’s a cinematic pitch, but it’s also a reminder of why ray tracing matters in Cyberpunk 2077 more than in most games: this world is basically built out of reflective surfaces, emissive signage, and high-contrast lighting.
Three PS5 Pro Graphics Modes: Ray Tracing Pro, Ray Tracing, and Performance
CDPR isn’t forcing a single “best” setting. Instead, the PS5 Pro update introduces three graphics modes, each designed around a different priority—maximum ray tracing, balanced play, or raw frame rate.
Ray Tracing Pro Mode (the “all-in” setting)
This is the flagship mode, enabling “all available ray tracing enhancements,” including:
- Ray-traced reflections
- Ambient occlusion
- Skylight
- Shadows
- Emissive lighting
Performance targets depend on your display:
- 40 FPS on VRR-enabled displays
- 30 FPS otherwise
That 40 FPS target is a big deal in practice because it’s the mode that most directly aims at “next-gen” image quality while still trying to feel responsive—assuming you’ve got a VRR setup that can smooth out frame pacing.
Ray Tracing Mode (the 60 FPS “sweet spot”)
CDPR explicitly describes this as the “sweet spot between visuals and performance.” It includes select ray tracing enhancements while targeting:
- 60 FPS
If you want ray tracing but you’re not willing to give up that 60 FPS feel—especially in a game where driving and gunplay benefit massively from smooth motion—this is the mode that sounds like it’s meant to become the default for a lot of players.
Performance Mode (frame rate first)
This mode prioritizes the highest possible frame rate and does not enable ray tracing. On VRR displays, CDPR says it can reach:
- Up to 90 FPS (with VRR)
For players who treat Cyberpunk 2077 like a high-speed action RPG (because it is), this is the “make it feel incredible” option. And it’s also the mode that will likely appeal to anyone who values responsiveness over lighting nuance—especially during combat-heavy builds or high-velocity driving.
Release Date, Platforms, and Where to Play
The PS5 Pro update launches April 8, 2026, and CD Projekt Red has described it as a free update for Cyberpunk 2077 on PlayStation 5, specifically bringing enhanced support for PS5 Pro.
Cyberpunk 2077 is currently available across multiple platforms, including PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, and it’s also available on older platforms as well. On PlayStation, the game is currently included in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, meaning PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can access it there.
One important note: while the update is clearly positioned as a PS5 Pro enhancement patch, CDPR’s messaging here is focused on PS5 Pro features and modes—so if you’re looking for broader cross-platform changes bundled into the same patch, details have not been confirmed in the announcement.
Why This Update Matters (and Why It’s a Big Moment for PS5 Pro)
There’s an extra layer of intrigue here: after the PS5 Pro launched, CD Projekt Red had previously indicated it had no plans to use the console’s extra power for Cyberpunk 2077—and now we’re here, with a full-featured Pro patch landing in 2026.
What changed? The messaging points to an upgraded/overhauled PSSR being a key enabler, and CDPR is clearly treating the tech as a cornerstone of the new presentation. That matters because it suggests this update isn’t just “more pixels,” it’s a pipeline shift—one that lets the studio chase higher fidelity while still offering meaningful performance headroom.
And frankly, Cyberpunk 2077 is the perfect showcase for this kind of mid-generation upgrade philosophy. Night City is dense, reflective, and drenched in lighting complexity. If you want to sell players on why a “Pro” console exists, you don’t do it with subtle differences in a flatly lit corridor shooter. You do it with a game that can turn ray-traced reflections, emissive signage, and moody skylight into a tangible atmosphere upgrade.
CDPR also deserves credit for continuing to invest in the game’s tech identity years after its infamous launch. Whatever you think of the industry’s tendency to ship-and-patch, Cyberpunk 2077 has become a case study in long-term rehabilitation—and this PS5 Pro update is another step in that arc.
What Remains Unknown
Even with a solid breakdown of features and modes, there are still a few practical questions that haven’t been officially clarified:
- Exact resolution targets per mode beyond the broad “4K visuals” messaging and PSSR upscaling details.
- Whether the update includes any non-visual changes (bug fixes, gameplay tweaks, or additional improvements) alongside the PS5 Pro enhancements.
- How each mode performs in the most demanding scenarios (heavy crowds, high-speed driving, combat effects), beyond the stated FPS targets and VRR conditions.
- Whether any PS5 (non-Pro) changes ship alongside the patch, or if this is strictly focused on PS5 Pro enhancements.
April 8 isn’t far off. Once the update is live and players start stress-testing the new modes across different displays—especially VRR vs non-VRR setups—we’ll finally see how close CDPR gets to the promise: the most visually advanced console version of Cyberpunk 2077 yet.
