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The best Xbox upscaling setting is the one that matches your priority in the specific game: choose Performance for smoother motion and lower input latency, Quality for finer detail and effects, or Balanced when its published compromise suits your display. Xbox has no universal system-wide Performance, Quality, or FSR switch. Each game developer decides which modes exist, how they render internally, and what console and display requirements apply.
Start with the game’s own graphics menu
Open the title’s Settings, Options, or Display/Graphics menu and read the descriptions beside each mode. The labels are useful shorthand, not standardized Xbox specifications. One game’s Performance mode may target 120 frames per second with aggressive dynamic resolution, while another may target 60 FPS with smaller visual compromises. A Quality mode can prioritize resolution, lighting, shadows, effects, ray tracing, or crowd density, and the exact combination differs by title and update.
Check the game’s current patch notes or official support page when the menu does not state a target. Published figures are tied to a particular game version, console model, and sometimes a compatible display. The Xbox “Optimized for Series X|S” program describes enhanced titles, but it does not impose one graphics-mode standard across all games: Xbox’s Optimized for Series X|S information.
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Performance mode
Performance mode generally gives the game a higher or steadier frame-rate target. To reach it, the engine may reduce internal rendering resolution, texture or shadow detail, lighting quality, effect complexity, crowd density, or ray-tracing features. Some games use dynamic resolution scaling, changing the internal resolution during demanding scenes while keeping the output signal at the display’s selected resolution.
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Bethesda’s Starfield guidance is a clear title-specific example: its performance prioritization lowers internal resolution and detail for special effects, lighting, and crowds. That explains the normal trade-off, but it does not establish a universal Starfield-like behavior for every Xbox game. Read the individual title’s notes before assuming which settings change.
Quality mode
Quality mode normally favors visual detail or a higher internal rendering target, often at a lower frame rate. It may preserve denser effects, more detailed lighting, longer draw distances, higher-quality shadows, or ray tracing. “Quality” does not guarantee native 4K, 60 FPS, or any other number unless the developer publishes that target. The output resolution shown by the console or television can remain 4K even when the game is rendering below 4K and reconstructing the image.
Balanced mode
Balanced is an optional middle setting. Its frame-rate and image-quality target are entirely game-specific. In DOOM Eternal Update 6, Balanced targeted 2160p at 60 FPS on Series X and 1440p at 60 FPS on Series S, with dynamic resolution scaling. Those values describe that update’s implementation, not a platform-wide Xbox promise.
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Upscaling
Upscaling converts a lower-resolution render into a higher-resolution output. A game might render internally at a variable resolution, reconstruct detail from previous frames, and send a 4K signal to the display. Upscaling can help an engine maintain a performance target without rendering every pixel natively, but perceived sharpness and artifacts depend on the developer’s implementation, motion vectors, anti-aliasing, and the scene.
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Microsoft’s Xbox Game Development Kit includes a developer sample for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) with native-resolution, bilinear, and FSR paths: the Xbox GDK FSR code samples. This documents an integration option for developers; it is not evidence of a single FSR toggle exposed in Xbox system settings or in every game.
Choose in five steps
- Identify the exact game, update and console. Confirm whether you are playing on Xbox Series X, Series S, or another Xbox model. Look for the current graphics menu and official support notes. The same title can offer different modes on Series X and Series S, and a later patch can change targets or availability.
- Decide what you notice most while playing. Select Performance when camera movement, aiming, racing, fighting, or quick input response matters most. Select Quality when you prefer richer lighting, denser effects, higher detail, or ray tracing and can accept a lower frame rate. Choose Balanced only after reading its actual target rather than treating the name as automatically optimal.
- Check whether the mode needs a particular display. A 120-FPS option can require a 120 Hz-capable television or monitor. VRR can help a capable display follow changes in the game’s frame rate. Xbox describes variable refresh rate as allowing a compatible display to adjust its refresh rate to the game’s output: Xbox’s VRR explanation.
- Evaluate the upscaler as part of the mode. Do not judge a mode only by the output number shown in your television’s information panel. Compare moving edges, foliage, hair, text, particle effects, and distant geometry in the game. A lower internal resolution with good reconstruction can look cleaner in motion than a nominally higher but unstable render.
- Recheck after updates. Graphics modes are software features. If a patch changes frame-rate targets, adds ray tracing, alters dynamic resolution, or introduces a new Balanced option, reassess the choice using the updated notes and menu.
How to compare modes fairly
Use the same scene, camera movement, brightness and field-of-view settings when comparing. Pause in a busy area, then pan slowly and quickly. Examine fine geometry, dark lighting, reflections, volumetric effects and distant objects. Pay attention to consistency: a mode that briefly reaches a high frame rate but frequently drops can feel less responsive than a steadier lower target.
| Comparison point | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Frame-rate target | 60 FPS, 120 FPS or another published target; note whether it is dynamic or capped | Higher and steadier frame rates usually make camera movement and controls feel more immediate |
| Internal resolution | Native, fixed, dynamic or not stated | The internal render, not only the output signal, strongly affects fine detail |
| Output resolution | 1080p, 1440p, 2160p or another stated signal | Confirms what the game sends to the display, but does not prove native rendering |
| Visual features | Lighting, shadows, effects, crowds, draw distance and ray tracing | Quality compromises can be more visible than resolution changes in some scenes |
| Console availability | Series X, Series S or another supported model | Hardware and developer settings determine which modes appear |
| Display requirement | 60 Hz, 120 Hz, VRR or another documented capability | The display must be able to show the mode’s output as intended |
Do not infer a universal rule such as “4K always means Quality” or “120 FPS is always available on Series X.” The developer controls the rendering pipeline, and a higher output resolution alone does not guarantee a sharper image or a higher frame rate.
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DOOM Eternal Update 6
Xbox Wire’s 29 June 2021 description of Update 6 lists the following targets and caveats:
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| Console and mode | Published target | Important conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Series X Performance | 1800p at 120 FPS | Requires a 120 Hz-compatible display; dynamic resolution scaling is used |
| Series X Balanced | 2160p at 60 FPS | Dynamic resolution scaling is used |
| Series X Ray Tracing | 1800p at 60 FPS | Balanced and Performance are unavailable with ray tracing |
| Series S Performance | 1080p at 120 FPS | Requires a 120 Hz-compatible display; dynamic resolution scaling is used |
| Series S Balanced | 1440p at 60 FPS | Dynamic resolution scaling is used |
The article also states that the listed resolutions require a compatible display. These are historical, title-specific targets from that update, not a guarantee for every current installation or every Xbox game. See the Xbox Wire Update 6 details and verify the current in-game options.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt next-generation update
In its 23 November 2022 announcement, Xbox Wire described Performance and Quality modes on Series X, while Series S received dedicated 30-FPS and 60-FPS modes. The announcement also described FSR use on Series X. This is a useful demonstration of two principles: console versions can expose different choices, and an upscaler such as FSR is implemented by the game rather than guaranteed as a universal Xbox feature. Read the Witcher 3 next-generation update announcement for that version’s details.
Starfield
Bethesda’s support article explains that Starfield’s performance prioritization lowers internal resolution and detail for special effects, lighting and crowds. It recommends a 120 Hz VRR display for its settings. Treat that recommendation as Starfield-specific guidance, not a requirement that applies to all Xbox games. The current support information is at Bethesda’s Xbox Series X|S display-settings article.
Display, cable and Xbox settings that can limit the result
120 Hz support
If a game’s Performance mode requires 120 Hz, the television or monitor must support that refresh rate at the game’s output resolution. Enable the display’s enhanced, gaming or high-bandwidth input mode if the manufacturer requires one, then check the Xbox video settings for 120 Hz. If the option is absent, the console, HDMI path or display may be limiting the signal.
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VRR support
VRR is not a frame-rate multiplier. It allows a compatible display to vary refresh timing so changes in the game’s frame rate appear more smoothly. The game, console, display, HDMI connection and relevant settings must all support the feature. When comparing modes, distinguish a mode that targets 120 FPS from a display that merely smooths fluctuations through VRR.
Resolution and bandwidth
A display may accept 4K at 60 Hz but not 4K at 120 Hz, or it may support 120 Hz only at a lower resolution. An HDMI cable, receiver or switch can also constrain the available signal. If a game mode is missing, temporarily connect the Xbox directly to the display and test the display’s supported combinations before concluding that the game does not offer the mode.
What upscaling artifacts look like
- Shimmering or crawling edges: fine geometry such as fences, wires and foliage may flicker during movement.
- Ghosting: a moving character or object can leave a soft trail when the reconstruction process uses previous frames.
- Soft text or distant detail: the output can be 4K while small lettering and far-away objects remain less defined because the internal render is lower.
- Temporal instability: particles, hair and transparencies can change appearance as the camera moves.
- Resolution drops: dynamic scaling may reduce detail in busy scenes to preserve the selected frame-rate target.
These effects are implementation characteristics, not proof that an entire mode is defective. Compare them during actual movement rather than judging a paused screenshot alone. If artifacts are distracting, try Quality or Balanced, disable optional ray tracing if the game permits it, or use a fixed lower output that your display handles cleanly.
Choosing by player type
Competitive and action-focused players
Start with Performance when reaction time, camera clarity and consistent motion are more valuable than maximum effects. Confirm that your display can run the target refresh rate. If the game offers several performance options, prefer the one with a clearly stated or demonstrably steadier target rather than choosing only by its highest peak number.
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Story, exploration and graphics-focused players
Start with Quality when you spend more time observing environments, lighting and effects than making rapid inputs. Ray tracing may be worth the lower frame rate in a supported title, but compare actual scenes: reflections and lighting can improve while motion becomes less fluid.
Players with a 60 Hz display
Prioritize a stable 60-FPS or quality target that your display can show. A 120-FPS mode will not provide its full benefit on a 60 Hz panel, although the game may still use a performance-oriented internal pipeline. Check the title’s documentation rather than assuming the mode is unavailable or equivalent.
Players with a 120 Hz VRR display
You have more flexibility, but the display does not remove the game’s trade-offs. Select Performance when you want high-refresh motion, Quality when you want detail, and Balanced when its published target fits your preferences. Ensure the Xbox, display input and cable path are configured for the supported 120 Hz and VRR combination.
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- Install the game’s latest update. Graphics modes can arrive or change through patches.
- Confirm the console version. Series X and Series S may have different modes and targets, as shown by DOOM Eternal and The Witcher 3.
- Check display compatibility. Look for the exact resolution-and-refresh combination, not merely a “120 Hz” label.
- Remove signal bottlenecks. Test a direct HDMI connection and the display’s enhanced input mode.
- Review in-game restrictions. Some modes cannot combine with ray tracing or other features. DOOM Eternal’s Update 6, for example, excludes Balanced and Performance when ray tracing is active.
- Compare in motion. Use the same scene and camera movement, and watch for frame pacing, softness and reconstruction artifacts.
- Reset only the affected setting. If a recent change causes an unexpected result, restore the game’s default display settings, then select one mode at a time.
A practical decision checklist
- What Xbox model are you using?
- Which graphics modes does this exact game and update provide?
- Does the menu state a frame-rate or resolution target?
- Is the internal resolution fixed, dynamic or unspecified?
- Which effects, lighting, crowds, shadows or ray tracing change between modes?
- Does the selected option require 120 Hz or VRR?
- Can your display, HDMI input and cable path support that signal?
- Do you prefer smoother motion or richer detail after testing a moving scene?
- Have you checked again after the game’s latest update?
How to interpret developer documentation
Official notes are more reliable than a mode label alone, but read their qualifiers carefully. A number may be a target rather than a lock, dynamic rather than fixed, or limited to one console. “Up to 120 FPS” does not mean every scene holds 120 FPS. “4K output” does not prove native 4K internal rendering. A recommendation for 120 Hz VRR may describe the best experience for one title, not a requirement for Xbox gaming generally.
Microsoft’s guidance on dynamic resolution and upscaling explains why developers can lower rendering work and reconstruct or scale the result: Xbox Game Energy Efficiency Essentials. The practical consequence is that two games using similar technology can look and perform differently. Judge the implementation in the title you actually play.
Bottom line for selecting a mode
There is no single best Xbox upscaling setting. Start in the game’s own menu, identify the mode’s real target and restrictions, match it to your Xbox model and display, then choose the compromise you can see and feel. Performance is the default for smoother motion and responsiveness; Quality is the default for detail and effects; Balanced is worth considering only when its title-specific target makes sense for your priorities. Revisit the choice after updates, because the developer—not the Xbox system—defines how each mode renders and upscales the image.
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