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How to Choose Between Performance and Quality Modes on PS5 and Xbox Series X

Performance mode generally favors smoother motion; Quality mode generally favors visual detail. The right choice depends on the game, your preferences, and your display setup.
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Choose Performance when smoother motion and responsiveness matter more than visual detail; choose Quality or Resolution when you prefer the game’s sharper or more detailed presentation and accept its frame-rate trade-off. The labels are not console-wide specifications: each game decides what its modes change, so check the current description for the title you want to play.

What Performance and Quality modes usually change

Performance modes generally prioritize a higher frame rate or responsiveness, sometimes by lowering resolution or reducing visual settings. Quality or Resolution modes generally prioritize image detail, resolution, or effects, sometimes with a lower frame rate. These are useful tendencies, not fixed definitions. A mode name alone does not promise a particular resolution, frame rate, ray tracing setting, or graphics level.

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Use the game’s own mode descriptions and current update notes to confirm what you are selecting. If the game does not describe a measurable difference, treat the choice as a preference rather than assuming a specific technical target.

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Choose based on how you play

What matters most Mode to try first Trade-off to check
Smoother motion and responsiveness, especially in fast action Performance, if the game offers a higher-frame-rate option It may lower resolution or reduce visual settings.
Image detail, resolution, or effects Quality or Resolution It may use a lower frame-rate target.
Variable frame output Either mode, if the game and display support VRR VRR behavior varies by game, display, and selected visual mode.

Fast action or competitive play may make responsiveness more valuable; slower, visually focused play may make image fidelity more appealing. Neither preference is universally correct. If you are unsure, try both modes in the same scene and keep the one that feels better to you.

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Why the mode names do not guarantee a frame rate

The developer sets the targets and compromises for each game. For example, Ubisoft’s July 2023 announcement for For Honor said its PS5 and Xbox Series X Quality Mode targets 4K at 60 FPS with High graphics. Performance Mode uses 1080p and an unlocked frame rate with reduced graphics; Ubisoft described the PS5 and Xbox Series X graphics level in that mode as Medium. Ubisoft recommended a display capable of 120 Hz for Performance Mode and warned that players could experience tearing otherwise. Those figures describe that game’s announced update, not a general rule for either console. Ubisoft’s For Honor mode announcement.

What you need for 120 Hz or 120 FPS

A 120 Hz display does not make every game run at 120 FPS. The game must offer a suitable high-frame-rate option, and the console’s output settings, the display’s capabilities, and the connection must support the intended signal. A game can run below 120 FPS while outputting to a 120 Hz display.

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Check the display’s manual for the capabilities of the specific HDMI input you use; some televisions support advanced features only on certain ports. On Xbox Series X, Xbox recommends checking the console’s 4K TV Details screen. Xbox Wire says Series X|S support refresh rates up to 120 Hz, as well as Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM); its guidance notes that the most advanced Series X features require an HDMI 2.1 connection. Series X includes an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable, so an additional cable is not automatically required. Xbox Wire’s display guidance.

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Fortnite setup example

Epic’s instructions below are for Fortnite; other games may use different settings or menu paths.

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  1. On Xbox Series X|S: Open Settings > General > TV & Display Options and enable 120 Hz. Then open Fortnite’s Video menu and enable its 120 FPS setting.
  2. On PS5: Open Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Game Presets and choose Performance Mode. Then enable the game’s 120 FPS setting.

Epic notes that a TV or AV setup without 4K at 120 Hz support might affect the game’s output resolution. If the 120 FPS option is absent, Epic says it is unavailable for that setup. Enabling Fortnite Performance mode also makes Save the World unavailable. Epic Games’ Fortnite setup instructions.

How VRR affects the choice

VRR dynamically matches a compatible display’s refresh rate to variable console output. On PS5, Sony says it can minimize or eliminate visual artifacts such as frame-pacing issues and screen tearing when used with an HDMI 2.1 VRR-compatible TV or monitor. The result depends on the display, game, and selected visual mode. PS5 can also apply VRR to games without native support as an option, but Sony cautions that this may cause unexpected visual effects. Sony’s PS5 VRR announcement.

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VRR is not exclusive to Performance mode and is not a guarantee that every frame-rate dip will disappear. Its effect depends on the game and the full display setup. Insomniac Games Support says that, with the latest game and system updates, all its PS5 titles support VRR. It further explains that, when a VRR-capable TV also supports 120 Hz high-frame-rate input and 120 Hz Display Mode is active with VRR, its games can produce a variable, uncapped rate that exceeds a graphics mode’s 30 or 60 FPS target by 50% or more, depending on gameplay. That statement is specific to Insomniac titles and those conditions, not all PS5 games. Insomniac’s VRR explanation.

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When a display or cable change is worthwhile

Consider a display upgrade only if your current screen lacks a capability that a game mode you want to use requires. A 4K 120 Hz display with suitable HDMI inputs and VRR may enable features your current setup cannot use, but buying one does not guarantee a game will run at a particular resolution or frame rate. Verify the exact display model, input, and console compatibility. ASUS’s support page, last updated August 5, 2026, lists selected monitor models and PS5/Xbox Series X refresh-rate combinations; it also says 4K at 120 Hz requires a cable compliant with HDMI 2.1 specifications and that the game itself must support 120 Hz. ASUS’s monitor compatibility guidance.

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An Ultra High Speed HDMI cable is relevant only if your existing cable is missing or unsuitable for the signal you need. Xbox Series X ships with one. A cable cannot add 120 FPS support to a game that does not offer it.

A quick decision process

  1. Read the current game-specific descriptions for Performance, Quality, or Resolution mode.
  2. Decide whether smoother motion and responsiveness or image detail matters more to you in that game.
  3. If you want a high-refresh option, confirm the game supports it, enable the relevant console output setting, and check that the display input and connection support it.
  4. If VRR is available, try it with your chosen mode and keep it enabled only if the result looks and feels right in that game.

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