As if you needed another reason to jump into Final Fantasy XIV--the popular MMORPG from Square Enix--the PlayStation 5 version of the game just went into open beta this week. It's available for all players who have a PS4 copy of the game or are currently running the free trial with their account, and it comes with a slew of perks afforded by the more powerful hardware. From super-fast load times to crisper visuals, FFXIV can now take full advantage of the PS5 as opposed to simply running the PS4 version through backwards compatibility.

When running the PS5 version, you have three graphics options: "Full HD" that does 1080p and prioritizes hitting 60fps, "WQHD" that uses a 1440p resolution while targeting up to 60fps, and "4K" that runs native 4K resolution and improves overall draw distance but will experience lower frame rates. I spent a few hours hanging in the Limsa Lominsa lower decks with the large and rather enthusiastic crowds and ran a few dungeons to get a feel for how the PS5 handles high player counts in each mode. Even though it can struggle at times, this is a major improvement over the PS4's capabilities and a worthy upgrade for those who play on console.

In 4K mode, you'll notice the game chugging to what feels like around 30fps in the huge Lominsan crowds, and doesn't always hit a silky smooth frame rate when out and about in the less dense areas of FFXIV's world. However, the visuals are crisp, akin to running maximum settings on the PC version at native 4K. Although you're not getting 60fps, I felt the experience was consistent enough as to not detract from gameplay, which I gathered from running The Twinning dungeon.