If you own a PS5, you know that it's capable of so much. Many improvements were made to the console since the PS4; games look and feel fantastic on the PlayStation 5.

Many games give you a choice between looking great and feeling smooth. In PlayStation-specific terms, this is Resolution Mode vs Performance Mode. Although Performance Mode promises a smoother gameplay experience, there are some key reasons to choose Resolution Mode instead.

Let's check out what Resolution Mode is exactly on the PS5, and why you should give it a try for your next PS5 game.

What Is the PS5's Resolution Mode?

One of the greatest features of the PS5 is the ability for users to choose between Performance Mode and Resolution Mode for certain games.

PS5 games played in Performance Mode favor a higher frame rate if there's one available, such as 120FPS (frames per second) over 60FPS. The PS5's Resolution Mode, on the other hand, favors current-gen graphics features, like ray tracing and a higher resolution, in exchange for a lower frame rate.

If you favor one mode over the other, you can set your console to automatically enact a specific mode when a new game is downloaded and launched. Now let's dive into some reasons why you should give your PS5's Resolution Mode a try.

1. Take Advantage of Your TV’s 4K Capability

Many new PS5 games and some remastered PS4 games are capable of displaying at a stunning 4K resolution. In a lot of instances, however, you have to sacrifice 4K resolution in Resolution Mode for a speedier frame rate in Performance Mode.

One of the first video games released on the PlayStation 5 was Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. This game is a great example of the differences between Resolution Mode and Performance Mode.

In Resolution Mode, you can play Spider-Man: Miles Morales at 30 frames per second, see stunning detail in a native 4K resolution, and experience ray tracing (more on this later), which is awesome in Miles Morales specifically because of all the reflective buildings. In Performance Mode, gameplay is smoother at 60 frames per second, but the resolution drops to 1440p, and you'll only experience toggled ray tracing.

All in all, if you have a TV that supports a 4K resolution, you should be taking advantage of it!

2. You Might Be Used to 30FPS Anyway

For the longest time, 30 frames per second was the standard for video games on consoles. It was exciting to see a game that supported 60 frames per second, and rare to see a game supporting 120 frames per second.

Even though a 60FPS game might feel a lot smoother, especially if you test it right after a 30FPS, a video game at 30 frames per second isn't unplayable. It's what the majority of console users have been playing at for years.

When you're already used to 30FPS and get to pair that with a beautiful 4K resolution and realistic ray tracing, it brings your video game experience to a whole new level of awesome.

3. Experience the Best Graphics Your PS5 Can Offer

With the release of the PS5 in 2020, there were two new features that people were most excited to try out: haptic feedback on the DualSense controllers and ray tracing. While haptic feedback is a pretty nifty feature, we're going to focus on ray tracing since it's a purely visual improvement of the PS5 that you can take advantage of in Resolution Mode almost exclusively.

If you're unfamiliar with what ray tracing is, it's a rendering method for graphics that uses algorithms to determine where light and shadows are supposed to hit in video games to make it look the most realistic. So when you're walking through a world within a video game and it's raining, you can accurately see reflections in puddles or light poking through the treetops in a woody area, bouncing naturally off surfaces.

Because of how demanding ray tracing is, video games often require a lower frame rate in order to execute this higher-level graphics feature. So if you want to experience ray tracing in your PS5 game (provided it supports RT), you're likely going to have to play a game in Resolution Mode instead of Performance Mode.

Try Out Resolution Mode for Yourself

It's one thing to read about experiencing PS5 games in Resolution Mode, but it's another to actually test them out for yourself. If you have a TV that's capable of 4K and a high refresh rate, we encourage you to test out Resolution Mode on your PS5 games and even compare them to Performance Mode.

There are certainly pros and cons to both modes on the PlayStation 5, and really, it comes down to what your personal preferences are. Do you want to see every visual detail and experience the latest graphics? Or do you want gameplay that feels buttery smooth? It's up to you!