PlayStation 4 Pro Launch Games: Sony just released the official list ahead of release

Your PlayStation 4 games will not all take advantage of the increased power of the PlayStation 4 Pro, which will be released on Thursday, Nov. 10. That's because most PS4 games were coded long before the PS4 Pro was announced, and they require software updates to tap into the power of the Pro.

There are, however, a healthy number of titles in which the developers knew about the PS4 Pro and programmed their games accordingly, as well as games that the developers have decided to implement patches for prior to the release of the Pro to work with the new hardware. 

Sony announced the list yesterday on the PlayStation blog.

PlayStation 4 Pro games that are new releases

Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Dishonored 2, Mafia III and Titanfall 2 define the annual fall big-budget triple-A-blockbuster release glut. All five games will take advantage of PlayStation 4 Pro's faster processor and 3-D graphics software compared to the original PlayStation 4.

This is huge for core gamers, because they're not going to be in a separate player pool based on the kind of console they have. In other words, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro users will play against one another. This is the value of the mid-generation console upgrade: better graphics, no division of the player base.

PlayStation VR games will all immediately take advantage of the increased power of the PlayStation 4 Pro.

Faster refresh and frame rates are always better where virtual reality gaming is concerned, and both graphical improvements are made possible by the new processor and 3-D chip in the PlayStation 4 Pro. In fact, it is entirely possible that the PlayStation 4 Pro was designed with PlayStation VR in mind from the ground up. 

Battlezone is one of the standout titles on the list. It's the classic arcade game reimagined in VR. It was already looking and playing great in March when the developers showed Battlezone at the 2016 Game Developers Conference. Very smooth, no nausea — it was the gold standard that some developers are struggling with attaining.

Also worth noting: RIGS Combat League is another PlayStation VR game that supports the PlayStation 4 Pro. RIGS in particular should benefit from the increased frame rates and resolution offered by the Pro, as the version showed in March at the aforementioned GDC event almost gave us a seat on the vomit comet.

Here are the PlayStation 4 games being patched with upgrades designed for PlayStation 4 Pro users:

Uncharted 4 is probably the biggest game in this category. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Ratchet & Clank, Rise of the Tomb Raider and The Last of Us Remastered are likely already on the shelves of devoted PlayStation 4 fans. They were all gorgeous on the regular PS4 hardware, so they ought to look spectacular on the PlayStation 4 Pro. Also, because they were released earlier, you can probably get them for significantly cheaper prices.