Digital Foundry tested Steam games on PlayStation 5 Linux, with selected titles running close to native PS5 versions through Proton
Digital Foundry has tested Linux running on PlayStation 5, using Steam games through Proton and comparing them with native PS5 versions. The results show that Sony’s console can run selected PC games close to native PS5 performance, although this does not apply to every game.
PS5 Linux is available through a project released by Andy Nguyen. It supports older PlayStation 5 consoles running firmware up to version 4.5. The setup gives Linux access to the eight-core, 16-thread Zen 2 CPU and the full 36 CU RDNA 2 GPU. By default, the CPU runs at 3.2 GHz and the GPU at 2.0 GHz. An optional boost mode raises those clocks to 3.5 GHz and 2.23 GHz.
PS5 Linux in Geekbench 5, Source: Digital Foundry
Digital Foundry tested Steam versions of games such as Black Myth: Wukong, Crimson Desert, Pragmata and Control. In Black Myth: Wukong, PS5 Linux delivered 99.9% of native PS5 performance without boost mode. Enabling boost mode added around 3% more performance. However, DF also notes that this is likely a best-case result. In the DF Direct discussion, Alex Battaglia said this type of parity is not typical when comparing a console build against a PC-like Linux setup using generic drivers and Proton.
There is also an important texture setting detail. Digital Foundry says the native PS5 version of Black Myth: Wukong is closer to the PC version with low textures. Earlier Linux tests with high textures produced lower performance in some scenes. This appears to be linked to memory handling under Linux rather than raw GPU performance.
PS5 Linux Black Myth Wukong, Source: Digital Foundry
The main limitation appears to be graphics memory allocation. PS5 uses unified memory, but Linux appears to handle it more like a PC with separate memory pools. Digital Foundry says dynamic VRAM allocation seems to top out at around 6GB. This helps explain why Pragmata showed heavy stutter in later areas. Crimson Desert also had rendering problems, with the sky failing to render correctly, they note.
Pragmata & Crimson Desert, Source: Digital Foundry
Control offered another useful test. Digital Foundry ran the PC version on PS5 Linux at 1080p with low settings and medium ray tracing. The game mostly ran between 50 and 60 FPS, with some drops into the 40 FPS range. DF notes that the native PS5 version offers a 1440p30 RT mode and a 1440p60 raster mode, but no 1080p60 RT option. The Linux test suggests such a mode may have been possible, although the PC version does not include all console-specific rendering optimizations.
PS5 Steam Machine
With no Valve Steam Machine in sight, PS5 Linux projects give us an interesting opportunity to see how fast the current-gen console actually us. Unfortunately, the project remains limited to older firmware, and the current setup is not a practical option for most users. Digital Foundry also ran into a 1080p output limit during testing, while wider display support is still being worked on.
Source: Digital Foundry
