These are the PS5 settings you should change first

Sony Inzone M9 gaming monitor sitting on desk next to PS5 with display on
(Image credit: Future)

The PS5 is now easier to find than ever. This means a great number of folks can finally get their hands on Sony’s powerful next-generation console and enjoy first-party titles like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Horizon: Forbidden West, Returnal and God of War Ragnarök. And with 2023 just around the corner, there will no doubt be a slew of new experiences to indulge in. Now is arguably the best time to own a PS5.

When paired with the best OLED TVs or the best PS5 monitors, PS5 games can truly reach their visual potential. But it’s a bit more complicated than simply plugging your system into a TV or monitor. If you want games to look their best, you’ll need to dive into the system’s settings and make some minor adjustments that provide a huge difference.

But how do you know which settings to change and which to leave alone? Below, we’ll go over the PS5’s screen and video settings to help you get the most out of your new system.

Note that it’s a good idea to calibrate your TV for the PS5. I recommend visiting YouTube channels like HDTVTest to see which settings are best for PS5. A Google search for similar content and articles should also suffice. Now, let’s set up your PS5’s video settings.

PS5 video settings to change 

First, head to Settings and scroll down to Screen and video. After selecting the option, you’ll land on a page with the options we’re looking for.

If you click on Video Output Information, you’ll see your TV’s resolution and refresh rate, the color format, HDR support and other factors. You don’t necessarily need to visit this page, but it’s good information to know.

The PS5 allows you to see information about your TV's output. (Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

In truth, you don’t need to do much adjusting since the PS5 will automatically select most settings, based on your TV’s output. If you’re using a modern OLED TV, you don’t have to change settings like resolution, VRR, 120Hz output, ALLM, 4K transfer rate, deep color output and RGB range. Leave most of these settings alone.

The PS5 will automatically adjust most video settings based on your TV's output.  (Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

If you have an LCD TV, it’s best to disable HDR as leaving this on can cause issues, depending on your TV. If you’re playing an older game that was never meant for HDR, disabling HDR could result in better picture quality.

If your TV supports it, you should enable HGiG to get the most accurate tone mapping in games that support the feature, such as Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Leaving the setting on shouldn’t affect games that don’t support HGiG. This is anecdotal, but I’ve had HGiG turned on for two years on my LG CX OLED TV and games always look great on the PS5.

With HGiG enabled on your TV, you should then go to Adjust HDR on your PS5. I’ll detail what to do on each of the three pages you’ll enter.

You should adjust the PS5 HDR settings to get brighter whites and deeper black levels. (Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

On the first page, press down on the D-pad until the symbol on the white background is completely visible (or until you can’t press down anymore). Then click up on the D-pad to make the symbol gradually disappear. When you reach the point when the symbol is barely visible, press up once more to make it disappear entirely. Follow the same steps on the next page.

On the final page, press down on the D-Pad until you reach the end. This specific setting adjusts black levels, so you want the value to be at “0” to get the purest blacks possible.

VRR is a relatively new feature for PS5 that allows the TV to adjust its refresh rate to the PS5’s frame rate output, thus providing a smoother gameplay experience. This is a good feature to keep on automatic, especially if your TV supports VRR. However, if your TV doesn’t, you may want to disable it. There’s an option to apply VRR to unsupported games, but I recommend not toggling this on.

Enjoy your PS5 experience

That's it! I know that calibrating a console (or television) can seem daunting, but it's all rather straightforward on PS5. With the adjustments listed above, your PS5 games will look their absolute best.

Tony Polanco
Senior Computing Writer

Tony is a computing writer at Tom’s Guide covering laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. During his off-hours, Tony enjoys reading comic books, playing video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on X/Twitter. His non-nerdy pursuits involve attending Hard Rock/Heavy Metal concerts and going to NYC bars with friends and colleagues. His work has appeared in publications such as Laptop Mag, PC Mag, and various independent gaming sites.

Read more
PS5 Slim
Here’s the first 5 games you need to play on your new PS5
Sony Inzone M9 II
The best PS5 monitors in 2025
Ratchet & Clank being played on a PS5 and a Sony Bravia gaming TV one of the best TVs for gaming
Best TVs for gaming in 2025: TVs for PS5, Xbox Series X, PCs and more
Best PS5 accessories
The best PS5 accessories to buy right now
The Philadelphia Eagles playing the Kansas City Chiefs on a big-screen TV.
5 Super Bowl TV settings you need to change to get the best picture for the big game
PS5 Pro and PS5 consoles standing vertically on tables
PS5 Pro vs PS5: The 3 biggest upgrades
Latest in Playstation
The PlayStation Portal on a counter with the start screen for Horizon Forbidden West
PlayStation Portal just got upgraded cloud streaming features — here’s what’s new
God of War Ragnarok
PlayStation’s epic March sale is live with PS5 games from $3 — here’s 17 deals I’d buy
Horizon Forbidden West on PC
AI-powered PlayStation characters are being tested at Sony — what we know
The Last of Us Part I screenshot with a Tom's Guide deal tag
PlayStation launches new sale with big discounts on essential PS5 games — here’s my 17 favorite deals from $2
PS VR2 headset with PS VR2 Sense controllers
PlayStation VR2 getting a $200 price drop in March — is it worth buying now?
The PlayStation logo on a PS5 Pro
Ex-Sony executive predicts the PS6 will arrive in 2028 — what you need to know
Latest in Opinion
A Samsung DU7200 LED TV on a side table
I'm a TV reviewer — here's the one type of TV I wouldn't buy
A distraction-free desk setup built around the Oakywood Standing Desk Pro
I built the ultimate work-from-home setup with this vertical monitor — and it’s a game changer for my productivity
Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2 — these are the 5 launch games that would make me buy on day one
(L-R) Carey Mulligan as Cassandra and Bo Burnham as Ryan in "Promising Young Woman"
I haven’t stopped thinking about this thriller for 5 years — and it’s steaming for free on Prime Video right now
Man and woman side by side lifting dumbbells in a plank position during a weights workout
I tried Gemini's new 'Gems' feature to create my own custom AI fitness coach — here's what happened
Pictures of a PC post-fire
My PC caught on fire recently twice — 5 tips to protect your rig from a similar fate