I've spent 40 hours cracking skulls and casting spells from behind Avowed's Quarterstaff, and Obsidian's action role-playing game is better than ever on PlayStation 5

SFollowing in the footsteps of Stalker: Heart of Chornobyl and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Avowed is another former Xbox-exclusive that has made its way to PlayStation platforms a year after its initial release.

Similar to those titles, Obsidian Entertainment's fantasy action role-playing game isn't just sloppy seconds on the PS5 and PS5 Pro, but rather the definitive edition of an already fantastic experience.

Avowed's arrival on Sony's consoles not only benefits from a year's worth of additional polish and bug fixes, but also plenty of fresh content and PlayStation-specific bells and whistles, like brilliant DualSense Wireless Controller integration.

DuelSense-fueled fighting

While I began an Avowed playthrough on my Xbox Series X a year ago, I didn't get to dig very deep into its rich, potential-packed universe. What I remember most from my brief time braving the Living Lands as an envoy of the Aedyr Empire is the game's rewarding combat, which feels better than ever on the PS5.

Fast, fluid, and superbly supported by weighty impacts of blades, bullets, and arcane abilities, the monster-slaying action was already satisfying as hell. But the combat's been amped up significantly thanks to the DualSense's immersion-ratcheting capabilities.

Obsidian didn't sleep on the gamepad's proprietary tech, fully leveraging its adaptive triggers and haptic feedback to make every input – from meaty melee strikes to slow simmering spells – feel as fantastic in your hands as they look on the screen.

Of course, this also folds in that fresh content I mentioned above, as the game's massive anniversary update introduces a new Quarterstaff for wizard builds. No mere reskin of an existing melee weapon, this two-handed tool of destruction allows mages to crack skulls up-close – as well as unleash powerful spells – in an epic fashion that'd make Gandalf proud.

Coupled with its next-level DualSense effects, it's quickly become my favorite way to bring death to the Living Lands.

An update worthy of the gods

While the Quarterstaff is my personal favorite addition, this sorcerer's best friend barely scratches the surface of the brimming update.

A deep photo mode – with plenty of options for customizing effects, filters, and color gradients – as well as a New Game+ option, will keep both existing envoys and new recruits busy. Beyond that, a trio of new races – Orlans, Aumaua, and Dwarves – join the Humans and Elves, bringing more character customization, perks, and fresh personality and lore to this already layered fantasy universe.

A slew of new difficulty modifiers also invite adventurers of all skill levels to tweak and tailor their experience to their hearts' content. Factor in the past year of smaller updates – adding everything from polish, bug fixes, and quality of life touches – and PlayStation fans are getting yet another definitive take on a title that was born on Xbox.

If the PlayStation version stumbles at all, it's in its lack of PS5 Pro-specific enhancements. It packs the now-standard quality (30 frames per second) and performance (60 frames per second) options, as well as a more in-the-middle setting for those with 120Hz displays. You can also chase faster performance by unlocking the frame rate, a welcome inclusion for sure. But there are no meaty ray-tracing features or other enhancements that allow you to truly harness everything under the Pro's hood.

And what is offered didn't seem to make much of an impact during my testing. In terms of both visuals and performance, my time playing on the Pro looked and felt pretty comparable to my Xbox Series X experience. Similarly, the standard PS5 and Pro seem to offer near-identical visual quality and performance, with no notable differences between the two.

Don't sleep on it a second time

While Pro owners might pine for more features to justify their pricey hardware purchase, the finger can be partially pointed at the fact that Avowed already played smoothly and impressed visually upon its release a year ago. That same sentiment translates to many other elements of the game, including its fantastic storytelling, colorful character interactions, and vibrant, varied world, covered extensively in TechRadar Gaming's original review of the game.

Unsurprisingly, upon its release, Avowed was another compelling, polished action-RPG from a studio that's been honing and perfecting its craft for over two decades, starting with 2004's Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. Sadly, it got somewhat lost in the sea of last year's acclaimed genre entries.

Thankfully, that oversight can now be remedied with its PS5 release, which not only reintroduces everything that was great the first time we faced its fungal plague but also brings a brimming treasure chest of fresh features, enhancements, and content.

Whether you're a PlayStation owner craving the most immersive experience from behind the DualSense or an existing envoy ready to wield the Quarterstaff as one of the new races, Avowed's second coming is as impressive as a Living Lands sunset…which you'll definitely want to capture in photo mode.

Should you play Avowed on PS5?

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Accessibility features

Prior to its PS5 release, Avowed already offered an admirable slate of accessibility options for camera adjustments, subtitle settings, difficulty levels, and even an arachnophobia mode for those averse to creepy crawlies. But the game's new version builds further on this solid foundation, especially in the difficulty department.

A new "custom" difficulty setting allows players to tweak over two dozen modifiers, adjusting everything from player damage and stamina to carrying capacity, enemy attack speed, and much more. But while Avowed more than delivers in most accessibility areas, it still doesn't offer the suite of colorblind options that have become pretty standard in other games.

How I reviewed Avowed on PS5

I explored The Living Lands for just over 40 hours, adventuring primarily on my PlayStation 5 Pro, but also putting plenty of time into my standard PS5 and Xbox Series X for visual and performance comparisons. I found the best, most balanced experience playing on my Pro in quality mode with the framerate unlocked.

I focused on testing the game's anniversary update additions, specifically its custom difficulty settings, new Quarterstaff weapon, races, and photo mode. I played primarily on my budget TCL 4K display, with HDR enabled and using its built-in stereo speakers, paying particular attention to the game's DualSense controller integration for vibration and audio effects. I also played a few hours on my PlayStation Portal with PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds.

First reviewed February 2026