HDR Looks Washed Out on PS5? How to Fix the Grey Picture

HDR is supposed to make games look richer, with brighter highlights, deeper shadows, and more colour than standard picture modes. So it is deeply disappointing when you turn HDR on and the image looks grey, flat, and washed out, as if a thin fog sits over the screen. This is one of the most common PS5 picture complaints.

The good news is that washed out HDR is almost never a faulty TV. It is usually a chain of small mismatches: a port setting, a brightness range setting, or a poor HDR calibration. Fix them in order and the picture usually transforms.

Quick Answer

To fix washed out HDR on PS5 and your TV, first make sure the TV’s HDMI port is set to enhanced format and the PS5 is connected to a full-bandwidth port. Then set the PS5 video output range and the TV black level to match, usually both on automatic or both on limited, and rerun the PS5 Adjust HDR calibration carefully in a dark room. Finally, raise the TV’s local dimming and HDR brightness settings if they are set too low.

Why HDR Looks Washed Out in the First Place

Standard definition range pictures and HDR pictures use brightness differently. HDR spreads its information over a much wider range, and it relies on the TV mapping that range correctly. When the console and TV disagree about that mapping, mid-tones get lifted, blacks turn grey, and colours lose their punch. The picture is not broken; it is being translated badly.

Three causes account for most cases. The first is a mismatch between the PS5’s RGB range and the TV’s black level setting. The second is weak HDR calibration, often done quickly in a bright room. The third is the TV itself limiting brightness, because of a low backlight setting, an eco mode, or local dimming turned off.

Step 1: Get the Port and Cable Right

HDR at 4K needs a proper connection. Plug the PS5 into an HDMI port that supports the TV’s full feature set, which is often HDMI 1 or a port labelled for gaming or 4K 120Hz. Then find that port’s format setting in the TV menu and set it to enhanced, Input Signal Plus, HDMI Deep Colour, or the equivalent name on your brand.

• Use the cable supplied with the PS5 or a certified high-speed replacement.
• Connect directly to the TV for testing, without a receiver or switch in between.
• On the PS5, go to Settings, Screen and Video, Video Output, and confirm the resolution and 4K transfer settings are on automatic.

The official PlayStation guide to setting up a 4K TV with PS5 walks through these output settings and is worth checking if any menu names differ on your system software version.

Step 2: Match the PS5 Range and TV Black Level

This is the single most effective fix for a grey, lifted picture. The PS5 has an RGB Range setting, and every TV has a matching black level or HDMI black level setting. If one is set to full and the other to limited, blacks become grey and the whole image looks faded.

1. On the PS5, open Settings, Screen and Video, Video Output, then RGB Range, and set it to Automatic.
2. On the TV, find the black level setting for that HDMI input and set it to Automatic or Auto as well.
3. If your TV has no automatic option, set both sides to Limited, which is the safe standard for TVs.
4. Restart the game and judge the picture in a dark scene, where a mismatch is easiest to see.

Automatic on both ends works in most setups because the devices then agree through the HDMI handshake. Problems usually start when one side was changed manually at some point and forgotten.

Step 3: Recalibrate HDR on the PS5 Properly

The PS5’s Adjust HDR tool sets the brightest and darkest points the console will output. If it was done carelessly, every game inherits the mistake.

1. Darken the room as much as you reasonably can, as you would when playing at night.
2. Open Settings, Screen and Video, Video Output, then Adjust HDR.
3. On the first two screens, adjust until the sun symbol is just barely invisible, not clearly visible and not long gone.
4. On the third, darkest screen, adjust until the symbol just disappears into black.
5. Take your time on each screen. One step too far in either direction dulls the whole range.

For a deeper walkthrough of this process, our companion guide on how to calibrate HDR brightness correctly for games explains what each screen is really measuring and how game menus interact with it.

Step 4: Fix the TV Picture Settings for HDR

Many TVs use separate picture settings for HDR content, so your good SDR settings do not carry over. While an HDR game is running, open the TV picture menu and check these items.

• Backlight or OLED brightness: For HDR this should usually be at or near maximum. The TV controls HDR brightness through tone mapping, not by dimming the panel.
• Local dimming: Set it to medium or high. With local dimming off, blacks look grey because the whole panel stays lit.
• Contrast: Keep it high, near its HDR default. Lowering it flattens highlights.
• Gamma or black detail controls: Leave at the default for now. Raising brightness controls to compensate usually lifts blacks and recreates the washed out look.
• Eco and ambient light modes: Turn off eco modes and automatic brightness limiters while gaming, as they quietly dim HDR.
• Picture mode: Use the TV’s Game mode for HDR gaming to keep input lag low, with the settings above applied inside that mode.

TV makers publish their own HDR setup advice, and the LG support and product help pages include model-specific guidance on HDMI deep colour and HDR settings if your menus look different from the descriptions here.

Step 5: Check In-Game HDR Settings

Some games have their own HDR brightness, paper white, or peak brightness sliders that sit on top of the console calibration. If one game looks washed out and others look fine, open that game’s display menu and reset its HDR settings to default, then adjust its peak brightness to roughly match your TV’s capability, commonly around 800 to 1000 nits for many mid-range TVs, higher for premium models. Avoid pushing in-game brightness sliders high to fix darkness, because that lifts the whole image and greys the blacks.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Calibrating HDR in a bright room: Daylight makes the calibration symbols hard to judge, and the result looks dull at night.
• Mixing full and limited range: One manual mismatch here is the classic cause of grey blacks.
• Turning HDR off entirely: That hides the problem instead of fixing it, and you lose the highlights and colour HDR was bought for.
• Lowering backlight to save the panel: HDR needs full panel brightness to work. Use the default HDR values your TV maker chose.
• Judging from the home menu: Always judge HDR inside an actual HDR game, ideally in a scene with both dark shadows and bright light.

Conclusion

Washed out HDR on PS5 is a settings story, not a hardware failure. Use a proper port in enhanced mode, match the PS5 range to the TV black level, recalibrate HDR slowly in a dark room, and let the TV run its HDR brightness and local dimming as intended. Follow that order, and games should show the deep blacks and bright, colourful highlights that HDR promises.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does HDR look worse than SDR on my TV?

Usually because of a range mismatch or poor calibration rather than the TV itself. Match RGB range and black level on automatic, rerun Adjust HDR carefully, and check that local dimming is on before deciding HDR is not for your TV.

Should PS5 RGB range be full or limited for a TV?

For most TVs, Automatic is best, with the TV black level also on automatic. If you must set it manually, Limited on both the PS5 and the TV is the safe matching pair for television viewing.

Does every game use the PS5 HDR calibration?

Most do, but some games add their own HDR sliders or ignore the system values. If one title looks wrong while others look right, adjust that game’s own display settings rather than changing the console calibration.

My TV is not very bright. Can HDR still look good?

Yes, within limits. A modest TV will not match a premium model’s highlights, but correct calibration and tone mapping still give better colour and shadow detail than SDR. Avoid comparing directly with flagship displays.

Why does HDR look fine in apps but washed out in games?

Apps often use the TV’s own HDR handling and picture modes, while games pass through the console calibration, game mode, and range settings. Check the fixes in this guide while a game is running, because the TV may store different settings per input and content type.