6 Games That Are Noticeably Better on Next-Gen

Can you believe it’s been over a year since the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S were first released? A year since we first got to experience the magic of Series X|S’ Quick Resume feature, or felt the DualSense’s haptics tap to life as Astro explored the various worlds of Playroom. In that year, we’ve seen a to of games both old and new released on the shiny new consoles, but which games really make the most of that extra horsepower? Here are six games that are noticeably better on next-gen consoles.

Forza Horizon 5

Games That Are Noticeably Better on Next-Gen

Forza Horizon 5 is the best racing game you can buy right now, and credit to developer Playground Games, it’s available on PC, Xbox Series X|S and the last-gen Xbox One, allowing all Xbox fans to drift their way around the Horizon Mexico festival.

While the core racing gameplay is the same on both Xbox One and Series X|S, the contrast in presentation and load times is stark, to the point that we’d highly recommend playing the game on anything but the last-gen console.

First and foremost is the visuals. Playground Games has created a real showcase of what the Xbox Series X|S can do. 4K, 60FPS, ray-traced lighting effects in the Forzavista mode, incredible levels of detail in both car models and the real world. It’s all there, and more impressively is the amount of detail you’re still able to take in as the world’s zipping you by at 200mph.

But arguably more importantly are the load times. This is something that Digital Foundry pointed out in its tech analysis for the game. The load times on Xbox Series X|S are marginal, and you’ll be able to play through the showcase events seamlessly on the more recent hardware. This is a massive deal, given you’ll be loading into various races as you cruise around the open-world map, and the showcase events themselves are some of the best moments in Horizon 5.

On Xbox One, things are pretty dire when it comes to load times. To load up an event can take over 20 seconds, and the opening set-piece that drops you into the world of Horizon 5? That’ll be broken up by lengthy black load screens, too.

Hey, we get that sacrifices have to be made to get the game running on older hardware, but if you’re a big Forza fan, do yourself a favor and play it on Series X|S. It was clearly how it was meant to be played on console.

Battlefield 2042

Games That Are Noticeably Better on Next-Gen

While Battlefield 2042 may not have launched in the best state, following a number of patches the gameplay has started to get a little more enjoyable. Fewer game-breaking bugs and weird glitches are plaguing players’ experiences, allowing them to enjoy the immersive military shooter that little bit more.

Alongside the usual load time improvements and sharper visuals and improved performance that we’ve come to expect from games running on next-gen hardware, Battlefield 2042 is just so much grander on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

If you play on either Series X|S, PS5 or PC, you’ll be able to enjoy up to 128-player skirmishes across Battlefield 2042’s enormous maps. This is a doubling of the player count for games compared to the last-gen version.

This means you’re going to get even more chaotic and explosive games, and all of that playing out with better visuals and a smoother framerate.

While Battlefield 2042 may not have fully delivered on fans’ expectations, it’s still significantly better when playing on next-gen.

FIFA 22

Games That Are Noticeably Better on Next-Gen

If there’s one game that feels as different as it looks when playing on an Xbox Series X|S or PS5, it has to be FIFA 22. The soccer series has long been known for only making minor changes each year, but with the series finally getting to grips with the new hardware, we’ve seen some pretty substantial improvements to the gameplay, as well as the visuals.

This almost entirely comes down to the new Hypermotion technology in use on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Specifically, it makes your players feel more agile when they’re on the ball. Things feel more fluid and natural, as they should do for a soccer game at the top level. The likes of Ronaldo and Messi glide across the pitch, weaving through defenders with an err of nonchalance.

It’s not just dainty attacking players that feel different, either. Defenders feel a little more robust and rugged, making slower players more viable. This isn’t just applicable to the next-gen versions, but it helps make the gameplay feel more rounded and balanced.

On top of the Hypermotion technology that’s only in use on next-gen systems, the visuals of course get ratcheted up to 11, too. EA Sports appears to have spent an insane amount of time on players’ hair and the physics tied to them, as it really does look exceptional.

Add on to that significantly faster load times when navigating menus — an absolute blessing in Ultimate Team — and you’ve got a FIFA game that really feels next-gen in comparison to the Xbox One and PS4 versions.

Final Fantasy XIV

Games That Are Noticeably Better on Next-Gen

As one of the biggest and most popular MMOs out there right now, Final Fantasy XIV’s various next-gen enhancements were very much welcomed when the game released on PS5.

Bringing 1440p resolution and 60 buttery frames per second, the game looks and runs as well the stunning region of Eorzea deserves. Cutscenes and general gameplay provides a sharper image, and even navigating busy areas holds up well on the PS5 in comparison to the PS4.

On top of that, you’ve also got drastically reduced load times when traveling to a new area. PS4 load times could be upwards of 20 seconds, while PS5 manages to hack these down well under the 10 second mark.

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077‘s next-gen version may have been pushed to 2022, but that doesn’t mean that the game still doesn’t (and didn’t) play noticeably better on next-gen consoles compared to the PS4 and Xbox One versions.

This was a criticism that absolutely ruined the game’s launch. Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 and Xbox One simply didn’t live up to the marketing hype and were frankly broken, buggy messes, so much so that the PS4 version was pulled from the PlayStation Store and both Microsoft and Sony were forced to give refunds to players who requested them.

While CD Projekt Red is still working on actually bringing the super-polished and improved next-gen versions of Cyberpunk 2077 to our screens, though, the current version does actually play pretty darn well on Series X|S and PS5.

Sure, after a year’s worth of patches and bug fixes the game plays better on last-gen consoles, but during our time playing on Series X, we noticed a much steadier framerate, far fewer bugs popping up and very little jank altogether. It may not have looked as pretty as those E3 trailers we were shown running on a maxed out PC, but it was certainly playable.

Keep in mind, however, this still isn’t fully optimized for the PS5 or Xbox Series X|S, so it’s not going to be perfect. But if you were waiting for the worst to be out of the way, Cyberpunk 2077 is in a much-improved state on next-gen right now.

Genshin Impact

Games That Are Noticeably Better on Next-Gen

When Genshin Impact first released on PS4, the reception felt a little mixed. Many praised the live-service game for its tight gameplay, enormous, interesting world and strong art style, but performance on the console was pretty poor.

The game would stutter when a lot was happening on-screen, or you were just in a busy area, and the resolution wasn’t always the crispest as the PS4 struggled to get all that detail on-screen without framerate nosediving.

On PS5, things are a whole lot different. Most noticeably, the resolution has been bumped up to a native 4K image, ensuring the world of Genshin pops with color and all the whimsical details that makes the game feel so enchanting to be in. The framerate is also considerably more stable, highlighted in busier areas where drops don’t feel anywhere near as noticeable.

Finally, and most importantly are the load times. The PS4 version of the game had awful load times when teleporting around the world or heading to a different domain. With the PS5 version, the game’s load times are cut down massively, nearly reaching the times seen on PC.

It may not have the DualSense support some were hoping for, but Genshin Impact’s PS5 version finally feels like a very viable way to experience miHoYo’s smash-hit.