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How to Fix Blurry Images, Shimmering, or Artifacts With PS5 PSSR

If a PS5 Pro game looks blurry, shimmers, or flickers with PSSR, test the same scene with Enhance PSSR Image Quality on and off, check the game’s own graphics menu, and separate rendering artifacts from display-signal problems.
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If a PS5 Pro game looks blurry, shimmers in motion, flickers, or leaves trails with PSSR enabled, there is no single fix for every title. First check whether the problem is limited to one game. Update the console and game, then compare the same scene with Sony’s Enhance PSSR Image Quality setting on and off. If flicker appears across games or changes with video output modes, troubleshoot the display signal separately from PSSR.

First, determine whether PSSR is the likely cause

PSSR is a PlayStation 5 Pro feature, and it only applies in games that support it. Sony’s system-level Enhance PSSR Image Quality control is available only on consoles in the CFI-7000 model group. Sony says the setting is on by default for supported games, can be switched off if unexpected visual effects appear, and may produce different results from game to game. Sony’s PSSR settings guide and PS5 Pro feature page describe the availability and title-dependent results.

  • Only one game is affected: the game’s PSSR implementation, graphics mode, or latest patch is a more useful place to investigate than assuming the console has a general fault.
  • Several games show the problem: compare game rendering with non-game console content, then consider system software and display output settings.
  • It happens mainly in motion or fine detail: note when it occurs—such as on foliage, hair, fences, particles, or during camera movement. This helps make later comparisons consistent, but does not by itself identify the cause.

Try these fixes in order

  1. Check the console model and game support

    Confirm that you are using a PS5 Pro and that the affected game supports PSSR. If the system-level option described below is missing, the console may not be in the supported CFI-7000 model group, or the game may not support the feature.

  2. Update system software and the affected game

    On PS5, open Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings and check for an update. Then check for an update to the game itself; its available graphics options and PSSR behavior can depend on the title and patch. Sony documents the console update path in its system software update guide.

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  3. A/B test Enhance PSSR Image Quality

    On a supported PS5 Pro, open Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output > Enhance PSSR Image Quality. Compare the same repeatable scene with the option on and off, keeping the game mode and display settings unchanged. Look separately at fine-detail clarity, shimmer or flicker during motion, ghosting, and performance. Sony says the option is on by default and may be turned off when unexpected visual effects occur; it does not promise one state will look better in every game. See the PSSR settings guidance.

  4. Inspect the game’s own graphics or video menu

    Look for settings named PSSR, upscaling, image quality, performance, or reconstruction. A title may have its own control in addition to the system-level option. For example, Ubisoft said existing Assassin’s Creed Shadows players needed to enable PSSR in the game’s video options after its update, while new players had it enabled by default. That is specific to that game, not a general rule. Ubisoft’s game updates provide title-specific context.

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  5. Separate display-signal flicker from in-game artifacts

    If flicker occurs across games, appears outside games, or changes when you change video output modes, check the display’s firmware, use a supported HDMI port, connect the console directly to the TV or monitor while testing, and verify the resolution and HDMI cable. Sony’s picture and sound troubleshooting guide says setting Video Transfer Rate to -1 or -2 may improve picture quality when the screen flickers. These settings limit some high-bandwidth outputs; they are signal troubleshooting options, not PSSR controls or a guaranteed fix for temporal shimmer inside a game.

  6. Escalate a persistent cross-game output problem

    If resolution or flicker problems persist across games and output modes after checking the display connection and settings, follow Sony’s troubleshooting guidance, which directs users with resolution issues to PlayStation Repairs. Do not start with a system software reinstall for a PSSR image problem: Sony warns that reinstalling system software deletes console data. See the output troubleshooting guide and system software guidance.

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How to compare settings without guessing

Use the same scene and viewing conditions for each comparison. Keep the display, resolution, and game scene fixed; change one relevant option at a time. Compare the system enhanced-PSSR setting on and off, then compare the game’s available graphics modes. Check a stationary view and camera movement, because a setting can affect fine detail and temporal stability differently. If you are investigating signal flicker rather than game rendering, compare a direct HDMI connection with the receiver or capture device removed from the chain.

Do not treat a sharper still frame as proof that motion artifacts are fixed. Judge detail, shimmer, ghosting, and performance separately. Sony says results vary by title. In a March 16, 2026 PlayStation.Blog post, Remedy Graphics Technical Director Tatu Aalto said the newer PSSR “responds quickly to visibility changes in games, keeping motion clear while improving temporal stability.” That describes the intended behavior, not a guarantee for every game or display. Sony’s March 16, 2026 PlayStation.Blog post discusses the update.

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Why one game may still look different

PSSR is part of a game’s rendering path, so a system option cannot ensure identical results across titles. Sony’s March 2026 explanation says outcomes vary by game, and developers have described title-specific changes. For example, Embark Studios Technical Art Director Mikael Linderholm said the improved PSSR in Arc Raiders reduced visual noise without performance reductions. That is a developer statement about that implementation, not a measured general guarantee. Sony’s April 27, 2026 Arc Raiders post gives the title-specific claim.

If switching the system option changes the symptom in only one game, continue with that game’s patch notes and graphics menu rather than treating the symptom as proof of a console-wide defect. The exact current patch and available title controls depend on the game.

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