The PlayStation 5's Performance Mode allows users to play their games at higher framerates while sacrificing some of the next-gen console's graphical enhancements. There are three different modes available for owners to improve their gaming experience: Performance, Performance RT, and Fidelity. These modes are different in the way they prioritize certain settings, giving players several options depending on how they want to experience different types of games.
PS5's Fidelity Mode focuses on making PS5 games look their best from a graphical perspective. It does this by lowering the maximum framerate of a game to 30 FPS so the PS5 console will render more enhanced visuals at a minimum resolution of 1296p. Some games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales are even able to run at native 4K resolution, meaning people with 4K monitors/TVs can experience games in an even more lifelike fashion.
For PS5 owners that want the most responsive experience out of their console, Performance Mode should be the default mode for their system. Performance Mode places a heavy focus on maximizing the number of rendered frames per second a game achieves over high graphical features. A lot of PS5 games have Performance Modes that target 60 FPS, including Watch Dogs: Legion and Returnal. There is even a chance for some games to hit up to 120 FPS, but a majority have targeted 60 FPS up to this point.
Performance Mode Achieves High Framerates By Sacrificing Graphical Resolution
To be able to achieve these higher framerates, the Performance Mode has to prioritize making the game run efficiently over having high graphical quality. Performance mode reduces the amount of detail and density that fills up a particular scene, which means that the game's world will be slightly less immersive than it would be in Fidelity Mode. This mode also removes ray tracing from scenes, which is used by PS5 game developers to create more realistic lighting effects (though it's not a feature of every game).
The PS5's Performance mode offers at least a 1080p resolution with the increased framerate. Some titles like The Last of Us Part 2 can even reach a dynamic 4K resolution with their Performance modes, drawing the graphics closer. It's worth noting that the resolution in Performance Mode is completely dependent on how graphically demanding a title is, but 60 FPS will always be the top priority.
Performance Mode can be prioritized straight from the PS5's settings menu in the Game Presets tab, which is located in the Game/App Data section. The mode best serves PS5 multiplayer games due to the fast rendering speeds and increased framerates, but can also be used to help single-player experiences run more smoothly. No matter what kinds of games a user chooses to play, choosing the Performance Mode on the PlayStation 5 is an great way to experience them in their smoothest state.