What to Expect on PS5, Series X / S and PC • Eurogamer.net

The launch of Elden Ring was marked by strong reviews praising its gameplay and artistic direction, but also questions about its technical performance on all platforms – PlayStation, Xbox and PC. Here at Digital Foundry, our analysis of the recently released 1.02 version of the game is ongoing, but we wanted to provide some first ideas, recommendations and performance predictions for anyone planning to download the game at launch. This will be followed by our full analysis as soon as possible next time, with details on the performance of both PC and console.

Let’s first take a look at the situation on the consoles. The performance measures we saw in last year’s Game Network test look largely unchanged on the PS5 and Series X. Both continue to offer two modes – frame rate mode and quality mode. But even when the 1.02 launch day patch is turned on, the frame rate mode continues to run in the 45-60 fps range on the PS5 and Series X, while the quality modes in each range are in the 30-60 fps range. Both devices run at completely unlocked frame rates, and much like the network test, there is still no 30fps cap to get out of the choppy reading in quality mode. Results? Very variable performance for especially quality mode, where 60 fps is rarely – if ever – achieved on PS5 or Series X.

By comparison, the PS5 usually runs at a higher frame rate than the X-Series, although none of them are clearly ideal. The bottom line is that both devices do not offer a steady 60fps in the final version. However, there are solutions for each platform that are worth considering. The Xbox Series X is significantly enhanced with its system-wide Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support if you have a support screen. VRR helps reduce perceived vibration in the 45-60 fps range in frame rate mode, creating a smoother experience by matching the screen update to frame rate. This may not be a solution for everyone, but for those with compatible TVs, it’s the best option on Xbox at the moment. Series S users also benefit from VRR here. With this platform’s frame rate mode running between 40-60 fps at the moment, it’s a viable option, although not ideal, given that Series S performance is often skewed towards the lower end of that range. X.

At the same time, hitting 60 fps on PS5 is a completely different tactic. Unfortunately, VRR support is not available on a Sony device at the moment, but, as with the network test, running the PS4 app on PS5 simply clears the frame rate to 60 fps. barter? The game runs at a lower resolution – with a reconstructed 1800p resolution – and with lower grass density settings than the original PS5 version. This is basically the PS4 Pro code path, which uses the higher power of the PS5 to reach a more consistent level of performance. Even with these compromises, running the PS4 app on PS5 is currently the best option on all consoles to achieve steady 60 fps – and is recommended if you value simple performance over higher image quality and graphics features.

The location of the computer also deserves clarification. As it currently stands, the PC version running the latest 1.02 patch has a number of issues that will affect all hardware configurations on all graphical presets. Elden Ring is one of the software’s first investments in low-level APIs on PC and the game uses DirectX 12. As we have seen in other DX12 titles, there can be serious and distracting problems with stuttering during frame time.

First, there is a 250ms stutter when new effects, enemies and areas appear on the screen. These types of stuttering decrease as the gaming experience continues and the player reconsiders enemies, areas, and effects. The second and more common stuttering seems to be related to loading new play areas – when crossing terrain, moving from one area to another can cause a small one-time image drop several times per minute, or in the worst case problems with fluctuations in image time that reduce the frame rate Tires from 60 to 40 years old.

Variable refresh rate monitors using G-Sync or Freesync help alleviate the level of distraction for some of these issues, but relying on technology is not a good situation as console versions do not suffer from this stutter. Other issues to note include the lack of super-fast screen support, lack of support for frame rates above 60 fps and unintuitive graphics options that lack visual scaling. As we have seen with other titles with similar issues as Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Halo Infinite, it may make sense to wait for more patches before investing time in the PC version of Elden Ring.

So overall, it’s a bit mixed for Elden Ring now on all platforms. Many of these issues can and should be fixed in future updates, and we hope that From Software can raise the game’s performance to a level that matches the rest of the title’s quality. We will dive deeper into future videos and articles, so stay tuned.

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