VRR on Xbox Series X

Take a look at how to enable VRR on Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X in just a few seconds

Many people have been asking about FreeSync on the new Xbox Series X and Series S. And we’re happy to share that both support FreeSync. It’s the same setup as was on the Xbox One X and Xbox One S through HDMI 2.0. Microsoft’s Xbox consoles use HDMI variable refresh rate, or VRR, delivered via HDMI 2.1 on the Xbox Series X and Series S. This technology is compatible with VESA Adaptive Sync and therefore AMD FreeSync works in conjunction with Xbox consoles. Theoretically, an Xbox plugged into a G-Sync monitor via HDMI may allow VRR, since G-Sync is also based on Adaptive Sync. However, that’s not covered by official support and will be very hit and miss. FreeSync support is official and thus nearly universal.

Keep in mind base Xbox One consoles from 2013 to 2016 don’t support VRR. Only Xbox One S, One X, Series S, and Series X do. And of course your display needs to be FreeSync-enabled. 

To turn on VRR, go to Settings and then Video modes. 

Then, take a look at the list of features that you can enable and disable. Make sure Allow variable refresh rate is checked. That will tell your Xbox to look for FreeSync/Adaptive Sync on the destination display, and coordinate frame rates with the monitor to prevent tearing. 

Now that Xbox Series X routinely hits 60 frames per second in games and even goes up to 120fps in select titles, VRR proves a lot more useful than was the case before. Fast, reflexive shooters like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Borderlands 3 benefit most from VRR. If you have a good gaming monitor that supports FreeSync and 120Hz, you should definitely enable VRR on your Xbox. The feature is not active by default, even when the consoles are connected to a FreeSync display. You need to enable it manually for now.

And that’s all there is to it!