Triple A games have come a long way in terms of visual quality. As graphics cards and processors continue to improve, game developers naturally use them to deliver a better gaming experience. If you are a competitive player, however, this is not a determining criterion, a priori.
In the competitive video game world, FPS is worth everything because it is the key to most screens with high Hz counts, that is, the best refresh rate. PC gamers are privileged since they can achieve all kinds of FPS depending on their configuration. Conversely, console gamers are generally restricted to 30 or 60 FPS due to the configuration of the device. When Fortnite first became available on console, for example, it only offered 30 FPS, which was a downside to the competitive experience.
Game developers are focusing more on performance updates to improve the experience for competitive gamers, while Sony's PlayStation 5 are more than capable of cranking up over 100 FPS.
Fortnite and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War were the first two competitive titles with a 120 FPS mode, and you will need to activate the performance mode on the PS5 to unlock them.
Here is how to improve your FPS on games supported by the PS5.
Enable performance mode on PS5
Performance mode was introduced with the PS5 and allows the system to focus on increasing FPS instead of graphics quality.
Navigate to your home screen after launching PS5 and open up “Settings.” - Screengrab via Sony
Scroll down and choose “Save Data and Game / App Settings.” - Screengrab via Sony
Enter “Game Presets” and choose “Performance Mode or Resolution Mode.” Switch to “Performance Mode.” - Screengrab via Sony
- Start the PS5 and access the main menu.
- Open the options by selecting the wheel icon at the top right of the screen.
- Choose Save Data and game / app options.
- Scroll down the game presets and find Performance Mode or Resolution Mode.
- Select Performance Mode.
After these adjustments are made, the PS5 will prioritize performance over visual quality as much as possible. While there won't be a noticeable difference in graphics quality for players who were at 1080p resolution, the graphics downgrade might be more noticeable when being on a 4K screen.
Ray tracing will be disabled on games that are compatible after enabling performance mode. You should have the option to put it back through the in-game menus in compatible titles, but doing so may override the goal of activating performance mode. Ray tracing is one of the most power-hungry graphics enhancements, and turning it off will get the biggest performance boost on console.
Should we activate performance mode on PS5?
More performance looks good on paper, but it may not be to everyone's liking. If you have an ultimate 4K setup with a state-of-the-art TV, the loss in visual quality may not be worth the performance gains.
If you're looking to unlock more FPS for a smoother experience on titles like Fortnite , you'll need a 120Hz minimum screen or TV. In addition, it will be necessary to configure a second set of options via the in-game menus to unlock higher FPS after activating the performance mode. You won't see these options if your screen doesn't have high enough Hz.
Keeping performance mode off is generally advisable if what is written above applies to you, as you will be able to have 60 FPS even when it is disabled.
You should try the performance mode if you are playing competitive titles. The combo of higher FPS and a screen or TV with a higher refresh rate, 120Hz or more, will allow you to respond faster. You'll see actions run faster than your enemies on 60Hz screens, even if it's a few milliseconds. It's hard to notice the difference, but you will have a technical advantage.
If you want to improve your screen or TV with a better refresh rate but have a modest budget, choose a screen over a TV because it is much cheaper, especially compared to TVs with longer display times. A 4K TV is nevertheless sufficient for casual gaming sessions, and it is possible to change screens whenever there is a need for this speed boost.
Does Game Boost improve FPS on PS5?
Game Boost is another feature that focuses on improving performance on compatible titles on PS5. In older PS generations, players had to manually activate the feature to improve their FPS.
Game Boost is enabled by default on PS5, and it will integrate automatically whenever a backward compatible title is launched. The full list of games that have Game Boost can be found here. A notification will also appear to remind you that the functionality is available on the launched title, when it is the case.
If it appears that there are no improvements by activating the options above and that the PS5 is slower over time, it will be necessary to clean its PS5.
Cleaning is relatively easier than for previous generations because it has a fail-proof design. More advanced users can also try reapplying the thermal paste, but this will void the benefit of the warranty.