The PlayStation 6 is said to deliver 10x ray tracing performance over the base PlayStation 5, but the real-world FPS gain will be closer to 3x in games that don't use much ray tracing. However, these improvements could allow the system to run games with path tracing at 30 and even 60 FPS, according to the tech experts at Digital Foundry, as Codemasters managed to get a path-traced game running on PlayStation 5 Pro at 30 FPS with some computational headroom to boot.
During the latest episode of their weekly podcast, the tech experts went over the F1 25's Path Tracing @ 200 MPH discussion held during GDC 26, where Codemasters' Tom Hammersley dissected the game's path tracing implementation on PC. While the panel is fascinating for tech-savvy gamers, what makes it very interesting is how the discussion regarding running path tracing on lower-end hardware led to a path tracing showcase on PlayStation 5 Pro.
This is very surprising, as it was long believed that the system couldn't run path tracing at playable framerates (as the base PlayStation 5 does, though with major resolution and image quality compromises). The video showcase features a daylight track rendered internally at 1080p, upscaled to 4K using PSSR running at 30 FPS. This is achieved with plenty of optimization work codenamed "ORCA" from EA's SEED, the publisher's research team, that brings it down to 23.36ms (around 40 FPS, so more than enough for a 30Hz presentation) over the 42.32ms of standard PT, likely a direct port of the PC implementation, which would make the game run at roughly 20 FPS, which wouldn't deliver a very good experience.
While this optimization work could open the way for path tracing on PlayStation 5 Pro at 30 FPS with similar steps, it also makes the prospect of the PlayStation 6 running games with path tracing not only at 30 FPS but also at 60 FPS realistic, even without frame generation, which inches closer to reality as Sony doubles down on frame interpolation research.
As Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter pointed out, the AMD RDNA 5 architecture that will power the system's GPU has been built for this, and if the PS5 Pro could run path tracing at 1080p, there's no reason for the PlayStation 6 with its vastly superior ray tracing capabilities not to push this further. Needless to say, seeing a home console handling path tracing at 60 FPS would be extremely impressive, considering how demanding the technology currently is, even on high-end PC hardware.
Although the PlayStation 6 could be a path tracing monster, there's still a very important caveat that could limit next-gen games in terms of physics and crowd density, among other things: handheld support. Speaking on the NeoGAF forums, known AMD leaker KeplerL2 commented on how the PlayStation handheld's CPU could have an impact. "Not every GPU workload scales linearly (or at all) with resolution, but yeah the GPU is not an issue. The (potential) issue is the CPU, which could limit how much next-gen games push in terms of physics, crowd density, etc. if support for the handheld is mandatory," they said, replying to another user regarding how the portable system could handle next-gen games compared to the home console. However, with less than 30% difference in RAM, the handheld system should not hold back the home system.
If path tracing becomes more widespread in games thanks to optimization work and technological advancements, and handheld support is handled properly, Sony will definitely have an easier time pushing users to upgrade to a PlayStation 6 that could really deliver a next-gen visual experience, even at a higher price than expected. However, it remains to be seen how many developers would be willing to sacrifice a high refresh rate experience for better visuals.
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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