PS5 Pro Enhanced Certification logo.

Graphics vs Performance

Why choosing a mode is a game-by-game decision

As was always going to be the case, there are PS5 Pro enhanced games like Alan Wake 2, and even first-party titles like Spider-Man, that still offer fidelity and performance modes. This begs the question - which mode should you choose?

Some gamers swear by performance modes as 30fps is apparently unplayable. Others claim they can't see a difference between 30fps and 60fps, so will always choose fidelity. They're both wrong. The correct answer is when choosing between fidelity and performance, it depends entirely on that specific game and individual player.

To prove it, here's 50+ factors to consider before settling on a mode. After all, what's the point in choosing fidelity mode in a cinematic game like The Last of Us if it's played in a brightly lit room on a small 1080p LCD monitor? Why prioritize a performance mode in a slow-paced game that drops to sub-HD resolutions to achieve 60fps?

It's all about context! And these factors will help you make a more informed choice on the mode to pick for each game.

Game factors

  • Does the game emphasize story or gameplay?
  • Does the game emphasize its graphics?
  • Is it mainly a singleplayer or multiplayer game?
  • How fast is the gameplay?
  • Is the game in first or third-person?
  • What genre is the game?
  • What art style does the game have?
  • Is the game a remake or remaster?

Technical factors

  • Does fidelity mode hold a steady 30fps?
  • Does the 30fps keep a consistent frame time?
  • Does performance mode hold a steady 60fps?
  • Does the frame rate stay above the VRR limit?
  • Does the game support 40fps/120fps modes?
  • What is the resolution boundary of each mode?
  • Do the modes even use DRS?
  • How low does the resolution drop in each mode?
  • How often does the resolution hit the low point?
  • What upscaling technique does the game use?
  • Does the game support HDR?
  • Is the HDR support even good?
  • Does the game support ray-tracing?
  • If so, how many/what types of RT?
  • How good is the RT implementation?
  • Does the game use in-game cutscenes?
  • Does the game have a weird filter?
  • How dense are the assets in environments?
  • How detailed are the textures?
  • How detailed are characters?
  • Does the game have a lot of particle effects?
  • Does the game suffer from screen tearing?
  • Does the game have a long draw distance?

Settings factors

  • Does the game have an FOV slider?
  • Does the game have good gamma calibration?
  • Can you toggle motion blur?
  • Can you toggle chromatic aberration?
  • Can you toggle depth of field?
  • Can you toggle film grain?
  • Can you toggle VSync?

Screen factors

  • What size is the screen?
  • What resolution is the screen?
  • Is the screen a TV, monitor, laptop, phone etc?
  • Is it an OLED screen or an LCD/LED/QLED?
  • Does the screen support HDR?
  • What is the max refresh rate of the screen?
  • Does the screen support a Game mode?
  • Does the screen have a low response time?
  • Does the screen support VRR?
  • Does the screen use other HDMI 2.1 features?

External factors

  • How close are you to the screen?
  • Do you play in a dark or bright room?
  • Do you have others around you when playing?
  • How long are your gaming sessions?

Personal factors

  • Can you feel a big gap between 30fps & 60fps?
  • Can you see a big gap between resolutions?
  • What's your skill level in singleplayer games?
  • Need extra frames to compete in multiplayer?
  • Do you use photo mode a lot?