Performance mode vs quality mode
What each graphics mode changes, which to choose for which kind of game, and whether you need a 120Hz TV.
Most current-generation games offer a choice of graphics modes, usually two. It is one of the few visual decisions a console player actually controls, and many people never touch it.
What is the difference?
Quality mode — often called Fidelity or Resolution mode. Higher resolution, better effects, ray tracing where available, usually at 30 frames per second.
Performance mode — lower resolution and reduced effects, usually at 60 frames per second, sometimes higher.
The trade is straightforward: Quality looks better in a screenshot, Performance feels better to play. A game at 60 frames is smoother in motion and responds noticeably faster to the controller, because higher frame rate reduces input lag as well as improving smoothness.
Some games add a third option — a 120Hz mode, or a balanced mode targeting 40 frames on a 120Hz screen, which sits genuinely between the two rather than being a compromise in name only.
Which mode should I choose?
Match it to the game rather than picking one and leaving it.
Choose Performance for: shooters, fighting games, racing, sports, anything competitive, and any game where you are reacting quickly. In these, 60 frames is not a preference — it is a measurable advantage.
Choose Quality for: slow, atmospheric single-player games, photography-heavy games, and titles where ray-traced lighting genuinely transforms the look. If you are exploring and taking it in rather than reacting, 30 frames is fine.
A useful habit: try the first hour of a game in both. The difference is far more obvious in motion than in any description, and many people find they prefer the opposite of what they expected.
Does performance mode need a 120Hz TV?
No. Performance mode usually targets 60 frames per second, and a standard 60Hz television displays that perfectly. You lose nothing.
A 120Hz screen only matters for the modes that actually run above 60 — the 120fps modes some games offer, and the 40fps balanced modes that require a 120Hz panel to display correctly. Those are a smaller subset.
So: 60Hz TV, use Performance mode and enjoy it. 120Hz TV, you have some extra options in supported games, and should make sure HDMI 2.1 and full bandwidth are enabled so you can reach them.
Where to find the setting
Almost always inside the game''s own options, under graphics or display — not in the console settings. Some games ask on first launch and never mention it again, which is why people end up on a mode they never chose.
Worth checking on every game you install.