Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced PS5 Pro Performance Guide: How to Fix Frame Drops
There are some games you boot up because you want to test new hardware, and then there are games that make you forget you’re supposed to be benchmarking them. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced falls into the second category for me.
As someone who streams new releases almost every week, I spend a ridiculous amount of time comparing graphics modes, checking frame pacing, and paying attention to the little technical details that most players never notice. But after a few hours sailing across the Caribbean as Edward Kenway, I found myself doing what every great game should encourage—stopping to admire the scenery instead of staring at an FPS counter.
That said, the PS5 Pro version isn’t flawless.
Although Ubisoft has rebuilt Black Flag using the latest Anvil technology with modern lighting, improved weather systems, realistic water simulation, and much richer environments, there are still moments where performance can stumble. The biggest offenders appear during crowded cities, large naval encounters, and scenes packed with visual effects.
Fortunately, most of these issues are easy to minimize if you know which settings actually matter.
My First Impressions of the PS5 Pro Version
The first thing that impressed me wasn’t the resolution—it was the atmosphere.
The Caribbean feels far more alive than I remember. Sunlight filters naturally through palm trees, storms roll across the ocean with incredible density, and reflections dancing across the water make long voyages surprisingly relaxing.
During quieter exploration, the game feels fantastic.
The problems begin when everything starts happening at once.
Running through Havana while dozens of NPCs fill the streets, smoke pours from market stalls, and dynamic shadows update around every corner can occasionally introduce noticeable frame pacing issues. They’re not constant, but they’re frequent enough that experienced players will notice them.
Naval combat creates similar situations. Cannon fire, explosions, waves crashing against ships, burning debris, and weather effects all compete for system resources simultaneously.
None of this makes the game unplayable, but if you’re aiming for the smoothest possible experience, a few adjustments make a significant difference.
Understanding the Three Graphics Modes
Ubisoft gives PS5 Pro owners three visual presets, each designed for a different type of player.
| Mode | Target Frame Rate | Best For | My Opinion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | 60 FPS | Fast gameplay and responsiveness | The mode I recommend |
| Balanced | 40 FPS | 120Hz displays | Nice compromise if your display supports it |
| Fidelity | 30 FPS | Maximum visual quality | Beautiful screenshots, slower gameplay |
Personally, I spent most of my stream using Performance Mode.
The visual downgrade compared to Fidelity is surprisingly small during actual gameplay. Once you’re climbing buildings, steering the Jackdaw through rough seas, or fighting enemy crews, the smoother frame rate is far more noticeable than the extra graphical polish.
Unless you’re playing purely for cinematic visuals, Performance Mode simply feels better.
Why Performance Drops Happen
Many players assume the PS5 Pro should brute-force every modern game without breaking a sweat.
Unfortunately, game engines don’t work that way.
Even powerful hardware has limits, especially when developers combine multiple demanding technologies in real time.
The biggest performance hitters I noticed include:
- Large city populations with dozens of active NPC routines.
- Heavy weather effects during storms.
- Ocean simulation combined with ship combat.
- Complex lighting calculations in dense environments.
- Rapid transitions between gameplay and cinematic sequences.
None of these individually cause major slowdowns.
The problem appears when several happen together.
During one particularly chaotic naval battle in stormy weather, my stream audience immediately noticed the same frame pacing dip I did. It only lasted a few seconds, but it’s exactly the kind of thing players describe as “the game suddenly feeling heavy.”
Settings That Actually Improve Performance
After experimenting for several hours, these are the changes I would recommend first.
1. Switch to Performance Mode
This is easily the biggest improvement.
The game still looks excellent thanks to PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), while maintaining a much more responsive feel during combat and parkour.
If you’re actively playing rather than admiring scenery, this should be your default setting.
2. Turn On Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)
If your TV or monitor supports HDMI 2.1 VRR, enable it immediately.
Minor dips from 60 FPS become much harder to notice because the display refreshes in sync with the console instead of waiting for fixed intervals.
For me, this produced one of the most noticeable improvements during longer streaming sessions.
3. Always Use Game Mode
This advice applies to almost every modern console game.
Many televisions enable unnecessary image processing by default:
- Motion interpolation
- Noise reduction
- Dynamic contrast
- Extra HDR processing
These features increase input delay and can make frame pacing feel worse than it actually is.
Game Mode disables most of this extra processing and delivers a much cleaner experience.
4. Refresh the Console Cache Occasionally
Long gaming sessions sometimes make performance feel less consistent.
While this won’t magically increase frame rates, clearing the PS5 Pro system cache from Safe Mode is worth trying if you’ve been playing for many hours without restarting the console.
It’s a simple maintenance step that has helped me with several demanding games over the past year.
5. Keep Free SSD Space Available
Modern games constantly stream textures, animations, and environmental assets from storage.
If your internal SSD is nearly full, loading can become less efficient, especially while moving quickly across large open-world areas.
I generally try to leave at least 10–15% of the drive empty, not just for this game but for every current-generation title.
My Streaming Experience
One thing viewers often ask is whether technical issues ruin the overall experience.
In this case, absolutely not.
Most of the time, Black Flag Resynced performs very well.
The occasional frame drop rarely lasts more than a few moments, and outside of the busiest locations the gameplay feels fluid.
What impressed me most wasn’t necessarily the graphics—it was the atmosphere.
Sailing toward an island while the sun sets behind storm clouds genuinely feels like a modern reinterpretation of one of Ubisoft’s greatest games.
It’s clear that an enormous amount of work went into updating the world without sacrificing the original adventure.
Is Fidelity Mode Worth Using?
I tested Fidelity Mode for roughly an hour.
Visually, it’s stunning.
Lighting becomes richer, reflections appear more detailed, and character models gain subtle improvements during close-up conversations.
But once I switched back to Performance Mode, I didn’t want to return.
Thirty frames per second simply feels less responsive during sword fights, rooftop traversal, and naval encounters.
Unless your primary goal is taking screenshots or enjoying slower exploration, I’d recommend staying with Performance Mode.
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Could Ubisoft Improve Performance Further?
Definitely.
From what I’ve experienced, the game doesn’t seem limited by raw hardware.
Instead, several optimization opportunities remain.
| Area | Potential Improvement |
|---|---|
| City performance | Better NPC scheduling and CPU optimization |
| Naval battles | Improved particle effect management |
| Ray tracing | More efficient lighting calculations |
| Streaming | Faster asset loading during rapid movement |
| Frame pacing | Smoother consistency during heavy scenes |
Ubisoft has a solid history of improving performance after launch, so I’m optimistic that upcoming updates will make the experience even smoother.
Final Thoughts
After many hours playing and streaming Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced on PS5 Pro, I can confidently say this is one of the strongest modern recreations Ubisoft has produced.
Yes, there are occasional frame drops.
Yes, crowded cities and explosive naval battles can still push the hardware harder than expected.
But these moments never overshadow what makes the game special.
The world feels alive, exploration remains addictive, and the Caribbean has never looked better on a console.
If you’re playing on a PS5 Pro, my recommendation is simple: use Performance Mode, enable VRR if your display supports it, switch your television to Game Mode, and keep your console properly maintained. Those few adjustments create a noticeably smoother experience while preserving almost all of the visual upgrades that make this remake so impressive.
As both a gamer and a streamer who spends countless hours covering new releases, this is exactly the kind of remaster I enjoy seeing—one that respects the original while embracing modern technology. It isn’t technically perfect yet, but it’s already an incredibly enjoyable adventure, and I expect future updates to polish the remaining rough edges even further.
