How do you enable 120 Hz mode on your Xbox Series X?

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Both the new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles support 120 Hz video output on compatible displays. That means smoother graphics, especially in motion, but it’s not enabled by default.

To get that smooth frame rate, you need to dig into the settings to enable it, then fire up any game that has 120 FPS support. Here’s how to get it running.

Why do I want 120 Hz mode?

If you’ve never experienced the joy that a high refresh rate monitor on a PC brings, you’re in for a treat. See, most panels like your TV only refresh up to 60 times a second. That’s why last-gen’s consoles were capped at 60 FPS, but the current Xbox Series X and S can go up to 120 FPS.

That’s down to the extra power that the new AMD chips inside bring, and also because HDMI 2.1 can support 120 Hz at 4K resolution, something that the older HDMI 2.0 standard couldn’t. You’ll need a display that’s capable of 120 Hz, like a newer TV with HDMI 2.1, or a computer monitor with HDMI 2.0 if you don’t want to play at 4K.

Here’s how to check if 120 Hz is supported and how to enable it on Xbox Series X

Now your console is set up to enable 120 Hz, you’ll also have to figure out which games support it. Check out our list, and once you’re playing the game, check the Settings menu for things like Performance or High Frame Rate in the menus. That’ll set it up for higher frame rates, instead of higher quality graphics.

Enjoy the benefits of higher frame rates in your games, but know that you can turn it back to 60 Hz at any time, in case you prefer the higher-quality graphics for some Xbox Series X games.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.