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PlayStation 4 Pro Release Date Approaches: What Games Will Carry 4K Support On Launch Day?

By Cal Jeffrey
Published on: 08:59 PST, Nov 4, 2016

The PlayStation 4 Pro’s release date is only about a week away, and the console’s success is still in question. According to Game Rant, Sony is calling it “the world’s most powerful gaming console” in a new commercial. That might be true for now, but it is already known that the Xbox Scorpio will house more graphical power when it is released. There are also questions about how much content will support 4K graphics, which is arguably the PS4 Pro’s main selling point.

Despite the uncertainty of the PlayStation 4 Pro’s capabilities or reception, sales are largely going to be determined by available content. The PS4 already has over 700 games available, all of which are compatible with the Pro. However, since the console’s main feature is 4K output, the real question is, how many of these 700 titles are going to take advantage of that capability?

Backward 4K Support

It has already been reported that patches will go out on some games that upgrade the title’s graphics on day one. However, Sony is not pressuring game makers to patch their titles. Its philosophy seems to be to offer developers some substantial raw graphical power and see how they take advantage of it, rather than requiring them to do so.

Additionally, it is uncertain how many games will be in native 4K resolution. Some titles that were thought to be getting 4K support are in reality only getting a bump up to “extremely close to 4K.”

According to Sony’s PS4 lead architect, Mark Cerny, titles like Horizon Zero Dawn and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will use a technique called checkerboarding to achieve a 2160p resolution, while Watch Dogs 2 and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will only produce 1800p results. Other titles will only have upscaled 1080p.

This revelation is a bit of a bombshell that makes the situation more confusing than it needs to be since it conflicts with Digital Trends’ report that Watch Dogs 2 and DE: Mankind Divided will both “offer 4K and high-dynamic range (HDR) support.”

The whole issue is just confusing. Will XYZ game have 4K resolution? Nearly 4K? Upscaled 1080p? Nothing? Who knows? The developers seem to be saying one thing while Sony is saying another.

Also, Sony is not pursuing any PS4 Pro exclusive titles. In other words, it wants all the games to be compatible with both the PlayStation 4 Pro and the vanilla PS4, so unless there is a change in ideals, we will not see any titles that are exclusive to the Pro. Sony will still feature exclusive titles, but they will be playable on both versions of the console.

Launch Content

Despite not exactly knowing what resolution a game will have at launch (at least not without having to go read the product description), we do know which games will be optimizing in time for the PlayStation 4 Pro release date.

According to Polygon, there are no PS4 games slated for release on PlayStation 4 Pro launch day. Therefore, all titles that will be optimized for the hearty console will be games that are already available.

Thanks to TechSpot, we know which games are getting the Pro treatment on day one. Here is the list in alphabetical order.

  • Battlefield 1
  • Battlezone
  • Bound
  • Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3
  • Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
  • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
  • Dishonored 2
  • Driveclub VR
  • EA Sports FIFA 17
  • Firewatch
  • Helldivers
  • Hitman
  • Hustle Kings
  • inFAMOUS First Light
  • inFAMOUS Second Son
  • Knack
  • Mafia III
  • Mantis Burn Racing
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
  • NBA 2K17
  • Neon Chrome
  • Paragon
  • PlayStation VR Worlds
  • Ratchet & Clank
  • Rez Infinite
  • RIGS Mechanized Combat League
  • Rise Of The Tomb Raider
  • Robinson: The Journey
  • Smite
  • Super Stardust Ultra
  • The Elders Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited
  • The Elders Scrolls: Skyrim Special Edition
  • The Last Of Us Remastered
  • The Last Of Us: Left Behind
  • The Playroom VR
  • Thumper
  • Titanfall 2
  • Tumble
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
  • Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
  • Viking Squad
  • Wheels of Aurelia
  • World Of Tanks
  • XCOM 2

Additionally, TechSpot says another “45 games including The Last Guardian, Final Fantasy XV, Watch Dogs 2, and Killing Floor 2 will be optimized for the PS4 Pro by the end of the year.”

Once again, it is not known how many, if any of these titles will be running at full 4K resolution. So if this is a concern, users should carefully read the description for a game before they commit to the purchase. For those considering upgrading to a PlayStation 4 Pro, it might be a good idea to read the descriptions on currently owned games and potential future purchases to see which resolution these games will support before upgrading to Sony’s newest console.

The PlayStation 4 Pro release date is November 10, 2016, and it will retail for $399.

[Featured Image by Jae C. Hong/AP Images]

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