Avowed PS5 Pro Performance Review

Written by Jason Dailey on 2/17/2026 for PS5  

A year after its Xbox and PC release, Avowed has finally journeyed to the PlayStation 5 alongside a big Anniversary Update across all platforms. Gaming Nexus Editor-in-Chief, Eric Hauter, already had the pleasure of reviewing Avowed when it released last year, and with no substantive changes to the game itself (and at risk of sounding like a broken record), I thought it may be prudent to analyze how Avowed looks and performs on PS5, in lieu of another standard review.

For full disclosure, Obsidian has not provided official performance specs for Avowed on PS5, so I am operating under the assumption that its specs will be similar, if not the same, as they are on Xbox Series X consoles. What has made my technical review particularly challenging is the fact that I have been playing on PlayStation 5 Pro, which Avowed does have support for, but I don’t know what those specific enhancements are at the time of writing either, with no base PS5 to compare it to. In other words, this graphics breakdown is most relevant to PS5 Pro owners.

Avowed runs on Unreal Engine 5, utilizing its key tech such as Lumen global illumination for a more realistic lighting simulation, and Nanite, which provides a boost for rendering environmental geometry, ultimately maintaining a higher level of detail as you meander around its open world. It also features three graphical modes on PS5: Quality, Balanced, and Performance. As with most AAA releases this console generation, your mileage may vary depending on the display you’re playing Avowed on but, overall, it is real beauty on PS5 Pro.

Starting with Quality mode, it appears to run at a 4K resolution and stable 30 frames per second on PS5 Pro, with all the bells and whistles of Unreal Engine 5. Lighting, textures, and character models look fantastic combined with the game’s amazing art direction. It’s obvious that Quality mode features the highest amount of detail, as it should, but what really unleashed its full potential is unlocking the framerate. If your display supports Variable Refresh Rate, unshackling the framerate in the settings is one of the first things you should do. Changing that setting on PS5 Pro appears to run Avowed at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, with everything Unreal Engine 5 has to offer. This is handsdown the best way to play Avowed.

A step down from Quality is Balanced mode, though it is not much of a step down. Balanced mode is for owners of 120Hz-capable displays and is consistent with other Balanced modes this console generation allowing you to sacrifice a little bit of graphic fidelity for a slightly higher framerate. With the framerate locked, Balanced mode appears to run a dynamic resolution that approaches 4K at around 40 frames per second. Unlocking the framerate allows it to operate variably above 40fps.

What you’re sacrificing in Balanced versus Quality mode is a bit of fidelity in terms of resolution, and perhaps a level of detail on foliage and other textures. Overall, Balanced mode is a great option as well, and I’m guessing this will be a sweet spot for base PS5 owners with 120Hz displays.

The third and final graphics option is Performance mode, which sacrifices a noticeable amount of fidelity for the highest framerate possible. Even on PS5 Pro, turning on Performance mode drops the resolution considerably, appearing to be sub-1440p and perhaps even approaching 1080p. On the other hand, the performance boost is obvious, appearing to zoom past 60 frames when unlocking the framerate, and stabilizing at 60 when locked in the settings. In addition to a reduction in resolution, the hit to lighting, textures, and foliage are all obvious. For a game with as much eye candy as Avowed, Performance mode is certainly not to my taste, though frame rate snobs should be sated.

Ultimately, Avowed looks and performs well on PlayStation 5 Pro, with three modes that allow you to have the graphical experience you are looking for, or at least the best one your display will allow for. There’s something for everyone here, be it players seeking the highest fidelity, frame rate snobs looking to push performance, or the folks who prefer something in the middle. Obsidian including the ability to unlock the framerate on displays that support Variable Refresh Rate is a game changer, particularly on PS5 Pro, where Quality mode appears to hit 4K resolution running at 60 frames per second with everything Unreal Engine 5 has to offer, and if there’s a “best” way to experience Avowed, that is the way. But the great thing about Avowed is that Obsidian has provided flexibility to tailor the experience to your liking by tweaking settings in-game and on your display. There’s no bad option here—just the one you prefer.