VRR (variable refresh rate)
What variable refresh rate does, why it removes stutter and tearing, and which consoles support it.
VRR stands for variable refresh rate. Normally a screen refreshes at a fixed rate — 60 times a second on a 60Hz television — regardless of how many frames the game is producing. When the two fall out of step, you get screen tearing (the top and bottom of the image showing different frames) or stutter (the same frame shown twice).
VRR fixes this by letting the screen change its refresh rate moment by moment to match whatever the game is actually delivering. If a game drops from 60 to 48 frames, the screen drops to 48 too, and the motion stays smooth.
Does PS5 support VRR?
Yes. PS5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S all support VRR, and many gaming PCs support the equivalent technologies.
Two conditions have to be met. Your screen must support VRR — on televisions this generally means an HDMI 2.1 port, and it is often listed under a brand name or as "AMD FreeSync". And it must be switched on in both the TV picture settings and the console.
On PS5 you will find it under Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output > VRR. There is also an option called "Apply to Unsupported Games", which is worth enabling — it often smooths out titles that were never specifically patched for VRR.
What it does not do
VRR does not raise your frame rate. A game running at 45 frames still runs at 45 frames — it simply looks steadier. If a game is genuinely slow, VRR makes it feel better without making it faster.
It also has a working range. Below a certain frame rate, usually around 40, the benefit tapers off, though most modern screens compensate.
The games where you notice VRR most are the ones with unstable frame rates — large open-world titles especially. In a game that holds a rock-solid 60 the whole way through, you may not notice it at all, which is exactly as it should be.