Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is quite rightfully upheld as one of the most impressive releases of 2025, which left its last generation predecessor looking somewhat lacking by comparison. Load up the PS4 game on PS5 and you're still running at 1080p30 with mediocre graphics settings and low resolution textures - hardly comparable with the PC version running at its best. However, a stealthily delivered current generation upgrade arrived a few weeks back and its promises are borne out, with close equivalence to PC's ultra settings paired with the optional high definition texture pack.

This is achieved using a heavily modified version of CryEngine, better suited to the capabilities of the current generation PlayStation and Xbox consoles, primarily via improved CPU multi-threading for improved streaming and minimised traversal stutter, while an upgraded rendering back-end designed for more modern graphics APIs is also in place.

The result? Well, the base PlayStation 5 sees a resolution boost to a dynamic 1440p, with a 1080p lower bounds - a good improvement over the PS4 version's 1080p peak. The same DRS window applies to both Xbox Series X and PS5 Pro. Sony's enhanced console doesn't gain any specific upgrades, however. Instead, the additional performance of the GPU is funnelled into DRS, with the Pro typically rendering more frequently at the max 1440p.

It's a clearly superior upgrade, but the less welcome news is that AMD's basic FSR1 spatial upscaler is used for the final resolve, paired with a sharpening filter: likely AMD's CAS (contrast adaptive sharpening). This is a little disappointing, especially as it tends to exacerbate aggressive flicker on foliage, most notable in long views across terrain.

Beyond that, the news is mostly positive for PS5 and Series X players. The high definition texture pack is an option we recommend using right away, boosting material quality on rock, wood, mud and cloth. It's a substantial upgrade over the murky low-grade art offered up for the last-gen versions, which had to contend with a mere 5GB of useable memory. Unfortunately, this particular option is absent for Xbox Series S owners, despite its own considerable RAM upgrade over PS4 and Xbox One.

Other enhancements from the PC graphics menu make their way into the new console patch. Shadow quality is bumped up to the equivalent of PC's ultra setting, which is more impactful than you might think, adding significant detail like defined grass blades and character silhouettes. Meanwhile, interior scenes are dramatically improved over last-gen, thanks to the buffed up quality setting for ambient occlusion, creating richer pockets of shame. CryEngine's sparse voxel global illumination (SVOGI) also looks significantly improved.

Also welcome is the improved volumetric effects from the PC's ultra preset, where light streaming in through windows now looks much more tightly defined, catching floating dust particles in space, while boosted level of detail settings for vegetation, objects and NPCs sees general improvement across the game world. Pop-in is therefore reduced, but not totally eliminated.

2
In stress points, no console locks to 60fps, but PS5 Pro gets closest, followed by Series S, then PS5 and Series X - though varying VRR implementations see Xbox more consistent overall.

Performance is interesting, targeting 60 frames per second exclusively, with no 30fps quality mode alternative. Unfortunately, none of the current-gen consoles deliver a locked 60fps experience, but it makes sense that the more powerful PS5 Pro gets closest to the target. Looking at the base model, 60fps is met for interior shots and a lot of open world wandering - but swift camera movements momentarily confound dynamic resolution scaling, while harsher drops into the 40s are found in NPC-dense spots like Talmberg Barracks or Rattay Town - likely hitting the limits of the Zen 2 processor's capabilities.

For the most part, VRR should clean up the experience on the Sony machine - unless you dip under 48fps and out of the VRR window, where judder manifests. Xbox Series X performance is lower, but its wider 40-60fps VRR range should - display permitting - provide a smoother sustained experience. While PS5 Pro runs best, it's curious to see Series S delivering frame-rates higher than both PS5 and Series X - though NPC-dense areas remain an obvious bottleneck, with drops down to around 50fps. Effectively, its cut-back visuals seem to allow for a proportionately higher GPU-limited frame-rate output compared to the more premium consoles, bar PS5 Pro.

Ultimately, if you're looking to jump into the Kingdom Come: Deliverance saga on consoles, this native app upgrade for PlayStation and Xbox consoles definitely gets the job done. For purists after a true 4K 60fps experience, PC is still the place to be, but this new patch does a great job in bringing the best of PC into the console space for the first time - and it makes a massive difference to the game. In short, highly recommended - especially to those with VRR displays.