Genshin Impact: New PS5 gameplay looks amazing

Genshin Impact is already great on PS5, but it’s still technically the PS4 version running on backward compatibility. With the release of 1.5 on the horizon, miHoYo also has another surprise for us: the PS5 native version of Genshin Impact.

Genshin Impact: New PS5 gameplay looks amazing

Sony released a sizzle reel of the game running natively on PS5 on their PlayStation YouTube channel, and it looks amazing. I honestly can’t tell much difference in terms of graphical fidelity from the video, but what does stand out is how fast the load times appear. The PS5 loads the PS4 version of Genshin Impact almost as well as PC in some areas, but these new load times blow that out of the water. Taking advantage of the PS5’s lightning-quick I/O, the game may even load faster on Sony’s hardware than it does on high-end PCs.

At first look, the PS5 version of Genshin Impact also has some minor UI updates. The button prompts are now all white to match the PS5 and Dualsense controller’s aesthetic instead of the classic PlayStation face button colors. It’s a small change but gives it an air of sophistication.

The draw distance is also increased, letting you see more of the environment on the horizon. Liyue Harbor seems to run a bit smoother, but perhaps it’s not a dramatic increase from how it currently looks on backward compatibility.

The biggest change in the preview video appears in Qingyun Peak. This area specifically was remade for the PS5 version, and now features lots of ambient clouds giving an even more dramatic sense of height.

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According to miHoYo, there’s some controller wizardry in the works to improve immersion with the Dualsense. Not much has been shared about controller-specific features, but I hope they get creative with the truly magical experience the Dualsense is capable of delivering.

Video improvements include native 4K and HDR, a slight improvement from the sub-4K resolution it uses on PS4 Pro and PS5. Sony’s video goes up to 4K at 60 frames on YouTube, so I expect that’s how it’ll be when actually in-game. A locked 60 FPS is still great, as currently, the game can dip into the mid 50’s. In either case, 60 FPS is totally fine since the 120 FPS potential the PS5 has is a little overkill for an action RPG with an anime art style. Check out my deeper dive into the currently available PlayStation versions of Genshin Impact to see how each handles.