What That Leaf Symbol Next To Some PS5 Game Titles Actually Means

One of the best perks of owning a PlayStation 5 is its diverse library of thrilling titles, while pairing that with the proprietary controller, the PlayStation 5 DualSense, one of the most comfortable and responsive gamepads to come out in the last decade. Even now, the whole ecosystem comes with a few fun surprises: one is the pretty but brilliant use of LED lights on the gamepad's lightbar to enhance in-game mechanics, and another is audio improvements you can set to add immersion. Beyond that, the PlayStation 5 comes with a few technical features that also make it more eco-friendly.

One of these is a supported power-saver feature that came with the September 17th, 2025 update (25.06-12.00.00). Sony, thankfully, took the guesswork out by telling you which games support the PlayStation 5's power-saving feature by showing a leaf-shaped outline over a lightning bolt icon. You will find this symbol next to the game's disc or title on the home screen.

The feature reduces the electrical consumption coming from your console, saving a few dollars on your electricity bill. What this does is sacrifice performance by throttling the CPU, GPU, and memory, and removes features like VR. This essentially means your PlayStation 5 titles won't look and feel as great to play, in exchange for using less power. Conversely, that's why not all PlayStation 5 games will have this, especially if they are more demanding, as you don't necessarily want high-graphics-fidelity, FPS-oriented titles turning into a slideshow. Luckily, games with the leaf symbol won't feel as bad to play because developers have taken the time to optimize their games around this feature. 

In general, the PlayStation 5 draws around 200 to 300 watts under normal conditions while gaming, though it can depend on the model. When you activate Power Saver, you can reduce it to 90 to 110 watts. That's around half to more than half of the normal consumption. Of course, this can sometimes negatively affect the enjoyment of a game, since you'll lose frames and resolution when playing those titles. Still, ideally, the developers have worked their magic to make the gaming experience feel and look less jarring.

If you want to see how it works, you will have to enable this optional setting on your console. On the Home screen, navigate to Settings, then select System. From there, select Power Saving > Power Saving for Gamers, then choose to turn it on. Underneath the Use Power Saver toggle, you will see a sub-menu with supported games that have their own set of toggles. Select the games from that list you want to save power with, and toggle them on to have them boot into power-saving mode. Then, return to the home screen, open a game with the leaf icon and lightning bolt, and the mode should apply automatically after booting. 

When you're inside the game, some settings might not appear in the menu or have changed. Changes will occur on a title-by-title basis, so it's best to take a look before you play.