Can PS5 Run 4K 60FPS?

The short answer to the question can PS5 run 4k 60FPS games is a yes. The longer version of the answer is that it depends upon the game as well as upon the in-game graphics mode selected.

While technically PS5 has the capacity to support up to 4k @ 120FPS gaming, whether a certain game would support such high frame rates at such high resolution or not depends upon whether the developer has enabled support for these specs.

As a rule of thumb, if a game is demanding and taxing on the PS5 hardware, the developer will either sacrifice resolution or frame rates to maintain the balance between performance and visuals.

So, as we move forward, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that there are many games that support 4k 60 FPS gameplay on PS5 today.

The bad is news is that some of the newer AAA games are capped at 4K 30FPS which does not bode well for 60FPS gaming in the future on the next game consoles particularly considering the fact that this generation of consoles was touted as being sufficient for 60FPS as a bare minimum.

In the following text, I will talk about 4K 60FPS gaming in detail.

Display Modes PS5 is Designed to Support

Let me get the basic specs of PS5 display modes out of the way. These will give you an idea of all video output modes PS5 can support:

• 1080 @ 30Hz – 30 FPS
• 1080 @ 60Hz – 60 FPS
• 1080 @ 120Hz – 120FPS
• 1440 @ 30Hz
• 1440 @ 60Hz
• 1440 @ 120Hz
• 4k @ 30Hz
• 4k @ 60Hz
• 4k @ 120Hz

However, just because PS5 can support a certain video output mode does not mean that it will. That depends upon what TV/monitor you have and on the game of your choice.

So, Can PS5 Run 4K 60FPS?

As stated earlier, yes, PS5 CAN run games at 4K 60 FPS. However, there are two perquisites for 4K @ 60 FPS gaming:

1. You need to have the right TV / Monitor with the right refresh rate and resolution
2. You need to be playing the right game
3. Have the right TV / Monitor

It goes without saying that you need to have a 4K TV or monitor in order to enjoy 2160p gaming, however, in order to support 4K gaming @ 60FPS, you need to have a 4K monitor that at least conforms to HDMI 2.0 version.

You see there are different versions of the HDMI interface. If you have an old 4K TV with an HDMI port, then there are chances that it may conform to HDMI version 1.4.

Version 1.4 only support 4K at 30FPS!

You need to have ATLEAST version 2.0 HDMI input port on your TV or monitor to support 4K at 60FPS.

The following table explains the different HDMI versions and the max resolution and frame rate they can support.

It is worth noting that for 4K 120FPS gaming, you need to have an HDMI 2.1 TV/monitor which can get quite expensive. ****Link to Can PS5 run 4K 120FPS

Not ALL games support 4k

For starters, note that the games on PS5 can be played either on Resolution (Quality) or Performance mode.

• Performance Mode enables higher frame rates at the expense of higher resolution
• Resolution Mode enables higher resolution at the expense of frame rates

There are other combinations of modes in between that games can feature.

While 60FPS gaming would have been a hallmark of next-generation consoles, it is a shame that not all games support 4K @ 60 FPS. Take God of War Ragnarök, for instance.

This game does not have a guaranteed 4K 60 FPS mode. The game has 6 graphics modes and none of them promise 4K 60FPS as a bare minimum.

In Performance mode, this game supports targets for 60 FPS but it would dynamically scale between 1440 and 4K (dynamic resolution).

In Quality mode, the game targets 4K resolution but can only maintain 30 FPS!

And the worst part is that this isn’t just limited to God of War Ragnarök!

Native 4K vs Dynamic Resolution

These are two very important terms you need to keep in mind.

Many new games that do support 4K 60FPS on PS5 do so in dynamic resolution mode, meaning the game cannot guarantee 4k resolution at 60FPS ALL THE TIME. It may reduce the resolution in order to meet the target FPS in certain scenes.

30FPS Gaming is Back and It’s Giving Me a Bad Taste

As mentioned, God of War Ragnarok is not an isolated example of a next-gen game that is capped at 30FPS on 4K resolution.

There are many more including A Plague Tale Requiem. This game is capped at 30 FPS that too at 1440P resolution (not even at 4K). And there is NO performance mode to boost the FPS.

Then there is the popular AAA game Gotham Knights which is also capped at 30FPS on PS5, and no, there is no performance mode for this game either.

This new trend of 30FPS gaming does not bode well for PS5 or next-gen console gaming. Gaming taste has developed since the last console generation and 60FPS is the least a gamer expects from their games to work at.

Given that PCs are pushing the FPS limits beyond 144FPS and even all the way to 240FPS, it’s a shame that console gaming is making a comeback for 30FPS gaming.

Is PS5 Hardware Being Pushed to the Max?

What is causing the developers to drop the unspoken rule of 60FPS on the PS5 and on the rest of the current-gen consoles? Why 30FPS gaming is making a comeback? Is it because the hardware is already being pushed to the limit?

There are two arguments for this. One favors this notion and the other favors the financial argument.

1. Developers are Still Making Games for Previous Gen PS4 and Xbox One to Profit

One argument is that no, the current-gen consoles are NOT being pushed to the limit.

However, since many developers are still aiming to cater to the previous-gen console players, perhaps to maximize profit, the graphics engines are NOT being revamped.

Hence, you are stuck with an old generation of gaming software that is being modified to run on PS5.

2. Current Gen Xbox Series-S is a Huge Bottleneck

Another argument targets the lackluster hardware of the Xbox Series-S being a serious bottleneck for the evolution of next-gen gaming.

Referring to the issue of 30FPS gaming, Lee Devonald, a developer at RockSteady tweeted this:

He is referring to the Xbox Series -S here which he clarifies in the following tweet.

Source: Youtube.com Channel @Mystic

For Microsoft to publish any game, it is a requirement that the game MUST be playable on Xbox Series X AND on the weaker Xbox Series S.

So, the argument here goes that since the game has to be developed for the lowest denominator (Xbox Series S), the more powerful current-gen consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X) are NOT being pushed to their limit, but instead are being held back.

Final Words

Yes, PS5 can run 4k 60FPS games, but there are NOT guarantees. It all depends upon what game you have in hand. Given the current trend of AAA games, in my opinion, the prospects of 4K 60FPS gaming looks a bit bleak.

But who knows, the new iteration of game engines designed specifically for PS5 and next-gen consoles in the coming years could drastically improve the quality and performance of the games.