Ghost of Tsushima is a swan song for the PS4, as one of the last big exclusives before Sony starts migrating to the PS5. With a gorgeous open world, intense combat, and a fantastic photo mode, it's has been a hit with fans.
Ghost of Tsushima's open-world is certainly impressive, especially coming from a studio that previously worked on Sly Cooper and inFamous. Even with a massive open-world, Ghost of Tsushima's load times are equally impressive and could be an indication of what fans can expect on the PS5.
Particularly interesting is Ghost of Tsushima's load times from fast traveling, which feels almost instantaneous compared to other titles. Of course, one of the most influential open-world games of all time is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which has a notoriously massive world. Comparing the load times of the two games can show just how far video games have come.
Ghost of Tsushima's Fast Travel Loads Are Truly Impressive
There are some stark differences between Ghost of Tsushima and Skyrim, with the most obvious being the age difference. Skyrim started out on PS3 and Xbox 360, older technology, but has since been heavily updated with the Special Edition on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. We compared the load times of both games on the same PS4 Pro system.
Loading from the title menu shows a bit of a difference, with Ghost of Tsushima taking roughly 43.5 seconds, while Skyrim only takes roughly 22 seconds to load into the game. There is a reason for this, however, as Skyrim loads in-game much more than Ghost of Tsushima does. Once Ghost of Tsushima has loaded, players can explore every bit of the world virtually without another load, unless they start a quest or fast travel. On the other hand, Skyrim requires a short load every time players enter a building. In terms of fast travel, Ghost of Tsushima takes a measly 7 seconds before loading, while Skyrim takes about 12 seconds, along with another 7.5 seconds to load in for a building. Ghost of Tsushima is understandably more graphically intensive than Skyrim, which makes its fast travel loads all the more impressive. Below are all the numbers again, just to make it clearer.
- Ghost of Tsushima - 43.5 seconds from title screen.
- Ghost of Tsushima - roughly 7 seconds for fast travel.
- Skyrim - roughly 12 seconds for fast travel.
- Skyrim - roughly 22 seconds from title screen.
- Skyrim - Roughly 7.5 seconds loading when entering buildings.
Skyrim's load times can be significantly reduced by playing on a PC with an SSD, or an upgraded PS4 with an SSD. Of course, the same could be said for Ghost of Tsushima, and that'll likely be true when the PS5 releases. No matter what, though, Ghost of Tsushima's fast traveling is impressive, no matter how it's looked at.
Ghost of Tsushima is currently available on PS4.