PlayStation 5 emulation on PC is progressing at a pace few expected. Project KytyPS5, one of the most active in this field, has managed to get two fully 3D commercial games running at frame rates close to 30 FPS. XIII and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Wrath of the Mutants are the first titles to reach a state that can be considered playable, albeit with significant graphical and stability limitations.
Until just a few weeks ago, the emulator could barely manage to display loading screens and a few menus. Now, the leap to real-time gameplay represents a significant milestone in the development of emulation for Sony's console. Below, we review in detail the latest advancements and the current state of KytyPS5 and its competitor SharpEmu.
XIII and TMNT: the first playable 3D games on KytyPS5
The remake of XIII, released in 2020, runs on KytyPS5 at a frame rate that fluctuates between 20 and 30 FPS, depending on the scene. The game responds well to player controls and allows progression through the levels, although texture rendering and some lighting effects have noticeable flaws. The title's cel-shaded aesthetic might be adding complexity to the emulation process, but the fact that it's a relatively lightweight game helps maintain the frame rate.
Meanwhile, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Wrath of the Mutants runs more stably, with performance hovering between 22 and 24 FPS. Visual glitches are less noticeable than in XIII , although the game tends to crash unexpectedly on the first launch. Once the emulator is restarted, the game continues without further issues. Both titles have been documented by user Gamers3962 on social media, confirming that KytyPS5 is progressing faster than SharpEmu in terms of public 3D game demonstrations.
Other titles and the status of SharpEmu
In addition to XIII and TMNT, KytyPS5 has shown progress with other titles such as Paleo Pines and Hellboy: Web of Wyrd, although in these cases the frame rate remains extremely low and they are not playable. Grand Theft Auto V is now able to boot and access its menus , indicating that the emulator is expanding its compatibility with graphics engines such as Unreal Engine 4/5, Unity, and its own engines. Previously, demonstrations of Quake II, PowerWash Simulator, and PAC-MAN WORLD had also been seen.
While KytyPS5 focuses on expanding its list of compatible games, the SharpEmu project is taking a different approach. Its developers are implementing low-level fixes in Vulkan and optimizing the rendering system to try and run more demanding titles like Astro Bot. So far, Astro Bot has only managed to boot into SharpEmu, without displaying menus or gameplay. Both emulators are open source and free, allowing any user with the appropriate hardware to test their current state.
KytyPS5's progress in just a few weeks is remarkable: going from simply displaying loading screens to running 3D games at 30 FPS represents a significant leap forward in PlayStation 5 emulation. XIII and TMNT are just the tip of the iceberg , but there's still a long way to go before the console's catalog is generally playable. The developer community continues to work, and both KytyPS5 and SharpEmu promise new surprises in the coming months.