Kingdom Come: Deliverance — Enhanced Review for Xbox Series X|S and PS5

Why It Matters

The performance boost makes one of the genre’s most immersive RPGs truly playable on modern hardware, revitalizing sales and extending its lifecycle in a crowded market.

Key Takeaways

• Free upgrade for existing Xbox/PS5 owners.
• New editions priced $29.99 (Standard) and $39.99 (Royal).
• 4K resolution and 60 FPS improve visual fidelity.
• Load times drastically reduced on next‑gen hardware.
• Save files and achievements transfer across platforms.

Pulse Analysis

The next‑generation patch for Kingdom Come: Deliverance tackles the technical shortcomings that plagued its Xbox One and PS4 launch. By leveraging the raw horsepower of Xbox Series X|S and PS5, Warhorse Studios delivers high‑resolution textures, FidelityFX Super Resolution upscaling, native 4K output, and a stable 60 FPS frame rate. Load times, once a major pain point, have been slashed to mere seconds, allowing players to transition between Bohemian towns and combat encounters without interruption. These enhancements preserve the game’s original design while presenting it with a polish that meets contemporary console standards.

From a business perspective, the free upgrade for existing owners serves as a goodwill gesture that reinforces brand loyalty, while the new pricing tiers—$29.99 for the Standard edition and $39.99 for the Royal edition—re‑position the title as a mid‑range premium offering. Coupled with its addition to Xbox Game Pass, the move expands the potential player base without relying solely on direct sales. This dual‑track strategy mirrors industry trends where legacy titles receive technical overhauls to generate renewed revenue streams and compete against newer RPG releases.

For consumers, the upgrade translates into a more accessible entry point to one of the most historically grounded role‑playing experiences available. Save‑file migration ensures that long‑time fans can continue their journeys, while new voice‑over and subtitle languages broaden the game’s appeal across regions. The combination of smoother performance, reduced load friction, and expanded language support not only enhances immersion but also extends the title’s relevance in an era where next‑gen performance is increasingly expected. As developers continue to revisit and refine older IPs, Kingdom Come: Deliverance sets a benchmark for how targeted technical improvements can rejuvenate a classic without a full remake.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance — enhanced review for Xbox Series X|S and PS5

By Kes Eylers‑Stephenson · Published 3 hours ago

The free Kingdom Come: Deliverance Xbox Series X|S and PS5 upgrade arrives today, and I'm going to run down the entire experience for you in my renewed review for Kingdom Come: Deliverance. I'll clue you in on what's changed and follow that up with a technical overview of Warhorse Studios' RPG in its current state on modern consoles.

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How much does the new version of Kingdom Come: Deliverance cost?

The Kingdom Come: Deliverance update for Xbox Series X|S and PS5 is free for existing owners. That includes those with the Standard version of the game, and those with the Royal Edition that comes with the game's DLC expansions.

If you are a new player, then Warhorse and Deep Silver have used this as a chance to reset the value of one of the best RPGs. Post‑upgrade, KCD's Standard Edition now costs $29.99, while the Royal Edition (with all those essential DLCs) now costs $39.99.

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How does the Kingdom Come: Deliverance upgrade change the game?

Kingdom Come: Deliverance's upgrade is a quality‑of‑life update and not a major remaster or remake for current‑generation consoles. Warhorse has focused on making small tweaks, many of which I requested way back last August in an article addressing the upgrade rumors.

Here are the eight major changes for Xbox Series X|S and PS5

• High‑resolution textures

• FSR upscaling/anti‑aliasing

• 4K resolution

• 60 FPS on console

• Better load times

• Deep Silver Account implementation

• New voice‑over languages: Czech, Japanese

• New interface and subtitle languages: Turkish, Ukrainian, Portuguese

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What about the Kingdom Come: Deliverance save files and achievements?

The Kingdom Come: Deliverance achievements are long (over 100 hours, easily) and pretty brutal if you are going for full completion. On PS5, you'll get separate trophy pops from a new list. On Xbox, the achievements will draw from the same list as before.

You can import existing PS4 and Xbox One save files to the upgrade current‑gen version with various major and minor states, allowing you to pick up at any point in the game. Of course, you can always just start the adventure anew — that's what I'd recommend.

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Kes' Medieval Hovel of Opinion — KCD review for Series X and PS5

Let's get the obvious out of the way — the core game is the same because this is a technical upgrade. The RPG follows the wonderful Henry of Skalitz through medieval Bohemia in 1403 as it comes under siege from King Sigismund. It has devastating consequences on Henry's life, and so he begins anew, rising from humble beginnings as a lovable idiot to an equally lovable idiot with a few more skills!

It features a world that has a real sense of place and time, even if the game doesn't take place in a conventionally attractive environment. The writing and story here remain truly second to none in my opinion, backed up by unusual game mechanics (lockpicking and learning to read, anyone?) that test you just enough to give you a real sense of earned progression.

I happen to absolutely love Warhorse's initial outing in the series. It's one of my favorites and, in my opinion, packs more personality in one minor quest line than most RPGs have their entire 80‑hour runtime. I recommend you try it without hesitation.

There is no RPG experience out there that lets you get rejected from your local village due to your abhorrent stench after spending the full day running through the wilderness and chatting with coal burners. There's also no RPG out there that manages to make the simple act of entering a bar feel like an accomplishment because you had the wherewithal to take a bath first. Now, who's for a spot of Farkle?

That said, the game also can't help but feel a bit unfinished. It's tough to play, with long stretches of frustrating learning curves, and it remains far from polished, even with the new updates. The upgrade mends the weak performance and excruciating load times of its Xbox One and PS4 release, but it can't mend the parts of the game that have always felt ambitious for its day.

With those load times smashed into smithereens by the more capable Series X|S and PS5 hardware, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an infinitely more enjoyable experience now. The small changes to graphics also keep things looking clean, and the FPS upgrade is as smooth as Henry's fingers pinching an expensive Curaiss chest‑armor piece in the dead of night.

It's not as exciting a takeaway as the notion of KCD suddenly looking and playing like its tremendous sequel, but there's absolutely merit in the fact that Kingdom Come: Deliverance has never been more playable. For that alone, I can recommend dipping into this upgrade for those who want to give it another go, finish the achievement list, or play through this adventure for the very first time.

If you are thinking of buying it at the new price, then I'd maybe advise holding off for a minute. Sure, if you want to support the developers, then crack on, soldier (and thank you for your service). However, I'm mindful that many of you might have a limited budget, and I can't erase the fact that KCD has previously gone quite cheap on the Xbox store and PS Store. I suspect that these versions of the game will do the same, in time.

Until then, remember that it's now featured as one of the new Xbox Game Pass games, so check it out if you have the hardware to do so!

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Summary

One of my personal favorite games of all time, Kingdom Come: Deliverance's upgrade for Xbox Series X|S and PS5 fixes pretty much every performance‑related issue I had. With load times effectively erased, and the game's visuals looking clean and crisp in 60 FPS, I've got all I could ever want from a KCD upgrade. The sequel might outshine it in every regard, but if you haven't played this RPG yet, there's never been a better time.

Warhorse Studios provided a review code for PS5. I put in 8 hours in existing and new save files, having put in over 120 hours previously.