Enable 120Hz, VRR & Game Mode on Your TV

Before you touch anything on the console, change one thing on the television: turn on Game Mode. This is, by a wide margin, the most impactful setting for how a console feels to play. A modern TV runs your picture through a stack of image processing — motion smoothing, noise reduction, sharpening, dynamic contrast — and every one of those steps takes time. That processing time is added latency between you pressing a button and the result appearing on screen. Game Mode's whole job is to bypass that pipeline so the image reaches the panel as fast as possible, and it commonly cuts input lag from well over 100 milliseconds down to the 10–20ms range.

Game Mode is a per-input picture setting on the TV, not a console setting, so you enable it in the TV's own menu for the HDMI input your console is plugged into. It lives under Picture or Picture Mode on most sets — pick the mode literally called 'Game', or on some brands enable a 'Game Mode' or 'Game Optimizer' switch. On LG it is 'Game Optimizer', on Samsung 'Game Mode' (sometimes under General or an Auto Game Mode setting), on Sony 'Game' picture mode. Once selected, that input will use the low-latency path whenever you are gaming.

The trade-off is small and honest: Game Mode disables some of the picture 'enhancements' that make movies look glossy. For gaming that is exactly what you want, because those enhancements are the very things adding lag and smearing fast motion. If you use the same input for films, either switch picture modes when you watch, or better, let Auto Low Latency Mode (covered later) flip Game Mode on and off automatically based on what you are doing.

Here is the trap that catches the most people: not every HDMI port on a TV is equal. To carry a 4K signal at 120Hz you need an HDMI 2.1 port with enough bandwidth, and on many TVs only one or two of the four ports actually support it. Plug into the wrong port and the console will simply never offer you 120Hz — the option stays greyed out — no matter how many menus you dig through. So before adjusting console settings, confirm your console is in a port that can carry the signal.

Check your TV's manual or the small print beside the ports for labels like 'HDMI 2.1', '4K120', '4K@120Hz', or 'VRR/ALLM'. On many sets the capable ports are specifically marked, and one of them may be shared with eARC for audio. If in doubt, the manufacturer's spec page lists exactly which numbered inputs support 4K120 and VRR. Move your console's cable to one of those ports first — this single step fixes a huge share of 'my console won't do 120Hz' problems.

The cable matters too, and this is one place a small purchase is legitimately worth it. To carry 4K120, you need an 'Ultra High Speed' HDMI cable (rated for 48Gbps). The cable in the box with PS5 and Xbox Series X is this type, so use it. An older 'High Speed' HDMI cable from a previous console may physically fit but cannot carry the bandwidth, causing dropouts, a black screen, or the 120Hz option refusing to appear. You do not need an expensive boutique cable — just one certified 'Ultra High Speed'. Beware counterfeit cables; buy from a reputable seller and look for the certification label.

With the TV in Game Mode and the console in a capable port, now enable the high frame-rate output on the console itself. This tells the console it is allowed to send a 120Hz signal, which then lets games offer their 120fps modes. It is worth being clear about what each console can do here, because the ceilings differ. PS5 and PS5 Pro support 4K at 120Hz and VRR. Xbox Series X supports 4K120 and VRR as well. Xbox Series S supports 120Hz output but at up to 1440p rather than 4K, which is fine — it is a 1440p-class console by design. The original Nintendo Switch tops out at 1080p/60Hz over HDMI and has no 120Hz or VRR; the newer Switch 2 adds up to 120Hz output and VRR (VRR on its own handheld screen), a genuine generational step up.

On PS5 and PS5 Pro, the setting lives under Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output. Set Resolution appropriately (Automatic or 2160p) and make sure '120 Hz Output' is set to Automatic so the console uses it when a game and your display both support it. There is also an 'Enable 120 Hz Output' style option — leave it enabled. If the console reports your TV does not support 120Hz even though it should, that almost always points back to the wrong HDMI port or cable from the previous section.

On Xbox Series X|S, go to Settings > General > TV & display options. Under Resolution and Refresh rate, set the Refresh rate to 120Hz (the option only appears if the current port and cable can carry it). Xbox also has a very useful '4K TV details' screen in this menu that reports exactly which features your TV and current connection support — 4K, 120Hz, VRR, ALLM, Dolby Vision — which is the fastest way to confirm your chain is set up correctly. On Switch there is nothing to enable for 120Hz on the original model; on Switch 2, the high refresh options appear in its System/Display settings where supported.

Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) is the setting that removes screen tearing and much of the judder you get when a game's frame rate wobbles. Normally a display refreshes at a fixed cadence; when the game delivers frames slightly out of step, you either get a torn image (half old frame, half new) or added stutter. VRR lets the TV vary its refresh moment-to-moment to match whatever the console is actually outputting, so frames appear cleanly as they finish. The result is a noticeably smoother picture, especially in games that do not hold a perfectly locked frame rate. It has to be enabled in two places — on the TV and on the console — to work.

On the TV, VRR is usually found in the same Game Mode area or under a gaming settings panel; enable 'VRR' (and any related mode such as an HDMI-Forum VRR or the AMD FreeSync option many TVs list, which the consoles use). On PS5, VRR is under Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output > VRR; set it to Automatic, and you can optionally enable 'Apply to Unsupported Games' to extend the smoothing to titles that were not specifically patched for it. On Xbox Series X|S, VRR is under Settings > General > TV & display options > Video modes, shown as 'Allow variable refresh rate' — tick it. The original Switch has no VRR; Switch 2 adds it.

Finally, enable ALLM — Auto Low Latency Mode. This is the setting that ties the whole guide together and makes it effortless. ALLM lets the console tell the TV 'a game is running, switch to your low-lag Game Mode now', and then switch back when you stop. With ALLM on, you do not have to remember to change picture modes: the TV drops into Game Mode automatically when you play and returns to its normal processing for apps and films. On Xbox it is the 'Auto low-latency mode' checkbox under Video modes; on PS5 the console signals ALLM automatically to compatible TVs. On the TV side, enable ALLM (sometimes bundled with the VRR or Instant Game Response setting). With Game Mode, 120Hz, VRR and ALLM all on, your chain is complete.

The last piece is understanding that even a perfect TV setup only pays off when the game itself offers a high frame-rate mode and you select it. Many console games ship with a Performance mode (targeting 60fps) and sometimes a dedicated 120fps mode, alongside a higher-resolution Quality mode that usually runs at 30fps. A 120Hz-capable TV and port do nothing if the game is left in a 30fps Quality mode — you will see a lovely, sharp, 30fps image. To actually see 120fps you need the full chain: a game with a 120fps mode selected, a console that can output 120Hz, a TV and HDMI 2.1 port that accept it, and an Ultra High Speed cable carrying it. Miss any link and you fall back to whatever the weakest one allows.

So after the hardware setup, dive into each game's own graphics or display settings and pick the mode that suits you. If a game offers a '120fps', 'Performance 120' or 'High Frame Rate' mode and you have the display for it, that is where your setup shines. If it only offers 30 and 60, choose 60 for the responsive feel. VRR quietly helps here too, smoothing over the dips in modes that do not perfectly hold their target frame rate, so you get the benefit even when a game cannot sustain a locked number.

Keep your console's ceiling in mind so you are not chasing something the hardware cannot do. PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X can genuinely deliver 4K120 and VRR in supported games. Series S does 120Hz but at lower resolutions — perfectly valid, just not 4K. The original Switch is a 60Hz machine with no VRR, so 120fps is simply not on the table for it, and no setting changes that; Switch 2 is where Nintendo players get 120Hz and VRR. Setting realistic expectations for your specific box is part of getting the best out of it.