Cyberpunk 2077 PS5 Pro Update: Is It Worth Using Ray Tracing Pro, Performance, or Balanced Mode?

If you own a PS5 Pro, the free Cyberpunk 2077 update that landed on April 8, 2026 is absolutely worth installing, especially if you care about either high frame rates or maxed‑out ray tracing on console. The update adds a PS5 Pro‑specific version of Cyberpunk 2077 with three graphics modes—Performance, Ray Tracing, and Ray Tracing Pro—each tuned for different priorities.

Cyberpunk 2077: PS5 Pro Graphics Modes

Technical Requirements & Enhancements

• PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution): Active across all modes. This AI upscaler allows the Pro to render a sharper image at higher frame rates than the base PS5.

• 120 Hz / VRR Support: Essential for the “unlocked” frame rates.

  • Performance Mode can push toward 90 FPS in quieter areas.

  • Ray Tracing Pro utilizes a 40 FPS “Golden Ratio” on 120Hz screens for much smoother motion than standard 30 FPS.

• BVH8 Acceleration: Hardware-level ray tracing improvements that allow for more complex light calculations (exclusive to the PS5 Pro hardware).

For most players, Performance mode is the best default because it targets 60 fps on regular displays and can reach up to 90 fps on VRR‑enabled screens, while still benefiting from upgraded PSSR upscaling and cleaner image quality than the original PS5 build. If you’re more interested in visuals than raw responsiveness, Ray Tracing mode gives you a 60 fps target with ray‑traced effects, and Ray Tracing Pro is the “go all in” option that enables every ray tracing feature at 40 fps on high‑refresh displays (or 30 fps on a standard 60 Hz TV).

For context, this article is aimed at returning or endgame Cyberpunk 2077 players on PS5 Pro who already know the game and want to squeeze the best experience out of the new console patch—people who actually notice the difference between 60 and 90 fps, or between simple ray‑traced shadows and a fully ray‑traced lighting pipeline.

Quick steps: How to enable the PS5 Pro modes

If you’ve just booted the game on PS5 Pro and want the fastest setup:

1. Make sure your PS5 Pro firmware is up to date, then update Cyberpunk 2077 to the latest version (the April 8, 2026 patch or later).

2. On your PS5 Pro, go to Settings → Screen and Video and confirm your TV/monitor supports 120 Hz and VRR, then enable those options if available.

3. Launch Cyberpunk 2077 and load into Night City.

4. Open the in‑game Settings menu, go to Graphics, and look for the PS5 Pro‑specific Graphics Mode setting.

5. Pick Performance for the smoothest feel (targets 60–90 fps), Ray Tracing for 60 fps with select ray‑traced effects, or Ray Tracing Pro for full ray tracing at 40/30 fps.

6. Play a few minutes in a dense area like Japantown or Corpo Plaza, then swap modes if the motion or image quality doesn’t feel right to you.

PS5 Pro graphics modes explained

Here’s the core of what each PS5 Pro mode actually does, based on CD Projekt Red’s official breakdown and Sony’s enhancement overview.

The headline feature across all three presets is PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution), Sony’s AI‑powered upscaling designed for PS5 Pro. The game renders at a lower internal resolution and uses PSSR to reconstruct a sharper image, which is how Performance mode can push toward 90 fps while still looking noticeably cleaner than the launch‑era PS5 version.

Ray Tracing Pro is where things get wild on console. CD Projekt Red confirms that this mode enables all available ray tracing enhancements—reflections, ambient occlusion, skylight, shadows, and emissive lighting—targeting 40 fps on a 120 Hz VRR display or 30 fps if your screen doesn’t support high refresh rates. That’s backed by BVH8‑based ray tracing acceleration under the hood, allowing the console to handle more complex lighting than previous builds.

Which Cyberpunk 2077 PS5 Pro mode should you use?

If you just want one quick recommendation: use Performance mode unless you’re specifically chasing the best possible lighting and are happy to drop down to 40/30 fps. It’s the easiest preset to live with across everything from tense gunfights to fast‑driving through Night City.

Performance mode if:

• You play a lot of combat‑heavy content like gigs and NCPD hustles and you want the most responsive aim and movement.

• Your TV or monitor supports VRR and 120 Hz, so you can benefit from the “up to 90 fps” ceiling.

• You’re coming from the base PS5 version and care more about a stable, smooth experience than about seeing every reflection in a puddle.

Ray Tracing mode if:

• You want a clear jump in lighting and reflections but don’t want to give up a 60 fps target.

• You play a mix of story, open‑world, and casual gigs, where the slightly heavier image look matters more than ultra‑fast camera turns.

Ray Tracing Pro if:

• You’re using a 120 Hz VRR display and are willing to trade some responsiveness for the most “PC‑like” visual presentation Cyberpunk 2077 has ever had on a console.

• You enjoy walking Night City at night, soaking in neon reflections, and taking Photo Mode shots more than sweating over headshots.

Expert insight: if you’re bouncing between modes, try doing a quick slice of the same quest in Watson at night: drive through a wet street, step out of the car, pan your camera across neon signs, then get into a firefight. You’ll feel the frame‑rate difference between Performance and the RT modes the moment bullets start flying, while the reflections and indirect lighting in Ray Tracing Pro pop hardest the moment you stop to look. That kind of short A/B test is worth doing once so you know which trade‑off your own eyes prefer.

How the PS5 Pro update fits into Cyberpunk 2077’s “fixed” era

The PS5 Pro update doesn’t land in a vacuum. It’s the latest step in a multi‑year recovery for Cyberpunk 2077 that already includes the 2.0 systems overhaul, the Phantom Liberty expansion, and post‑2.0 patches like 2.2 and 2.3 that kept adding free quality‑of‑life features.

On the content side, Cyberpunk 2077 has also been pushed to more players than ever. It joined the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium Game Catalog in July 2025, and CD Projekt confirmed that the base game is available to subscribers at no additional cost. In March 2026, Cyberpunk 2077 entered Xbox Game Pass, including Premium and Ultimate tiers, with the version arriving on the service packing in the post‑launch updates that reshaped the game after its original release.

That distribution push is backed by strong sales. In November 2025, CD Projekt reported that Cyberpunk 2077 had sold 35 million copies, a figure driven partly by new platforms like Nintendo Switch 2 and Mac, as well as subscription exposure. The PS5 Pro update is clearly aimed at keeping that existing audience engaged while giving high‑end console players a reason to reinstall Night City once again.

Is Cyberpunk 2077 still worth starting fresh on PS5 Pro?

If you’re coming in completely fresh on PS5 Pro, this is one of the best ways to play Cyberpunk 2077 today. You’re getting the benefit of every systems update, the Phantom Liberty expansion (if you pick up the Ultimate Edition or buy it separately), and now a console version that finally feels close to the high‑end PC builds people have been posting for years.

New players who value a smooth experience should start in Performance mode and only experiment with the RT options once you’re comfortable with combat and driving. Returning players who have already finished V’s story might actually flip that priority: if you’re mainly back to explore, hunt secrets, or use Photo Mode, Ray Tracing Pro’s full lighting stack will make old streets feel new again.

If you also play on other platforms, it’s worth keeping this piece in mind alongside your broader Cyberpunk 2077 graphics tuning—think of this update as the PS5 Pro‑specific chapter in a larger Night City settings and optimization hub that covers PC and other consoles as well.