Warhorse Studios has successfully delivered significant enhancements to the game’s console versions.
Digital Foundry recently conducted an in-depth review of the next-gen update for Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which was released earlier this year for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles.
According to their analysis, the graphical fidelity of KCD on consoles, particularly when utilizing the optional high-quality texture pack, now closely mirrors the “ultra settings” found on PC:
This achievement is attributed to a substantially modified version of CryEngine, now better optimized for the capabilities of modern PlayStation and Xbox hardware. Key improvements include enhanced CPU multi-threading for streamlined asset streaming and minimized stuttering during gameplay movement, alongside an updated rendering backend designed to leverage more modern graphics APIs.
The Digital Foundry specialist highly recommends enabling this texture pack, though it’s important to note that it is unavailable for Xbox Series S.
The update also brings improved volumetric effects, directly ported from the PC’s “ultra settings.” This means that “light piercing through windows now appears much more natural and distinct, illuminating dust particles suspended in the air. Furthermore, increased detail settings for vegetation, objects, and NPCs have noticeably elevated the overall visual quality within the game world.” Despite these advancements, the developers were unable to entirely eliminate noticeable “object pop-in,” but its occurrence has been significantly reduced.
While Digital Foundry’s expert maintains that PC remains the optimal platform for those striving for 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, this next-gen update for Kingdom Come: Deliverance “superbly transfers the best aspects of the PC version to consoles — and it fundamentally transforms the game”:
In conclusion: it comes highly recommended, especially for owners of VRR-supported displays.