Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon runs well, for the most part, on PlayStation 5, but it seems like there's a very simple way to make the game run at steady 60 FPS at a small cost in visual quality.
As reported by well-known hacker Lance McDonald on X/Twitter, the PlayStation 4 Pro build of the game actually runs at steady 60 FPS on PlayStation 5, making for a much smoother experience. This is the same as Elden Ring, whose native PS5 version didn't run as well as the PS4 Pro build.
Despite Bandai Namco telling us that the PlayStation 4 Pro build of Armored Core 6 maxes out at 30fps at 1800p resolution, just like Elden Ring, if you boot up the PS4 Pro build on a PlayStation 5 the framerate locks to 60fps. Much smoother than the PlayStation 5 native build. pic.twitter.com/diDRmDVQcA
— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) August 25, 2023
The PlayStation 5 version of Armored Core 6 runs GREAT almost all of the time, but it does have moments of slowdown that aren't hard to see whatsoever. They mostly happen in cutscenes but also when exploring areas with heavy weather effects.
(Yes, this is Framerate-priority mode) pic.twitter.com/mxK0sGGjNy— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) August 26, 2023
Interestingly, Lance McDonald discovered why both Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon and Elden Ring run worse on PlayStation 5 with their native builds. Apparently, the PS5 builds have no compiler optimizations, something that impacts performance considerably.
By the way I recently reverse engineered Elden Ring’s PS5 executable and the reason their game runs worse in their PS5 builds compared to PS4 is because their PS5 builds have no compiler optimisations whatsoever. It’s that simple.
— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) August 25, 2023
Not counting the usual technical wonkiness typical of FromSoftware titles, Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is a solid game and one of the series's best entries, as Kai highlighted in his review of the PlayStation 5 release.
Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is without a doubt one of From Software's most unique and polished experiences in the last decade. However, there's a certain expectation of AC Pilot skill getting into the cockpit that even making it through until the final chapter requires an established familiarity far above and beyond any Soulslike pedigree.
Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One worldwide.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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