Can Xbox Series X Support 240Hz?

The Xbox enthusiasts out there, particularly those who are impressed by the over-the-top refresh rates supported by PC gaming monitors, often ask, can Xbox Series X support a 240Hz refresh rate as well?

Unfortunately, the answer to the question is not something that you would like.

Basically, while a 240Hz monitor WILL work with Xbox Series X, it will NOT work at its rated 240Hz refresh rate. Instead, it will dial down its performance to 120Hz or 60Hz depending upon the game you play.

This is simply due to the fact that Xbox Series X DOES NOT support a refresh rate higher than 120Hz.

In the following text, I will explore this topic further.

A Brief on Refresh Rate and Frame Rate

It is worth pointing out here that while refresh rate and frame rate are NOT the same metrics, they are very closely related.

Basically, refresh rate is the attribute of your monitor / TV whereas, frame rate is the attribute of your gaming hardware.

So a monitor or a TV with 60, 120, or 240Hz refresh rates can play games at 60, 120, or 240 frame rates.

BUT frame rate depends upon how graphically intensive the game is and how capable your gaming hardware is.

Therefore, while Xbox Series X CAN supports certain games at 120 FPS, not all games are designed to work at such a high frame rate particularly at higher resolution (QHD/4K) due to the hardware limitation.

Frame Rates Supported by Xbox Series X

The hardware featured in Xbox Series X is certainly a step up in comparison to the older-gen consoles. In fact, at 12 Teraflops of raw power, it is actually the most powerful gaming console of this generation at the moment.

This is evident from the fact that there are many games that Xbox Series X can support at 60 FPS, if not at 120 FPS. The older-gen consoles were capped at 30 FPS on the vast majority of the games.

As far as the rated frame rate goes, the games for Xbox Series X are designed to work at three frame rates:

• 30 FPS
• 60 FPS
• 120 FPS

If you also take resolution into consideration then the following are the display modes the Xbox Series X supports:

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

30 FPS is intended for highly intensive games working at 4K resolution. Gotham Knights for instance is a game that supports only 30 FPS for 4K resolution.

At 1440P or FHD resolution, you can expect the majority of the games to work at 60 FPS or 120 FPS.

Games designed for Xbox Series X support NO other frame rate than 30, 60, or 120. In other words, YOU CANNOT play games at 144, 165, or 240 FPS.

Unlike PCs where the frame rate is variable, with Xbox Series X, the frame rate is fixed and cannot be made to go beyond a game’s rated refresh rate.

So Can Xbox Series X Support 240Hz?

As far as the hardware support goes and whether Xbox Series X will work on a 240Hz monitor or a TV AT ALL, then the answer is a yes.

Xbox Series X WILL work with a 240Hz monitor.

HOWEVER, you WILL NOT be able to achieve a frame rate anywhere close to 240FPS.

Instead, the 240Hz monitor / TV will dial down its display mode to 120Hz MAX in order to cater to the specs of the Xbox Series X.

So in other words, while the Xbox Series X WILL work with a 240Hz monitor, buying one for Xbox Series X alone will be a waste of money.

120Hz Will ONLY Work if it is Supported on the 240Hz Display

Often people assume that a monitor or a TV with a high enough refresh rate like 240Hz will support all other refresh rates that are lower.

However, that is hardly the case. In order for 120Hz mode (120FPS) to be supported on a 240Hz monitor/TV, the monitor/TV will have to have the specific 120Hz display mode.

Take for instance the 144Hz Dell S2719DGF monitor as an example below. Despite being a 144Hz monitor, this does NOT support the 120Hz display mode. Hence, the games on this monitor will ONLY work at 60 FPS max.

Final Words

All in all, YES, Xbox Series X WILL work with 240Hz displays and NO the games will NOT play at 240 FPS.

Also Read: Does Xbox Series X Support 8K Resolution?