Frame generation for PS5 games, explained

Many of the best-looking PS5 games run at 30 FPS in their quality modes. Frame generation creates a new image between every two frames the console sends, so your monitor shows 60 FPS motion. You keep the quality mode's resolution and effects; you pay with a little extra latency.

How frame generation works

The console sends frame A, then frame B. Before showing B, PlayRoam estimates how every part of the image moved between the two and draws an in-between frame. You see A, the generated frame, then B: twice as many images per second, each one a step along the motion.

PlayRoam works from the video alone. It doesn't need support from the game, so it works with anything you can stream from your console.

The cost: latency

To draw the in-between frame, PlayRoam has to wait for the next real frame. That adds roughly one source frame of delay plus processing:

Added delay ≈ 1000 ÷ source FPS milliseconds, plus processing time.

That's about 33 ms for a 30 FPS game and about 17 ms for a 60 FPS game. Your inputs still reach the game at its real frame rate; frame generation smooths what you see, not how the game responds.

Frame generation vs a performance mode

If a game has a good 60 FPS mode and you play something fast, the performance mode is the better pick. If the performance mode looks much worse, or the game has none, frame generation gives you smooth motion without losing image quality.

Which games benefit most

• Open worlds and driving: camera pans and fast travel gain the most. GTA 6 is the obvious example.
• Cinematic action and exploration: Death Stranding 2, Alan Wake 2 and Ghost of Yōtei in their quality modes.
• Less ideal: competitive shooters and parry-heavy combat, where every millisecond matters. Use the game's performance mode and turn generation off.

Match the stream to the game

Remote Play streams at 30 or 60 fps. Pick the one that matches what the game renders:

• 30 FPS mode: stream at 30 fps. A 60 fps stream would repeat each game frame, and repeated frames give frame generation nothing new to work with. Result: 60 FPS motion.
• 60 FPS mode: stream at 60 fps. On a 120 Hz or faster monitor you get 120 FPS motion.
• 40 FPS and VRR modes: skip them when streaming. They're built for 120 Hz TVs, and a 30 or 60 fps stream can't carry 40 frames evenly.

Set it up in PlayRoam

1. Install PlayRoam, sign in and choose your console.
2. Set the stream to 1080p and to 30 fps or 60 fps to match the game's mode.
3. Check the output panel. It shows the result, for example 1440p · 60 fps from 1080p · 30 fps with 2× generation.
4. Press Start.

Generated frames can show small artifacts around fast-moving thin objects and on-screen text. At 60 FPS they flash by for a sixtieth of a second and are rarely noticeable. If one game bothers you, switch generation off for it.