For your Xbox to send 4K at 120 Hz to your TV, three things have to line up at once: an Xbox Series X console, an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable with HDMI 2.1 support, and a TV that also handles HDMI 2.1. If just one of them is missing, the picture drops to a lower mode without any warning. The good news is that the Xbox has HDR calibration and a TV capability test built right into the system, so you don’t have to guess by eye.
What you need for 4K at 120 Hz
Once all three are in place, the settings live in two spots within one menu. Press the Xbox button > Profile & system > Settings > General > TV & display options, then switch the resolution to 4K UHD and the refresh rate to 120 Hz.
The cable really does matter. The Xbox Series X ships with a two-meter HDMI 2.1 cable, which is enough for 4K at 120 Hz. The Xbox Series S comes with a two-meter HDMI 2.0 cable in the box, so if you want 4K at 120 Hz on it, you have to buy a certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cable yourself. How else the two models differ is covered in our article Xbox Series X vs S.
If 4K at 120 Hz doesn’t work out, 120 Hz is still an option
On the Xbox Series S, and on a TV without HDMI 2.1, you can set the refresh rate to 120 Hz at a lower resolution. Microsoft says so explicitly: if 4K was set before, the console lowers the resolution on its own so that 120 Hz works.
In fast games, smoothness tends to be more noticeable than pixel count, while for slower titles it usually makes more sense to stay at 4K and 60 Hz. Both are switched in the same menu, so comparing them takes a minute.
VRR: documented for Series X, not for Series S
According to Microsoft, the Xbox Series X has one HDMI 2.1 port supporting Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), HDMI Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and AMD FreeSync. VRR means the TV changes its refresh rate based on how many frames the game is rendering at that moment, so frame rate dips don’t cause screen tearing.
You won’t find that claim about the Xbox Series S in this article. Microsoft itself doesn’t confirm VRR support on the Series S, and there’s no point repeating it from other sources. If you want to be sure, check the 4K TV details screen described below.
HDR: turn it on first, then calibrate
HDR goes by so many marketing names on TVs that it’s easy to get lost. Microsoft lists what might be printed on the box: besides HDR10 and Dolby Vision, things like HDR Premium, UHD Color or Ultra HD Premium. 4K is a similar jumble, from 4K Ultra HD through UHD and SUHD TV to 2160p.
Microsoft recommends having both HDR10 and Dolby Vision turned on at the same time. If your TV supports only Dolby Vision and not HDR10, you’ll get HDR from the Xbox only in apps that use Dolby Vision. On top of that, Dolby Vision for gaming is available only on the Xbox Series X|S.
Watch your inputs too. Microsoft points out that even on a 4K TV with HDR, not every HDMI port has to support full resolution, and your TV’s manual tells you which input is the right one.
This is where the Xbox has an edge over the competition: HDR calibration is built right into the system. Press the Xbox button > Profile & system > Settings > General > TV & display options > Calibrate HDR for games. Microsoft calls it the Xbox HDR Game Calibration app and recommends keeping it running even while you adjust the picture in your TV’s settings.
The reason is technical and very practical. Plenty of TVs have separate picture profiles for SDR and HDR, and the HDR profile can only be adjusted while the TV is actually displaying HDR content. The Xbox calibration app supplies that content on demand, so you don’t have to hunt for an HDR scene in a movie.
Auto HDR: HDR even in games that never had it
According to Microsoft, Auto HDR gives some games a richer picture than they were originally designed for. In other words, it adds an HDR effect to titles that never supported it, which comes in handy mainly for older backward-compatible games.
There are three conditions, and all of them must be met:
- an Xbox Series X|S console, since older models don’t have Auto HDR
- a TV with HDR10
- Allow HDR10 turned on in the console settings, and only then can you enable Auto HDR
You turn it on under the Xbox button > Profile & system > Settings > General > TV & display options > Video modes > Auto HDR. Not every game supports it.
Checking whether a specific game uses it is simple: launch the game, press the Xbox button once it has loaded, and an Auto HDR badge appears in the top right under the clock. If you don’t like the result, you can turn it off for a single title: Home > My games & apps > select the game > Menu > Manage game and add-ons > Auto HDR. The same menu is also where you move games between drives, which is the topic of expanding Xbox storage.
Check what your TV can really do
Instead of guessing, the Xbox has a test: Xbox button > Profile & system > Settings > General > TV & display options > 4K TV details. Microsoft says this screen checks several picture parameters and shows which ones your TV supports and which ones are turned on. The Help button there opens a troubleshooter for 4K and HDR issues.
The same screen also confirms Dolby Vision support and the TV resolution item, meaning whether your TV can handle 4K UHD at 60 Hz. That determines whether the whole system, games and some apps scale to 4K. Microsoft adds one confusing detail: 4K UHD output is not required to play 4K content, and games and apps can turn on 4K and HDR even without it.
| What you need to set | Where it is |
|---|---|
| Resolution and refresh rate | Profile & system > Settings > General > TV & display options |
| HDR calibration for games | same place > Calibrate HDR for games |
| Auto HDR | same place > Video modes > Auto HDR |
| TV capability test | same place > 4K TV details |
| Turning off Auto HDR for one game | My games & apps > game > Menu > Manage game and add-ons > Auto HDR |
Menu paths are valid as of 11 September 2026, based on Microsoft’s support pages.
When it’s not worth bothering
- When your TV doesn’t have HDMI 2.1. Then 4K at 120 Hz is off the table, and the only option left to try is 120 Hz at a lower resolution.
- When you mostly play via streaming. The final picture depends on your connection and the server, not on the console’s output settings, as we explain in Xbox Cloud Gaming: how to get started.
- When you mostly play on a small screen. A handheld like the ROG Xbox Ally has its own 120 Hz display, and TV settings don’t apply to it.
- When the console won’t light up at all. That’s not a picture setting but a power issue, and the steps are in our guide on what to do when your Xbox won’t turn on.
One more thing about audio: headphones connected to the TV via optical will play sound, but according to Microsoft not all headset features, including chat, may be available that way. We cover no-compromise options in our guide to headsets for Xbox.
FAQ
In Profile & system > Settings > General > TV & display options, switch the refresh rate to 120 Hz. For 4K at 120 Hz you need an Xbox Series X, an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable and a TV with HDMI 2.1. Without them, you can set 120 Hz at a lower resolution.
According to Microsoft, 4K at 120 Hz requires an Xbox Series X. The Series S can run at 120 Hz at a lower resolution, and for 4K at 120 Hz it needs a certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cable, because the one in the box is HDMI 2.0.
Go to Profile & system > Settings > General > TV & display options > Calibrate HDR for games. Keep the app running while you adjust the picture on your TV too, because many TVs have a separate HDR profile that can only be changed while HDR content is on screen.
Auto HDR adds an HDR effect to games that didn’t originally have it. It works only on the Xbox Series X|S with an HDR10 TV and Allow HDR10 turned on. To see whether a game uses it, launch the game and press the Xbox button: an Auto HDR badge appears in the top right under the clock.
Use the 4K TV details screen in Profile & system > Settings > General > TV & display options. It checks several picture parameters and shows which ones your TV supports and which ones are turned on. The Help button there opens a troubleshooter for 4K and HDR issues.
Information verified as of 23 August 2026. Menu item names on Xbox change with updates now and then, so if a menu doesn’t match, look for it one level up in TV & display options. You’ll find more console guides on our Xbox hub at Gamers Together.