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

Performance usually favors responsiveness; Quality or Resolution usually favors image detail. The exact trade-off depends on the game, and 120 Hz features require compatible game, console, and display settings.
Length5 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Choose Performance when smoother motion and quicker-feeling response matter more to you; choose Quality or Resolution when you prefer the game’s higher-detail or higher-resolution presentation. Those labels are not console-wide specifications: each game decides what its modes change, so check the current description for the title you’re playing before assuming a particular frame rate, resolution, or visual effect.

What Performance and Quality modes usually change

Performance mode generally prioritizes a higher frame rate or responsiveness, sometimes by reducing resolution or other visual settings. Quality or Resolution mode generally prioritizes image detail, resolution, or effects, potentially with a lower frame rate. These are useful tendencies, not guarantees: a developer can balance a mode differently from another game’s similarly named preset.

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What matters to you Mode to try first What to check
Smoother motion or responsiveness, especially in fast action Performance Whether the game offers a higher frame-rate target, and whether your display setup supports its high-refresh features
Higher resolution, image detail, or visual effects Quality or Resolution The game’s description of the mode and any associated frame-rate trade-off
Variable refresh rate (VRR) Either, if supported Results depend on the game, selected mode, console settings, and display

Try both modes in the game itself if you are unsure. Your preference may vary by game: a responsive feel may be more valuable in one title, while a detailed image may matter more in another.

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Why the mode name is not enough

For Honor illustrates how much game-specific settings can differ. In a July 2023 announcement for PS5 and Xbox Series X, Ubisoft said Quality Mode targets 4K at 60 FPS with high graphics. Performance Mode uses 1080p with an unlocked frame rate and reduced graphics; Ubisoft described graphics as medium on those consoles. It recommended a 120 Hz-capable display for Performance Mode and warned that players could experience tearing otherwise. These are For Honor settings announced for its July 27, 2023 update—not general PS5 or Xbox rules. Ubisoft’s For Honor Performance Mode announcement also explains the game’s instructions for enabling 120 Hz output and VRR.

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For another game, check its own current settings description or official support notes. Updates can change a game’s available options, and the same label may represent a different resolution, frame-rate target, or set of visual compromises.

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 compatible high-frame-rate mode, the console must be configured to output the relevant signal, and the display must support it on the HDMI input you are using. The game’s own description determines what frame rate it targets or allows.

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Xbox Wire said in November 2020 that Xbox Series X|S support refresh rates up to 120 Hz, along with VRR and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). Xbox notes that the most advanced Series X display features require an HDMI 2.1 connection and that not all TV ports necessarily provide them. Check your display manual and Xbox’s 4K TV Details. Series X includes an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable, so an extra cable is not a routine requirement. Xbox Wire’s display guidance covers the connection and feature checks.

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Fortnite setup example

Epic’s instructions show why setup paths must be checked per game. For Fortnite, enable the console’s 120 Hz output and then the game’s 120 FPS option:

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  • Xbox Series X|S: Go to Settings > General > TV & Display Options and enable 120 Hz. Then open Fortnite’s Video menu and enable 120 FPS.
  • PS5: Go to Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Game Presets and choose Performance Mode. Then enable Fortnite’s 120 FPS setting.

Epic says a TV or AV setup without 4K at 120 Hz support may affect the game’s output resolution. It also says that if the 120 FPS option is absent, it is unavailable for that setup. Enabling Fortnite Performance mode makes Save the World unavailable. These are Fortnite-specific instructions, not universal menu paths or trade-offs for other games. Epic Games’ Fortnite support article has the full details.

What VRR can—and cannot—do

VRR dynamically matches a compatible display’s refresh rate to the console’s graphical output. Sony says this can minimize or eliminate visual artifacts such as frame-pacing issues and screen tearing on compatible HDMI 2.1 displays, but results vary with the TV, game, and selected visual mode. PS5 can also apply VRR as an option in games without native VRR support; Sony cautions that this may cause unexpected visual effects. VRR is not a guarantee that every frame-rate dip will disappear, and it is not exclusive to Performance mode. Sony’s PS5 VRR announcement explains compatibility and caveats.

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Support can be specific to a game studio and its updates. Insomniac Games Support said on November 19, 2025 that all its PS5 titles support VRR with the latest game and system updates. With a VRR-capable TV that also accepts 120 Hz high-frame-rate input, and 120 Hz Display Mode 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 applies to Insomniac’s titles under those conditions; it is not a promise for all PS5 games. Insomniac’s VRR support article describes the requirements.

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When a display upgrade is relevant

Consider a 4K 120 Hz display with suitable HDMI inputs and VRR support only if your current screen lacks a capability required by a game mode you want to use. Buying a display does not guarantee a particular game resolution or frame rate: the game, console settings, display input, and complete signal chain all matter. Confirm the exact model and port rather than relying on a general product label. ASUS’s support page, last updated August 5, 2026, lists selected monitor models and PS5/Xbox Series X refresh-rate combinations; it 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 is model-specific.

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A practical way to choose

  1. Read the game’s mode descriptions. Look for the stated frame rate, resolution, and graphics or effects trade-offs in that title’s current settings or official notes.
  2. Pick the compromise you prefer. Start with Performance for smoother motion and responsiveness, or Quality/Resolution for image detail. Treat the choice as a preference, not a console-wide rule.
  3. Check the display chain if you want high refresh. Verify the game supports the feature, enable the required console output setting, and confirm that the exact display input supports it. Use a suitable cable; Xbox Series X already includes an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable.
  4. Enable VRR only with realistic expectations. Confirm compatibility, then judge the result in the game and mode you actually play.
  5. Recheck after updates. A game update can affect its options, and official support instructions may be revised.

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