PS5 and 120 Hz only work together when the whole chain is right: the TV, the port, the cable and the console settings. The good news is that you don’t have to guess. The console can show you which signal it is sending right now and what the connected TV can handle, so you can check everything on a single screen. For 4K at 120 Hz, Sony itself also admits this is a technology the market doesn’t fully support yet, and that problems can show up during this transition period.
Seven questions when 4K 120 Hz won’t work
When there’s no picture at all, or the signal shows up as 1080p at 120 Hz, Sony recommends going through this list. Both the order and the content match what actually breaks most often. The same three conditions apply on the other platform too, just with different option names, as the guide to setting up an Xbox on a TV shows.
- Does the TV manufacturer say it supports 4K at 120 Hz?
- Does the TV have the latest firmware?
- Are you using the cable that came with the PS5, or an Ultra High-Speed cable certified for 4K 120 Hz?
- Is the PS5 connected directly to the TV, or through a receiver or another device in between that can affect the signal?
- Is the console plugged into the right HDMI port, meaning the one with HDMI 2.1 support? On some TVs you also need to change the port settings.
- In Settings, Screen and Video, Video Output, is Resolution set to Automatic or 2160p?
- In the same place, is Video Transfer Rate set to Automatic?
Points three to five are worth highlighting because they sit outside the console. Sony names three different causes here: the cable, a device in the signal path, and a port whose HDMI 2.1 support may depend on changing a TV setting. What’s worth buying to go with the console is covered in the article on PS5 accessories.
How to check what the console is really sending
This is the most useful screen in the whole topic, and it saves a lot of guesswork.
- Open Settings and go to Screen and Video.
- Select Video Output.
- Current Video Output Signal shows the current output signal, meaning what the console is sending right now.
- Information for the Connected HDMI Device shows what the connected device can do: resolution, VRR and HDR.
The difference between those two lines is the whole diagnosis. If the TV reports VRR support but the output signal doesn’t include it, the problem lies in the settings or in the signal path. If the TV doesn’t report it at all, no console setting will fix that.
The PS5 detects the TV’s capabilities on its own and automatically picks the best available resolution. Changing things manually mainly makes sense when the picture behaves oddly, not as a precaution.
What you can set in Video Output
| Option | What it does | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | Sets the resolution. With Automatic, the highest one the TV can handle is used. | When no picture appears or the console reports a lower resolution than the TV supports. |
| 120 Hz Output | Turns on 120 Hz output for TVs and games that support 120 Hz. | Sony recommends turning it off if picture problems appear in these games on a monitor or other display. |
| Test 1440p Output | Tests 1440p in SDR and HDR at 60 and 120 Hz and with VRR. | On a 1440p monitor or TV. To actually use it, you then need to set Resolution to 1440p. |
| Video Transfer Rate | Adjusts the transfer rate for 4K. | If the picture flickers, Sony recommends trying -1 or -2. |
| VRR | Lets the screen’s refresh rate change in real time on TVs and games that support VRR. | Sony adds that results vary depending on the TV you use. |
| ALLM | Lets a TV with ALLM support switch to a low-latency mode while you play. | See the trap below: you can’t turn it off completely while VRR is running. |
| HDR | Turns HDR output on in one of two modes, or turns it off. | If content without HDR support looks washed out, the fix is the On When Supported mode. |
| Deep Color Output and RGB Range | Affect the color output. | Sony recommends changing RGB Range only if the connected device doesn’t send RGB range information correctly. |
Descriptions based on Sony’s PS5 resolution help page as of 11 September 2026. With Video Transfer Rate, it’s good to know the cost: both -1 and -2 limit 4K at 120 Hz and the color format at 50 and 60 Hz, so 4K then runs in YUV422 or YUV420 instead of RGB and YUV444. It fixes a flickering picture at the expense of color.
VRR and games that don’t support it
VRR stands for variable refresh rate: Sony describes it as dynamically syncing the screen’s refresh rate with what the console is rendering, and as a fix for artifacts such as screen tearing and uneven frame pacing. You need a TV or PC monitor with HDMI 2.1 and VRR support. In supported games VRR then turns on by itself, and you’ll find the option in Settings, Screen and Video, Video Output, VRR.
The more interesting part is the sub-option Apply to Unsupported Games. According to Sony, it stabilizes frame rates even in games that don’t support VRR. Sony also writes that the results vary by TV, by game and by the selected graphics mode, and recommends turning it off as soon as unexpected behavior shows up. So it’s an option to test game by game, not a setting you turn on and forget.
Sony published the list of games VRR launched with on PS5 in April 2022, including Astro’s Playroom, Deathloop, Destiny 2, DIRT 5, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Resident Evil Village. Sony doesn’t keep an up-to-date list, so the only way to find out about support today is to try it. What’s worth playing right now is summed up in our pick of the best PS5 games.
The ALLM trap
ALLM means the TV automatically switches to a low-latency mode as soon as you start playing. Here’s the trap Sony itself points out: even if you set ALLM to Off on the console, the TV switches to low-latency mode as soon as you use VRR. So turning ALLM off completely also means turning off VRR.
It’s also worth knowing what Sony doesn’t say. It never lists the TV’s game mode as a requirement for 120 Hz, VRR or HDR. The only documented thing is ALLM, which switches to low latency on its own if the TV supports it.
HDR: two modes and calibration
HDR is on by default on the PS5, and Sony describes it as higher contrast, meaning a wider range of colors and brightness compared to SDR. You turn it on in Settings, Screen and Video, Video Output, under HDR, and it has two modes:
- Always On. Games and apps that don’t support HDR are automatically converted to HDR output too.
- On When Supported. Games and apps without HDR support are displayed in SDR.
The console also has its own calibration tool, Adjust HDR, in the same menu. Sony describes it as fine-tuning brightness and optimizing HDR rendering. And it adds a warning worth reading before you buy a TV: the console hardware alone isn’t enough, because the picture quality you get depends on your setup at home.
You turn HDR off with the Off option on the same screen. That’s useful to know for older titles, because Sony mentions this option precisely in its section on backward compatibility limitations. What else behaves differently with last-generation games on PS5 is covered in the article on whether PS4 games work on PS5.
What the PS5 Pro adds
The CFI-7000 model series has three extra options in Video Output: Allow 8K Output, Enhance Image Quality for PS4 Games and Enhance PSSR Image Quality. 8K output requires a display that supports 8K at 60 Hz with DSC compression, and VRR is turned off during 8K output, so it’s a choice between resolution and smoothness. Whether the more powerful model is worth it is compared in PS5 vs PS5 Pro, and whether to hold off on buying is covered in the article on whether to wait for the PS6.
When the picture doesn’t fit the screen
For a cropped picture or black borders there’s a separate option: Settings, Screen and Video, Screen, Adjust Display Area. When the screen is completely black, the console’s safe mode offers Change Video Output, which lets you drop the resolution and HDCP mode to values the TV accepts. How to get into safe mode is explained in the article for when your PS5 won’t turn on. Audio is handled differently and has its own article on how to connect a headset to PS5.
FAQ
In Settings, Screen and Video, Video Output, turn on 120 Hz Output and leave Resolution on Automatic or 2160p and Video Transfer Rate on Automatic. But that isn’t enough without a TV with HDMI 2.1, the right port and an Ultra High-Speed cable, because the console can’t overcome the display’s limits on its own.
In Settings, Screen and Video, Video Output there’s Current Video Output Signal, which shows the current output signal. Next to it is Information for the Connected HDMI Device, where you can see what the TV can do. Comparing those two lines reveals where the problem is.
Sony never lists it as a requirement for 120 Hz, VRR or HDR. What is documented is ALLM, which lets a TV that supports it switch to a low-latency mode on its own. Picture settings on the TV side remain up to the TV manufacturer, not the console.
Because VRR is running. Sony itself states that even with ALLM set to Off, the console switches to low-latency mode as soon as you use VRR. Turning ALLM off completely therefore means turning off VRR as well; there’s no other way.
Sometimes. According to Sony, Apply to Unsupported Games stabilizes frame rates even in unsupported games, but the results vary by TV, game and selected graphics mode. Sony recommends turning it off as soon as unexpected behavior shows up in a game.
For 4K at 120 Hz, Sony itself writes that it is working with TV manufacturers to improve support, so how this combination behaves may change with TV firmware updates. More console guides are in the PlayStation section on Gamers Together. Information verified as of 6 August 2026.