Disney Plus relaunches on PS5 — now with 4K HDR playback

Disney has announced that a new Disney Plus app is now available globally for Sony’s PlayStation 5. Unlike the previous version, which was just a PS4 app running on the newer console, the new software is designed natively for PS5. The key difference for viewers is that Disney Plus now supports 4K HDR playback; the previous app had been limited to 1080p for all this time.

That means you can now watch the service’s catalog and recent originals like Andor, Hocus Pocus 2, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law in all their Ultra HD glory. You can download the new PS5 Disney Plus app from the media section of the homescreen. Those in Latin America can download a Star Plus app — also now based on native PS5 code.

“A key part of our global expansion strategy is to meet consumers wherever they are, which is why we’re excited to enhance both Disney Plus and Star Plus for PlayStation 5 users,” said Jerrell Jimerson, EVP of product and design for Disney streaming. “The ability to support 4K HDR video streaming on the platform will also improve the viewing experience for fans.” That’s putting it lightly, I’d say.

Disney’s streaming competitors, like Netflix, Amazon, and HBO Max, already offer 4K-quality playback on the PlayStation 5, so the company is playing some serious catchup here. But at least now you won’t have to pull up Disney Plus from your TV’s built-in apps or another streaming device to watch in 4K: the PS5 can (finally) do it all. Sadly, if you’re still on a PS4 Pro, none of this applies, and Disney Plus will remain stuck at full HD resolution there.