Sony’s ongoing efforts to bring its popular PlayStation exclusives to PC have been met with increasing success in terms of quality and stability. The latest addition to this trend is Ghost of Tsushima, which showcases the value of this PC-focused endeavor through the work of developer Nixxes. While it may seem like a simple task to translate the PlayStation 4 version developed by Sucker Punch into a smooth PC experience, it is still an impressive feat to surpass even the visuals and performance of the PlayStation 5 version.

Ghost of Tsushima on PC offers a complete package, including the post-launch multiplayer mode Legends and the engaging Iki Island DLC that expands protagonist Jin Sakai’s journey. With a substantial amount of content to explore, particularly in the main adventure, players will find themselves immersed in a story that gradually builds momentum. Memorable moments like the breathtaking late title card screen and thrilling set-piece battles that frame the main acts contribute to the overall experience. Despite the open-world design feeling slightly dated compared to newer releases, the captivating beauty of the game’s island setting remains intact.

Tsushima’s visual quality on PC is truly impressive. The game has undergone small yet significant improvements that surpass the visuals of the PS5 version. Upgrades to volumetric fog and other visual enhancements have made the world look even sharper and more visually appealing. While these improvements may not be easily noticeable without a direct comparison to the console version, it is disappointing that Nixxes did not include popular features like ray-traced lighting or global illumination, which have become common in modern games. Nevertheless, Ghost of Tsushima’s timeless visual design manages to overcome its age. The vibrant colors and attention to detail bring the world to life, with lush forests adorned in warm autumn hues and a striking contrast between the thriving wildlife and the oppressive Mongol structures that have invaded the land.

Playing Ghost of Tsushima on PC offers a significantly improved exploration experience. With the added fluidity that PC gaming provides, I was pleasantly surprised by the high frame rates and resolutions achievable on my AMD Ryzen 5600X and RTX 3080 Ti setup. The native 4K resolution consistently maintained well above 80fps during my playtime. This not only allows for a smoother gameplay experience but also provides the flexibility to scale down the game for older hardware. However, it’s worth noting that having a graphics card with more than 8GB of VRAM is ideal for optimal performance. The game offers a range of visual settings that can be customized to suit your preferences, and the real-time changes in the world allow you to fine-tune your experience directly from the menu. While Ghost of Tsushima already felt great on PS4 and was further improved with its 60fps mode on PS5, playing it at even higher refresh rates on PC with a compatible display truly elevates the transformative experience.

A variety of hardware is compatible with resolution scaling features, including Nvidia’s DLSS, AMD’s FSR, and Intel XeSS super-sampling solutions. Additionally, Sucker Punch’s TAA solution with dynamic resolution scaling can be utilized, mirroring the PlayStation’s handling of the game, although it is not as refined as options available on PC graphics cards. Surprisingly, AMD’s hardware agnostic frame generation solution can now be paired with Nvidia’s DLSS in a PC title for the first time (officially). This allows users to benefit from frame generation without requiring a modern Nvidia 40-series card, potentially doubling frame rates with minimal latency. While there may be some minor issues with image quality due to the injected frames between natively rendered ones, I found the setting to be acceptable for most of my gameplay. However, this feature may not magically upgrade the game to 60fps if your system struggles to maintain that level of performance, as optimal results are achieved when the game is already running at that frame rate or higher.

With its adaptable performance and extensive range of options, Ghost of Tsushima showcases Nixxes’ expertise in working with PlayStation exclusives. Despite lacking major enhancements compared to its console version, the game still offers a visually stunning open world experience that remains captivating, showcasing the beauty and dangers of Tsushima island for newcomers and returning players alike.