Which graphics mode should you use in Horizon Forbidden West – Performance Vs. Resolution

Horizon Forbidden West is one impressive-looking game, and like many modern triple-A titles, you can tweak its graphics settings to enhance either its visual quality or its framerate. How good it looks or how well it runs will depend not only on which graphics mode you choose but also on which system you’re playing.

PlayStation 5 graphics modes

The PlayStation 5 version of the game — arguably the definitive version — has two available graphics modes: performance and resolution. Performance caps Forbidden West’s resolution at 1800p while targeting a consistent framerate of 60 FPS. On the other hand, the resolution mode caps the game’s framerate at a steady 30 FPS while boosting its resolution to a native 4K.

We recommend the performance mode to anyone playing on a PS5. While the game doesn’t look quite as sharp in this mode as it does when resolution is prioritized, being able to explore, hunt, and fight at a buttery-smooth 60 FPS is definitely worth it. Thankfully, if you would like to view a particular area or cutscene in 4K, or if you just want to see how the game would feel at 30 FPS, you can easily switch between graphics modes in the game’s settings.

PlayStation 4 graphics modes

Unfortunately, if you’re playing on a PS4, you won’t have any graphics modes to choose from. On PS4 and PS4 Pro model, the game is locked at 30 FPS, but the resolution will vary depending on which version of the PS4 you’re playing on. The base model will output at 1080p, while the Pro model will deliver a 1800p picture, which matches the resolution seen in the PS5’s performance mode.