Is it worth buying a 120 Hz monitor for console gaming? Why should or why shouldn’t you consider this option? If you do get a high refresh rate monitor for console gaming, is going higher than 120 Hz okay, or are there reasons you shouldn’t do that with consoles? Today, I’ll be breaking down these questions and more, so let’s dive into it!
You can also skip around to your heart’s content, if you like.
Table of Contents
A Brief on Refresh Rate: What Is 120 Hz?
Before I can answer this question in any kind of detail, I need to at least take a moment to discuss the basics of refresh rate and framerate.
Refresh rate is a hardware measurement, in Hertz, of the number of times per second a display can refresh its panel with a new image. Meanwhile, framerate is a software measurement referring to the number of times per second a piece of software can provide a new frame to the display. This slight abstraction means that while 120 Hz is needed to display 120 FPS accurately, you can technically run a 120 FPS title on a 60 Hz display…there will just be frame tearing due to dropped frames and inconsistent frame-pacing.
Caption: A slow-mo comparison of fast motion on monitors of various refresh rates.
Historically, console games have targeted 30 FPS and 60 FPS most frequently, with forays into 10-24 FPS common in the days of early 3D graphics. Console games also tend to enforce V-Sync by default in order to prevent screen tearing, though this does not prevent framedrops in performance-constrained titles (especially 30 FPS, pushing the hardware at high resolution).
As a silver lining (especially for 120 Hz games), modern consoles have also added Variable Refresh Rate support for HDMI 2.1 displays. This helps keep games feeling fluid even with fluctuating framerate as long as a display-specific VRR Range is kept, and is extra nice in games trying to target 120 Hz.
Why It’s Worth Buying a 120 Hz Monitor For Console Gaming
The Best Competitive Experience In Supported Titles
Depending on your gaming preferences, you may or may not have PS5 games that support 120 Hz. If you do, chances are high they’re cross-generation titles, competitive multiplayer titles, or both*. One prominent 120 Hz game on PlayStation 5 at the time of writing is Street Fighter 6, a fighting game with 120 Hz support on console with the appropriate monitors. Unfortunately, the sheer heat output of these setups also resulted in some USB ports melting at EVO— the largest annual FGC event by far.
*There are some PS5-exclusive, single player titles that support 120 Hz modes as well, of course, including God of War: Ragnarok. 120 Hz support also seems to be more widespread on Xbox as well, at least according to TechRadar’s list of PS5 and Xbox Series X games with 120 FPS support.
The Fidelity of 120 Hz Needs To Be Seen To Be Understood
Human eyesight certainly can’t be measured in FPS, but if it could it’s clear by an emerging market of 360+ Hz monitors that improvements in real-world fidelity continue well past 120 Hz. Considering the longtime 60 Hz standard of consoles and TVs they’re played on, though, it makes sense for consoles to adhere to 120 Hz instead of the more variable approach to resolution and refresh rate permitted by the PC platform.
Even if you don’t currently have a high refresh rate display, you can get an idea of how changing refresh rate impacts your image. Try running UFOTest in your browser— it will show you three UFOs at differing simulated refresh rates on your screen. Low refresh rate (and low framerate/FPS dips, etc) results in more visual stuttering and noticeable “steps” in fluid motion.
If you can play a game with 120 Hz support, I proudly argue doing so is the definitive experience. At least from a “gamefeel” perspective, anyway, since a low refresh rate “quality” mode might technically look better.
Future Proofing for Future Consoles or a PC
Ideally, any 120 Hz display (monitor or TV) you buy is going to outlive the average 5 year console generation. Since PS5 and Xbox Series X have been pushing 120 Hz support, their successors are likely to do so as well. And of course, support for 120 Hz and higher refresh rates has been commonplace in PC gaming for a long time— especially competitive multiplayer titles.
Why You Shouldn’t Buy a 120 Hz Monitor For Console Gaming
Very Few Games Support 120 Hz on Console
At the time of writing, though, things aren’t looking as bright for 120 Hz in this console generation as many may have hoped. The support is present, and in the games that use it, it’s certainly a nice addition. The problem is there simply aren’t very many games on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X that actually support 120 Hz, especially current-gen AAA titles that are pushing the envelope in visuals.
This may be due to change, though. God of War: Ragnarok is a very graphically-intense title that supports 120 Hz on PS5, and that’s about as AAA as it gets.
120 Hz Monitors Are More Expensive
And of course, the elephant in the room: pricing. A 60 Hz gaming monitor is generally going to be cheaper than a 120 Hz gaming monitor, and 120 Hz TVs are fairly expensive in general. This is to be expected, but shouldn’t be overlooked, since the difference can often manifest in hundreds more dollars of retail asking price.
Is It Worth Buying a 120 Hz Monitor For Console Gaming?
So…is it worth buying a 120 Hz monitor for console gaming? Unfortunately, modern consoles don’t have PC’s degree of high refresh rate gaming support just yet. Games that make the most of their hardware (like the recently-released Final Fantasy 16 on PS5) can still struggle to run at 60 FPS due to the scale of their ambition, forget about 120.
I would say the answer is heavily reliant on you and the games that you’re playing. If you play a lot of games that actually support 120 Hz, I would say “yes”. Otherwise, if you’re a dedicated console gamer, don’t see yourself switching to PC anytime soon, and like to keep it cheap…60 Hz will likely serve you just fine this gen.
Should You Get a 144 Hz or 240 Hz Monitor For Console Gaming?
Probably not!
While high refresh rate monitors with good support for 60 Hz signals do exist, operating a high refresh rate monitor at a sub-native refresh rate could be asking for trouble. The differences are minor in my experience, but there is an increase to input lag when decreasing refresh rate on a high refresh display compared to keeping native refresh rate.
This could be a problem with 120 Hz mode, but severity will vary depending on the monitor in question. Some monitors are better-optimized for running at lower-than-native refresh rates than others— so some 144+ Hz monitors will have worse input lag at 120 Hz, but others might not.