How to play on PS5 in 120 FPS in 2022?

The arrival of the Playstation 5 and the Xbox Series X at the end of last year (November 2020) caused a lot of noise on the web. These two consoles (and especially the PS5), are full of new features, especially to improve your gaming experience. This may be your first try with a Sony console. If so, there are some handy tips you should read before diving into this system.

The new PlayStation

The PlayStation 5 is a powerful machine designed for high-end screens. At full throttle, it can run 4K games at up to 120 Hz to display games at 120 frames per second. However, the many system settings do not clearly define what refresh rate the PS5 is using at any given time. How do I enable 120Hz video on the PS5? The answer is a bit complicated.

Positive points of a resolution with 120 Hz display frequency

When you play, games will feel smoother, but also more responsive. This is essential to give you a competitive edge in online multiplayer games.

The ultimate optimization is to take a curved ultrawide screen, which by its shape, will improve your peripheral vision and your gameplay.

Little moment of general culture: What is the refresh rate? (Hz)

Screens are not static. Content and motion appear fluid on your screen because each pixel updates to display the latest content from your device's processor. But this does not happen by chance. The panels update their content at regular intervals, which is called the refresh rate.

Refresh rate measures how quickly your computer/monitor screen updates. In other words, how often and how quickly the screen content refreshes. Measured in Hertz (Hz), refresh rate counts the number of times the screen refreshes each second it's on. A 60Hz screen refreshes 60 times per second, 90Hz 90 times per second, and 120Hz 120 times per second. A 120 Hz screen therefore refreshes twice as fast as a 60 Hz screen, and four times as fast as an old 30 Hz television.

Refresh Rate Comparison

The 120Hz refresh rate is 4x faster than 30Hz and 2x faster than 60Hz, resulting in smoother motion and transitions.

Faster refresh times also mean lower latency because pixels are refreshed more often. For example, it takes 16.6ms to fully refresh a 60Hz screen, 11.1ms for 90Hz, and only 8.3ms for a 120Hz rate. Refresh rate isn't the only latency factor of the round-trip display, but it is the one that contributes the most.

How do I enable 120Hz video on the PS5?

There is currently no way to manually enable 120hz video output on the PS5. Although the system can technically display at 120hz, not all games run at this refresh rate. However, with the right TV or monitor, you can enable Performance mode to get high refresh rates from some software.

First off, you can't enable high refresh rates on the PS5 without having a display that supports them. Many gaming monitors support high refresh rates at 1080p, making them ideal candidates for Full HD gaming. Other than that, you need to make sure your monitor or TV supports at least HDMI version 1.3 to be able to hit the 120Hz threshold at 1080p.

Beyond that, be aware that you won't be able to run all games in 4K at 120hz. This combination is at the higher end of the system's capabilities, and not all titles will support both 4K and high refresh rate. Even if they do, you'll need a very recent (and expensive) 4k 120hz ps5 display that supports HDMI version 2.1 to use them.

Assuming you have the correct display and HDMI cable, all you need to do to enable 120hz is put the PS5 into Performance mode.

How to Enable Performance Mode on the PS5

To enable Performance Mode on the PS5, you need to go to System Settings. From the main menu, scroll up then right and select the Settings gear icon. Choose the Saved Data and Games/Apps Settings option, then select Game Presets. From there, switch to Performance Mode.

Once this mode is activated, some games will be able to run up to 120Hz. However, it is worth repeating that not all games support this refresh rate. Whether or not to use a performance option is entirely up to the game developers. Titles like Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War can technically run at 120Hz, but this option disables features like ray tracing.

It's up to you whether you prefer smooth gameplay or high-definition graphics. Most games probably won't be able to push both ray tracing and 4K 120hz graphics on the PS5. So it's best to think about how you want to experience a game and then choose between Performance mode and Resolution mode.

If you really have problems with your monitor or your PlayStation 5, do not hesitate to contact Sony customer service (by email or by phone), they will be able to give you the exact answer according to your needs.

And you, did you know the 120 Hz mode on the PS5?

See you soon on Sitegeek.

Gwen