Linux on PS5: a test confirms good gaming performance despite technical limitations

The PS5 can run PC games through a Linux distro, achieving surprising results, although hardly replicable by the average gamer due to the complexity of the software installation. This confirmation comes from a test conducted by Digital Foundry, which utilized developer Andy Nguyen's project to install a Linux distro on Sony's console (provided it has a very old firmware model). The concept is very interesting, and the test confirms the potential of the hardware, which performs well despite some technical limitations.

An Interesting Test

This test does not aim to illustrate how to run Linux on a PS5 but aims to highlight the actual capabilities of the console. The results are quite decent, notwithstanding some technical issues, such as the inability to access all system memory, with the GPU able to utilize less than 6 GB. There are other limitations to consider, such as instability in ray tracing and a maximum resolution of 1080p.

In several tested games, the PS5 running Linux achieves performance very similar to that of native games for Sony's console, confirming the potential of both the hardware and the software used. Among the tested titles are Black Myth: Wukong, Crimson Desert, Pragmata, and Control. Some of these games experience stuttering issues due to the limited available memory.

Despite this limitation, the results are positive, with games like Black Myth: Wukong coming very close (up to 99%) to the performance of the native version. The complete video of the test is provided below.