Does PS4 Support 120Hz?

For gamers, support for 120Hz refresh rate display entails support for 120 FPS gaming.

As if 60 FPS wasn’t good enough, gamers these days demand for even higher frame rates to smoothen the quality of the motion even further.

While 120Hz support (120 FPS) is found readily on the latest gaming PCs as well as on the newer PS5 generation gaming console, those with the older-gen console often ask “Does PS4 Support 120Hz Refresh Rate?”

So as far as basic video output goes, then yes, PS4 will be able to support 120Hz monitor.

However, and this is important to note, PS4 will NOT be able to support 120 FPS gaming on a 120Hz display.

In the following text, I will explain the reason why PS4 will NOT support 120 FPS and whether a 120Hz monitor is worth it for PS4.

Display Modes Supported by PS4

Before we look into this question a bit deeper, it is worth pointing out the display modes PS4 all of its variants support.

Display modes refer to the resolution and refresh rate (and in turn frame rate) a game can be supported at.

Of course, depending on what PS4 model you have, the display modes supported may differ such that:

For Original PS4 and PS4 Slim

• 1080 @ 30 FPS – Primary
• 1080 @ 60 FPS – Almost nonexistent

For PS4 Pro

• 1080 @ 30 FPS
• 1080 @ 60 FPS – Primary
• 4K @ 30 FPS – Primary
• 4K @ 60 FPS – Almost nonexistent

PS4 Pro being a lot more powerful also supports up to 4K resolution primarily at 30 Hz (30 FPS) or 1080P at 30 Hz (30 FPS).

The Relationship Between Frame Rate and Refresh Rate

While you may think that I am using the terms refresh rate and frame rate (FPS) interchangeably, they are not the same.

Refresh Rate is a characteristic of the display. It tells you how many times the display can change its image in a second.

A 60Hz monitor and a 120Hz monitor can change an image 60 and 120 times in a second respectively.

Now just because a monitor CAN change the image 60 or 120 times in a second does not mean that it would.

That depends upon the gaming hardware and that is where frame rate comes into play.

Frame rate is the number of images the source device (PS4 or gaming hardware) is actually sending to the display.

So if the PS4 is only sending out 30 images (frames) in a second to the display, then it will only show 30 FPS even if it is rated at 120Hz. 

So Does PS4 Support 120Hz?

The answer to this question can be divided into two parts. The first is whether the PS4 will be able to display an output to a 120Hz monitor.

The second part is whether 120FPS will be supported at all.

Let me talk about these separately.

Basic Output From PS4 to 120Hz Monitor

If you were to connect a 120Hz monitor to a PS4, the PS4 will work with it. Meaning, it will be able to send video and audio to the display via the HDMI port.

Does PS4 Support 120FPS on 120Hz Display?

The answer to this question, unfortunately, is a big no.

Recall from earlier that 120Hz and in turn 120FPS is NOT part of PS4 display mode or its specs at all.

The maximum PS4 can support is 60FPS and that too is only the PS4 Pro variant at 1080P resolution for the majority of the games.

So if you plan on purchasing a 120Hz monitor believing that you’d be able to game at 120 FPS on PS4, know that you will be thoroughly disappointed.

Is 120Hz Display Worth it For PS4?

Well, while 120FPS gaming will definitely NOT be supported on PS4, there are a few reasons why 120Hz display can still be worth it on PS4.

For starters, if you were to go look for a gaming monitor these days, you will have a very hard time finding a 60Hz monitor in the gaming category.

The vast majority of gaming monitors these days offer 120Hz, 144Hz, or 165Hz refresh rate.

60Hz refresh rate on gaming monitors has literally gone obsolete.

The best part is that 120Hz and 144hz monitors cost almost as much as what 60Hz gaming monitors used to cost back when PS4 was originally released.

Hence, judging by the economics of it, a 120Hz monitor can actually be worth it for PS4 considering the fact that you will future proofing yourself in case you wish to upgrade to PS5.

PS5 DOES support 120Hz refresh rate for 120 FPS gaming.

Final Words

The simple answer to the question “Does PS4 Support 120Hz Refresh Rate?” is a yes. As far as basic output support goes, a 120Hz monitor will be supported.

Unfortunately, 120FPS gameplay mode on a 120Hz display will NOT be supported. The maximum refresh rate will be capped at 30 FPS for the original and Slim PS4 variants and at 60 FPS for the PS4 Pro.