PS5 Pro Enhance PSSR Image Quality is more important after system software 26.06-14.00.00 because Sony has changed the feature from an optional extra into the default behaviour on PS5 Pro. The setting uses the enhanced version of PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, including with supported games that were originally designed for the earlier PSSR model.
The change does not mean every PS5 game suddenly receives a new graphics mode, and it does not apply to a standard PS5. It changes how compatible PS5 Pro software can use Sony’s AI-assisted upscaling technology. Understanding that distinction makes the new default much less mysterious and helps explain why the picture can look different after installing the September update.
PS5 Pro Enhance PSSR Image Quality and what it actually changes
PS5 Pro Enhance PSSR Image Quality tells the console to use Sony’s enhanced PSSR model in supported titles. Sony describes the result as sharper and clearer visuals, with the PS5 Pro page specifically highlighting improved clarity in fine details such as hair and cloth as well as better image stability.
The useful part is backwards compatibility with the first PSSR implementation. PS5 Pro Enhance PSSR Image Quality can be applied even when a game supports the previous PSSR version, which means developers do not necessarily need to ship an entirely new graphics mode before players can benefit from the newer reconstruction model. Results can still vary from game to game.
Which games can use the enhanced PSSR setting
Sony says supported titles include PS5 Pro games that already support PSSR. Its PS5 Pro page lists examples such as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Alan Wake 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Nioh 3 and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. That is not the same as saying every title will change by the same amount.
PS5 Pro Enhance PSSR Image Quality is therefore best treated as a compatibility-level image reconstruction option rather than a universal graphics boost. A game that never uses PSSR has nothing for this setting to replace, while a compatible game can use the enhanced model even if its original PS5 Pro implementation was built around the earlier version.
Why the setting is now enabled by default
System software 26.06-14.00.00 turns the feature on automatically when a PS5 Pro is updated. Previously, Sony made the enhanced model available as an option for compatible titles that were not already using it. The September update changes that default, so users no longer have to find the switch themselves to get the newer behaviour.
That is why PS5 Pro Enhance PSSR Image Quality may appear to have changed without anyone touching the Video Output menu. Sony explicitly documents the automatic switch in the current system software notes. It is a deliberate platform change, not a sign that the console reset all of your display settings.
Can enhanced PSSR make a game look worse?
Image reconstruction can behave differently depending on the game, scene and rendering technique, so Sony keeps an off switch available. If you notice shimmering, unstable detail or simply prefer the presentation you had before the update, you can compare the same scene with the feature enabled and disabled rather than assuming one setting must look better in every title.
PS5 Pro Enhance PSSR Image Quality can be disabled under Settings, Screen and Video, Video Output. Turning it off does not remove PS5 Pro support from a game or change the console into standard PS5 mode. It only stops the optional enhanced PSSR compatibility setting from being applied where Sony supports it.
What to check after installing the update
After installing the firmware, load a PSSR-compatible title you already know well before judging the change. Keep the game on the same graphics mode and compare familiar areas with the console option enabled and disabled. PS5 Pro Enhance PSSR Image Quality is easiest to evaluate when resolution, camera position and in-game settings stay consistent, because that prevents unrelated changes from being mistaken for a PSSR difference. PS5 Pro Enhance PSSR Image Quality should then be judged game by game rather than from the menu label alone. That is the clearest way to see whether PS5 Pro Enhance PSSR Image Quality improves the particular title you are playing.
For the current first-party details, see Sony Interactive Entertainment’s official PlayStation support page at https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/support/hardware/ps5/system-software-info/.
