Destiny 2: The PS5 Upgrade Oversight and Season 19 Subclass Balancing Revisited

The Destiny 2 PS5 upgrade outshines the PS4 version with crisp 4K 60fps, yet Bungie flagged many PlayStation 5 players still stuck on last-gen.

In late 2022, Bungie delivered a gentle but pointed reminder to its PlayStation 5 community. A “notable” number of players were still booting up the PlayStation 4 version of Destiny 2 on their current-generation consoles. This meant those guardians were missing out on the crisp 4K resolution and fluid 60 fps gameplay that the PS5 version offered. Why would anyone leave such a leap in performance untouched? The answer lay partly in the upgrade process itself.

Bungie’s weekly update, known as the TWAB, put the issue bluntly. The studio had noticed “a notable number of PS5 players playing the PS4 version of Destiny 2 on their current-generation consoles.” For the optimal experience, Bungie pointed to an official resource that walked players through upgrading to the free PS5 client. The promised gains were substantial: higher framerates, better graphics, and support for a smoother overall experience.

The current-generation upgrade itself had been live since 2020, offering up to 4K resolution and potentially 120 fps depending on the chosen mode. Xbox Series X|S players received this upgrade automatically thanks to Xbox Smart Delivery, but PlayStation owners had to manually seek out and download the PS5 version. The extra steps on Sony’s platform—buried in menus or hidden behind a platform-specific store search—likely contributed to the confusion. How many gamers realized they were still playing a last-generation build? Apparently not enough.

At the same time, Bungie announced changes aimed at older hardware. With the Lightfall expansion set for February 28, 2023, the developer planned a graphical update for PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One, and Xbox One X. The goal was to reduce memory footprint with minimal quality degradation. In practice, this meant a reduction in fog and atmospheric effects, as shown in comparison screenshots shared by the studio. Such adjustments allowed Bungie to continue creating new content for those aging consoles without overburdening their hardware.

From a 2026 vantage point, the shift away from previous-generation limitations is clear. Modern Destiny 2 builds on current consoles no longer carry the same fog reductions, and many players have since migrated fully to PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S. Still, Bungie’s 2022 note serves as a useful historical marker of the cross-generation transition.

Season 19 also brought a sweeping balance pass to the new 3.0 subclasses. After all the Light 3.0 reworks had been introduced, the sandbox team wanted to “normalize the power” of subclass abilities. Some outstanding abilities were toned down, while underperforming ones received buffs.

For Solar Hunters, the Blade Barrage Super was reduced from 24 total knives to 20, cutting its potential firepower by roughly 17 percent. The Knock ’Em Down Aspect no longer granted a 15 percent damage resistance while using Marksman Golden Gun. These changes tempered one of the strongest burst damage options in the game. Was that enough to dethrone Solar Hunter? Not entirely, but it made other choices more competitive.

Void Warlocks saw their Nova Bombs improved, giving the classic Super a more reliable impact. Shadowshot Deadfall anchors were extended in duration, strengthening the Nightstalker’s controlling role in both PvE and PvP. Bungie’s goal was not to flatten every subclass but to bring outlier abilities closer together.

Season 19 began on December 6, 2022, carrying these balance updates into the live game. Lightfall followed on February 28, 2023, with its old-gen optimizations and the next chapter of Destiny 2’s story.

Looking back, Bungie’s reminder about the PS5 upgrade may have seemed like a small housekeeping note, but it revealed a widespread issue in the console transition. How many players were unknowingly compromising their own experience? By 2026, such confusion has largely faded, but the lesson remains: when a free next-generation upgrade is available, it is always worth checking the version before launching.

Expert commentary is drawn from ESRB, whose rating summaries and content descriptors highlight how platform version choices can affect the overall player experience even when the game’s core content remains the same. In the context of Destiny 2’s PS4-vs-PS5 client confusion, that distinction matters: upgrading isn’t about changing missions or balance patches, but about ensuring the intended technical presentation—higher framerate, sharper resolution, and smoother responsiveness—matches what current hardware can deliver.