Microsoft recently confirmed that Halo Infinite, the flagship game on the Xbox Series X, will support 120fps in its multiplayer mode. This led us to think: what are the other games with confirmed support for 120Hz refresh rates?
After some research, this article is the result: a list of all PS5 and Xbox Series X games that manage to exceed the traditional 60fps limit on consoles.
All PS5 And Xbox Series X Games with 120fps Support
In addition to the list of games, we also include a section with what you need to know about the technology on 4K 120Hz (HDMI 2.1) TVs and which are the best TVs for the next generation.
While TVs are the focus here, since this is how most people will play on Xbox Series X and PS5, we also cover other options: monitors with high refresh rates.
They have been available for PC for a few years now, so we’ve also included our recommendations for the best gaming monitors that support 120Hz or higher rates at various resolutions.
These start with models currently available with 1080p and 1440p, and end with the first monitor with support for HDMI 2.1, allowing you to play at 120 FPS and 4K resolution (perfect for the next generation).
Both of these side effects facilitate fast paced games like shooting games or racing games, as you will be able to react faster to an enemy’s fast appearance or to a fast approaching curve.
Framerates and monitors with higher refresh rates make the Counter-Strike characters move more fluidly and appear earlier on the screen. In short, it gives a better feeling.
Monitors with higher refresh rates had a profound impact on PC games when they were introduced a few years ago, we are expecting a similar change now on consoles with 120fps on the table.
Of course, there is a common trade-off between higher framerates and improved visual fidelity. For games where fast action is unusual, or in cases where producers want to emphasize the look of their world with higher resolutions or improved visual effects, maintaining the traditional 30fps or 360fps may make more sense.
Which PS5 and Xbox Series X games support 120fps?
Right now, we know that there are eight games of the next generation with 120fps support on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The division is far from balanced.
While the PlayStation 5’s design is innovative in many ways, little is known about which games will support 120fps. So far, the list of games with 120fps on PS5 has only a few entries, but it will certainly increase over time.
List of PS5 games with 120fps
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition
- Destiny 2
- Dirt 5
- Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
- The Nioh Collection
- Rainbow Six Siege
Now let’s look at the other side of the coin with the Xbox Series X. Given Microsoft’s tie with PC gaming thanks to Windows, it’s not surprising that there are several games announced with support for 120fps. Here are all the games we know about:
List of Xbox Series X games with 120fps
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- CrossCode
- Destiny 2
- Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition
- Dirt 5
- ExoMecha
- Gears 5
- Halo Infinite (multiplayer)
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection
- King Oddball
- Metal: Hellsinger
- Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Orphan of the Machine
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Rocket League
- Rogue Company
- Second Extinction
- Star Wars Squadrons
- The Falconeer
- The Touryst
Backward compatibility can also result in titles with 120 fps, with the Xbox Series X running some games from previous generations at double their original 60fps framerate.
Recommendations for 120fps TVs and Monitors
If you like to play fast-paced titles like FPS or racing, we recommend that you choose a TV that supports higher refresh rates on PS5 and Xbox Series X – if you can find one within your budget.
Here are our recommendations for each category, including LG’s excellent OLEDs and some alternatives from Samsung and Sony. Each choice is capable of 120 FPS in 4K resolution, variable refresh rates and reduced input lag, making them great choices for games.
The best 120Hz 4K TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X
- LG CX OLED (via HDMI 2.1)
- Samsung Q80T QLED (via HDMI 2.1)
- Sony XH9005 / X900H ( support for HDMI 2.1 via update )
- LG NanoCell 85 / NanoCell 86 (UK)
Note: The 49-inch Q80T has a 60Hz instead of 120Hz panel, which is used in larger sizes. It also has no support for variable refresh rate and suffers from worse viewing angles, so we recommend a size of 55 inches or larger.
Gaming monitors are also a great choice to match the PS5 or Xbox Series X, but be aware that – at the time of writing this – no available monitor supports HDMI 2.1. However, you can still play at 120fps at lower resolutions, such as 1080p or 1440p, using HDMI 2.0.
Note that you may have run the game with Adaptive Sync turned off to reach 144Hz at 1440p. One benefit of this is that these monitors are considerably cheaper than 4K and 120Hz TVs.
The first 4K 120Hz monitor with support for HDMI 2.1 is the Eve Spectrum, linked below. We expect more HDMI 2.1 monitors to arrive before the end of the year.
The best 120Hz monitors for PS5 and Xbox Series X
- AOC 24G2U (1080p 120Hz via HDMI 1.4)
- BenQ EX2780Q (1440p 120Hz via HDMI 2.0)
- LG 27GL850 (1440p 120Hz via HDMI 2.0 w / VRR disabled)
- Eve Spectrum (4K 120Hz via HDMI 2.1)
What is HDMI 2.1?
Simply put, HDMI 2.1 is a new standard that increases the amount of data that can flow through an HDMI cable. Although the port is exactly the same as the HDMI you have used for years, the increase in bandwidth requires new equipment: new cables, new source devices (such as next-generation consoles and graphics cards) and new receiver devices (such as televisions and monitors). If all devices have support for HDMI 2.1, then you receive several features.
The most important feature for our purposes is the ability to send more frames per second at a given resolution. In the previous HDMI 2.0 standard, you can only send a 4K image at 60 frames per second. On HDMI 2.1 this doubles, so you can send a 4K image 120 times per second.
Other features include an automatic low latency mode, causing your TV to disable some of its processing in exchange for low input lag and support for variable update rates, which eliminate screen tears without excessive V-Sync input lag.
Variable refresh rate standards are a separate topic, but their implementations include HDMI VRR (built into the HDMI 2.1 standard), FreeSync (on AMD graphics) and G-Sync (on Nvidia graphics).
What is the difference between 120Hz and 120fps?
Hertz (Hz)refers to the number of times the screen updates the image per second. The maximum refresh rate is an intrinsic part of every model of TV or monitor, with most televisions being limited to 60Hz, but some are capable of 120Hz.
Gaming monitors are also usually available in 60Hz and 120Hz varieties, but some models support higher values such as 144Hz, 240Hz or even 360Hz.
Frames per second (fps)refers to the number of images that are generated by a console or PC each second. The value can be blocked at a certain value, keeping frames arriving at a steady pace, or unlocked, allowing more frames per second in areas of the game that are less demanding in rendering.
Ideally, these two parameters should be similar most of the time to benefit from the lower input lag and the higher temporal resolution that we mentioned earlier. For example, if your screen updates 120 times per second and your console provides 120 new frames every second, then you will benefit from each parameter to the maximum.
If your console only provides 60fps, then you will not benefit from using a 120Hz screen. Conversely, if your console can generate stable 120fps but you have a 60Hz screen, then you will see a slight improvement in responsiveness *, but not as much as you would if using a 120Hz screen.
If you are interested in fast games, then having a 120Hz screen makes a lot of sense. Even in situations where your console is generating between 60 and 120fps, you will still get a better response on a screen on a 120Hz screen than on a 60Hz screen – and the closer you get to 120fps, the more fluid the images will be.
There is still time to launch both consoles, so we don’t know how the games will perform – even in games with 120fps target, we will be able to watch 120fps blocked or framerates with sharp drops. However, the increase in processor and graphics power on both consoles suggests that 120fps is a viable target, we are excited to see the result.
And the Xbox Series S?
In theory, the Xbox Series S should be able to run any Xbox Series X 120fps game with a similar frame-rate, but at a lower resolution. However, most studios have not specified the performance so we will have to see how things go as the consoles arrive and games start to emerge.