PlayStation 5 Games With Hidden Settings That Change Everything

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As a gamer, I really think game settings are super important. They let you customize everything to exactly how you want it – both how the game looks and how it plays. A lot of newer games have tons of options, which is great, but sometimes those settings can really change the whole experience, almost like playing a different game entirely! It’s cool to be able to tweak things to get it just right for you.

Many exclusive games on the PlayStation 5 offer a variety of settings that let players customize how the game looks and plays, going beyond the standard experience. Even some games available on multiple platforms have a single option that can significantly improve combat, alter the visuals, or even change the game’s style without losing what makes it unique.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered

HUD: Dynamic / Off

Details:

  • More immersion and fewer distractions
  • Elevates the sound and level design

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is a remarkably beautiful game, and its incredible detail really pulls you into the experience. While the story is captivating, it’s still a game, so it naturally includes helpful on-screen prompts and visual guides to help you navigate the world.

Removing or making the game’s heads-up display (HUD) dynamic dramatically changes the experience. It makes survival much more difficult and relies on your instincts instead of on-screen information. Players have to pay close attention to their environment to succeed, shifting the focus from action-adventure to a truly immersive survival challenge.

God of War Ragnarök

Enemy Health Bars: Off

Details:

  • Makes fights more visceral
  • No reliance on numbers

God of War Ragnarök delivers stunning visuals and deep, skill-based combat, making players feel incredibly powerful. Enemies have clear weaknesses and behaviors, and the game rewards players who fight aggressively, constantly adapting to what’s happening on screen and utilizing different abilities.

Removing enemy health bars completely changes how combat feels. Instead of focusing on dealing the most damage, you pay attention to how enemies move and react, making wins feel more satisfying. When you combine this with a higher difficulty level, the battles become incredibly cinematic – so immersive they feel like watching a movie instead of playing a game.

Horizon Forbidden West

Easy Loot + Very Hard Combat

Details:

  • Removes tedious farming
  • Combat intensity remains intact

Horizon Forbidden West features exciting battles against challenging machines. These machines are designed with parts that can be broken off and are vulnerable to different types of attacks. While the combat is especially rewarding on harder settings – requiring careful aiming and planning – players can sometimes get stuck spending too much time collecting specific parts and relying on finding good loot.

Okay, so I finally figured out the perfect balance in this game! I’m playing on Very Hard, which keeps the fights intense and actually makes me think, but I’m using Easy Loot. It’s a game-changer because it means I’m not stuck grinding for resources all the time. I can actually keep moving forward, experiment with different tactics, and stay totally immersed in the action. The game is still challenging, but it cuts out all that frustrating, time-wasting stuff. Honestly, it just feels so much smoother and more fun now.

Ghost of Yōtei

Watanabe/Miike Mode

Details:

  • More than just filters
  • Music and visuals become the focus

Ghost of Yōtei expands on the impressive world of Tsushima, focusing even more on beautiful visuals, a clean interface, and carefully paced combat. Every fight is designed to be powerful and memorable. The sword fighting is truly the star, and exploring the stunning landscapes between battles is just as captivating as the action itself.

For players wanting a different experience, the game offers several modes that change how it feels to explore and fight. Watanabe Mode creates a calm atmosphere with a relaxing Lo-Fi soundtrack, while Miike Mode ramps up the intensity and violence, making even simple battles feel brutal and exciting. These modes are fun additions that change how you perceive the game, but don’t change the core gameplay mechanics.

Death Stranding

Disable Route Assist Prompts

Details:

  • Removes the majority of hand-holding
  • Deeps the traversal systems

Death Stranding centers around traveling across challenging landscapes, and the core gameplay revolves around overcoming the difficulties encountered while making deliveries. The game presents every hill, river, and slope as an obstacle, encouraging players to plan carefully and assess their surroundings rather than rushing in.

Turning off the route guidance makes the game more immersive, requiring players to actively explore and plan their own paths. Instead of just following a suggested route, they need to study the landscape, adjust to changing conditions, and truly connect with the game world – something that’s lost when the game tells you where to go.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Swing Steering Assist

Details:

  • Rewards precision swinging
  • Reduces automatic movements

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 focuses on making movement feel smooth and fast, often subtly adjusting to player actions to create a visually impressive experience. While swinging through the city is amazing, the game assists players by default to make it easier and more seamless.

By lessening the game’s help with swinging and simplifying the on-screen display, the game now requires actual skill to move around. Players have to carefully control their momentum, and even minor errors can significantly slow them down. This makes it challenging, but much more satisfying, and once learned, it truly lets you feel like Spider-Man.

Resident Evil 4 (2023)

Auto-Aim Off/Reduced Camera Wobble

Details:

  • Encounters become far more tense
  • Vulnerability returns

Resident Evil 4 expertly blends thrilling action with scary survival horror, constantly shifting between tense moments and intense gunfights where managing ammunition and staying aware of your surroundings are key. The remake successfully captures the spirit of the original, but updated controls and gameplay make the experience even more impactful.

Players who want a more challenging experience can turn off auto-aim and reduce camera shake, making the game feel more like the original. This makes each shot feel more impactful – missing feels worse, and every successful hit is more rewarding, significantly changing how encounters play out even with this small adjustment.

Alan Wake 2

Hiding Hud/Crosshairs

Details:

  • Horror feels way scarier
  • Encourages more observation

Alan Wake 2, similar to the original game, creates a sense of fear and suspense through its atmosphere, lighting, and the details of its environments. The game deliberately makes exploration feel unsettling, and much of the horror comes from the constant uncertainty and tension in every location.

Okay, so if you’re not already totally freaked out by this game, you can really mess with the settings to make it even scarier. You can strip away almost all the helpful stuff on the screen – things like map markers, little hints, even your aiming reticle! When you take all that away, the environments feel way more claustrophobic and unsettling. It makes you move slower, think things through, and honestly, sometimes you just freeze up completely when things get too intense. It’s brilliant, but seriously nerve-wracking!

Baldur’s Gate 3

Karmic Dice: Off

Details:

  • Restores tabletop randomness
  • Embraces the failures

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a remarkably well-done video game adaptation of the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop experience. It simplifies the dice-rolling system to make it easy for new players while still keeping it interesting, and a clever feature called Karmic Dice helps to ensure outcomes feel fair by preventing overly lucky or unlucky streaks.

Okay, so I figured out that turning off this setting actually makes the game way more fun! It brings back the real randomness you’d expect from the tabletop version. Honestly, it’s a game-changer because every victory and defeat feels so much more meaningful. Even if I lose, I can still feel good knowing it wasn’t because of some wonky game mechanic, but just plain luck – and that feels right!

Returnal

Always Run: On

Details:

  • Enhances the flow of combat
  • Keeps momentum going

Returnal is a thrilling, fast-paced shooter where you’re stuck in a time loop on a strange alien planet filled with unanswered questions. It demands quick reflexes and constant movement as you dodge fast-moving attacks.

Players who adjust the game’s settings can eliminate some of the clunkiness by essentially locking themselves into a constant running state. This creates a smoother, more fluid experience, making combat feel more dynamic and in line with the fast-paced, constant movement that’s central to the game’s bullet-hell style.

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2026-02-07 06:10