Editor’s Note: Sony India provided a PC code for Ghost of Tsushima, and Dell India provided its Alienware Aurora R15 gaming desktop to IGN India got this performance review.
Sucker Punch Productions’ acclaimed 2020 action-adventure title, Ghost of Tsushima, was finally released on PC on May 16, 2024. Considering that the PC version developed was by Nixxes Software, it will likely be yet another successful port by the studio for a popular PlayStation Studios game. For context, Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired the Dutch company back in 2021.
In Ghost of Tsushima, players step into the shoes of Jin Sakai, a samurai who must discretely navigate the challenges of a Mongol invasion. Jin faces tough decisions, torn between adhering to his honourable samurai code and bending his ideals to save his homeland, Tsushima.
Given the game’s popularity and high expectations from Nixxes Software, how does it perform? Here is our in-depth performance review of Ghost of Tsushima on PC.
Ghost of Tsushima PC features
Before we get to the numbers, let’s focus on all the PC-specific features Nixxes Software has added to the Ghost of Tsushima port. The PC release includes the Director’s Cut, featuring the Iki Island expansion, the online cooperative mode Legends, and several features from the PS5 version. It is also the first PC game to feature a PlayStation Overlay.
Being on PC, Ghost of Tsushima offers a variety of features for the open-world samurai game, including upscaling and frame generation technologies like Nvidia DLSS 3, AMD FSR 3, and Intel XeSS, alongside Nvidia Reflex and Nvidia DLAA.
Besides supporting various third-party technologies, the game supports widescreen monitors such as Ultrawide (21:9), Super Ultrawide (32:9), and 48:9 for a triple monitor setup. It comes with an unlocked framerate, customisable keyboard and mouse support, along with DualSense and Xbox controller support.
Ghost of Tsushima PC benchmarks
In this performance review, I tested Ghost of Tsushima on a review unit of Dell Alienware Aurora R15. Here are the specifications of the machine:
Dell Alienware Aurora R15 gaming desktop review unit
Component
Model
CPU
13th-Gen Intel Core i9-13900KF (24 Cores- 8 Performance and 16 Efficiency Cores)
GPU
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 with 24GB GDDR6X memory
RAM
2×16GB DDR5 @ 4800MT/s
Storage
512GB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD and 1TB 7200RPM SATA hard drive (Ghost of Tsushima installed on hard drive).
OS
Windows 11 Home, 64-bit
Ports
Rear (2x USB 2.0 Type-A with Smart Power On, 2x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C (20Gbps), 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (5Gbps), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), Front (2x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-A ports, 1x USB 3.2 Gen-2 2×2 Type-C port)
Connectivity
Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E, Intel Killer E3100 GbE RJ45, Bluetooth v5.2
Audio
Rear (1x Center/Subwoofer output, 1x Rear Surround, 1x Side Surround, 3x 3.5mm jack (Microphone, Line Out Line In), 1x SPDIF TOSLINK Digital Output, 1x SPDIF Coax Digital Output), Front (1x 3.5mm port)
PSU
1350W 80+ Platinum
I tested Ghost of Tsushima on 1080p resolution on the highest graphics quality settings (everything turned to the max). Since Ghost of Tsushima lets you tweak AMD and Nvidia’s frame generation and upscaling technologies, we decided to see the best combo to get the best performance from the game. It is also worth noting that it is the first game to offer all combinations of supported technologies possible. For instance, you can use AMD frame generation with Nvidia upscaling technology.
While the average fps metric helps us quickly estimate the game’s performance, it isn’t enough to determine a game’s actual experience, including stuttering or jittering across raster, upscaling, and frame generation. For this, we will also use an average of 0.1% low fps and an average of 1% low fps.
As the name suggests, 0.1% low is the slowest 0.1% frames generated in the game and 1% low is the 1% slowest frames generated. This is important because we want to focus only on the bad frames that may result in stuttering or what you may call “lag”. This discards the faster-generated frames that result in higher fps. While these may not give you all the information you need, they are more than enough compared to the average fps.
As highlighted in the table above, we installed the game on the 7200RPM SATA hard drive to check for issues similar to those in the Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart PC release.
Raster performance of Ghost of Tsushima
Upscaling and Frame Generation settings (Max graphics settings at 1080p)
Average FPS
Average 0.1% Lows
Average 1% Lows
No upscaling or frame generation
152.5
77.9
115.7
Without touching any settings related to upscaling or frame generation and simply playing Ghost of Tsushima on the highest settings, the game averaged 152.5 fps.
Ghost of Tsushima – Raster Performance. testtest
While the 1% lows reflect our in-game experience, the 0.1% lows in Ghost of Tsushima are less conclusive due to several frame time spikes exceeding 25ms. Given the overall performance, these can likely be attributed to momentary hitches.
DLSS 3 and Nvidia Frame Generation
Upscaling and Frame Generation settings (Max graphics settings at 1080p)
Average FPS
Average 0.1% Lows
Average 1% Lows
Nvidia DLSS Ultra Performance
174
113.8
130.3
Nvidia DLSS Balanced
155
108.1
124
Nvidia DLSS Quality
153
105.9
118.3
Nvidia Frame Generation + DLSS Ultra Performance
289
182.5
227
Nvidia Frame Generation + DLSS Balanced
249
175
198.7
Nvidia Frame Generation + DLSS Quality
244
180.4
201
With Nvidia’s DLSS 3 as the upscale method and AI-powered frame generation technology, Ghost of Tsushima crossed the 240 fps mark. As obvious, the combination of DLSS Frame Generation with DLSS upscaling at Ultra Performance offered the highest performance at an average of 289 fps.
We also noticed the lowest 0.1% lows in DLSS Balanced mode at 108.1 fps. This means that any hitches or stutters we noticed were above 100 fps during upscaling or frame generation.
We are also likely seeing some bottleneck causing DLSS Quality mode to perform better than DLSS Ultra Performance. The same thing repeats when we turn on Nvidia Frame Generation, though average 0.1% lows at over 100 fps should not be a problem.
FSR 3.0 and AMD Frame Generation
Upscaling and frame generation settings (Max graphics settings at 1080p)
Average FPS
Average 0.1% Lows
Average 1% Lows
AMD FSR 3.0 Ultra Performance
166
109.1
123
AMD FSR 3.0 Balanced
160
113.7
129.5
AMD FSR 3.0 Quality
156
111
125.9
AMD Frame Generation + FSR 3.0 Ultra Performance
277
159.4
171.3
AMD Frame Generation + FSR 3.0 Balanced
288
164.7
178.5
AMD Frame Generation + FSR 3.0 Quality
254
164.7
170.7
Using only AMD’s FSR 3.0 technologies for upscaling and frame generation, we see nearly the same performance as Nvidia. However, one interesting thing to note is the lower performance in FSR 3.0 Ultra Performance mode compared to FSR 3.0 Balanced mode.
Looking purely at numbers, the FSR 3.0 Quality and Balanced mode game has a higher average fps than DLSS Quality and Balanced.
The average of the 0.1% lows for Ultra Performance mode at 109.1 fps is impressive. Ultra Performance mode is lower than the Quality mode for the average of 0.1% lows. After introducing FSR, we likely see some bottleneck as we get identical average 0.1 lows for both Balanced and Quality modes.
Mixing AMD and Nvidia technologies
Upscaling and frame generation settings (Max graphics settings at 1080p)
Average FPS
Average 0.1% Lows
Average 1% Lows
AMD Frame Generation + DLSS Ultra Performance
276
162.4
170.9
AMD Frame Generation + DLSS Balanced
250
156.5
164.2
AMD Frame Generation + DLSS Quality
246
159.6
167.1
Nvidia Frame Generation + FSR 3.0 Ultra Performance
257
181.1
203.3
Nvidia Frame Generation + FSR 3.0 Balanced
239
168.1
188.9
Nvidia Frame Generation + FSR 3.0 Quality
247
170.1
192.5
When AMD’s and Nvidia’s technologies are combined, we notice that the average fps is always above 200 regardless of the upscaling tech’s mode. Even at Quality, we managed to stay close to the 250 fps mark.
From the data above, we can note that the AMD Frame Generation + FSR 3.0 Balanced and the DLSS Frame Generation + DLSS Ultra Performance combinations yield the highest frames per second, offering 288 and 289 fps, respectively.
We see a minimum average of 0.1% lows at 156.5 fps with AMD Frame Generation + DLSS Balanced. Again, the numbers for the Quality mode are better than the Balanced mode (even though marginally). But, the results are within the margin of error. Such small margins do indicate a bottleneck (either CPU, GPU, or even storage).
Performance analysis of Ghost of Tsushima
Overall, the tight, rather marginal difference between the 0.1% low average and 1% low average outlines the quality of the port. There are inconsistencies between different upscaling modes, where Quality performs better than Balanced or Ultra Performance, and Balanced performs better than Ultra Performance. However, most of these are within the margin of error. But it is hard to complain when we are talking about 100+ fps as our average for 0.1% lows.
It should be noted that using these upscaling and frame generation technologies comes with their own caveats. For example, FSR 3.0 typically had the worst visual results, and DLSS 3 frame generation occasionally encountered minor visual glitches and artifacts.
During our review, the CPU temperature peaked at 74 degrees Celsius, and the GPU temperature peaked at 73 degrees Celsius.
Verdict
Ghost of Tsushima on PC is undoubtedly a great port that runs smoothly. There were some infrequent instances of the game crashing when alt-tabbing, but during extended gameplay sessions, I encountered no hiccups, bugs, or performance issues. The PC port offers a wide range of frame generation and upscaling technology combinations, giving players plenty of options to fiddle with to find their ideal settings. Nixxes Software has done an excellent job porting this beloved PS4 game, and anyone who hasn’t experienced it before should do so now.
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Rayan Sayyed is a staff writer for IGN India with a primary focus on Asian entertainment spanning from anime, manga, games to films and dramas from the East. You can reach out to him at rayan_sayyed@ign.com, or find him on Twitter @rayanaver and Instagram @rayansayyed.
