Dying Light 2 gets performance modes for PS5 & Xbox Series consoles

Experience the next entry to the popular zombie franchsie on Feb 4 (Image via Techland)
Experience the next entry to the popular zombie franchsie on Feb 4 (Image via Techland)

Dying Light 2: Stay Human, in addition to the PS4 and XB1, is also coming to PS5 and XSX|S, taking advantage of the modern tech within those next-gen systems. The base consoles are expected to run at 30 FPS and around 1080p resolution, but the PS5 and XSX|S look like they will perform in an entirely-different ballpark.

Developer Techland has been hard at work promoting. The upcoming sequel to 2015's acclaimed open-world zombie game seems to amp up the tension to 11, while expanding upon what made the original great.


The best way to play Dying Light 2: Stay Human

Dying Light 2 comes soon to console and PC (Image from Techland)
Dying Light 2 comes soon to console and PC (Image from Techland)

Both PlayStation and Xbox have revealed performance modes for PS5 and XSX respectively. As both systems use hardware that is more or less similar, these modes will also be the same across them - minus final performance numbers which will be clear when the game is finally out.

Both consoles will offer the following modes to players:

  • Resolution
  • Quality
  • Performance

Experience high detail at 4K in Resolution mode

The more the detail, the merrier (Screenshot from Dying Light 2: Stay Human on PS5)
The more the detail, the merrier (Screenshot from Dying Light 2: Stay Human on PS5)

Resolution mode will be the highest resolution mode of the bunch, targeting 3840x2160 (4K) resolution. However, given the dynamic nature and massive scope of the open world, it would be unreasonable to expect a native image at all times.

Perhaps a dynamic resolution scaling (DRS) method could be in place to upsacle the visuals to the target of 4K for a stable frame rate of 30 FPS.


Enrich the experience with ray tracing in Quality mode

Raytraced reflections on display (Screenshot from Dying Light 2: Stay Human on XSX)
Raytraced reflections on display (Screenshot from Dying Light 2: Stay Human on XSX)

Given how much of Dying Light 2: Stay Human's experience is focused around night-time and lighting in general, the implementation of ray tracing is a no-brainer. More realistic lighting, shadows, reflections and post-processing effects allow gaming to get ever-so-closer to photorealism.

Considering how computationally expensive ray tracing is, the resolution will likely be on the lower side - looking at other similar games on those platforms, perhaps about 1080p-1440p with dynamic scaling.


Fluid parkour at 60+ FPS in Performance mode

Wall-run across the City's urban landscape (Screenshot from Dying Light 2: Stay Human on PS5)
Wall-run across the City's urban landscape (Screenshot from Dying Light 2: Stay Human on PS5)

This mode prioritizes responsiveness above all else. For a first-person game revolving around parkour and combat, it's the best way to experience the game.

Curiously, they mention 60+ FPS, suggesting an uncapped frame rate with the lowest threshold of 60. Doesn't seem ideal, but only a retail hands-on look will provide clear answers.

Players can encounter the horrors of the City when the game launches on February 4, 2022 for PS4, PS5, XB1, XSX and PC. The Cloud Version for Nintendo Switch has been pushed forward to an unspecified date.