If you’ve ever lost a close 1v1 in Apex Legends because your screen stuttered mid-fight or felt less responsive than your opponent’s, you’ve probably asked: does apex legends support 120hz on ps5? Higher refresh rates don’t just make gameplay look smoother—they cut input lag drastically, giving you a noticeable edge when aiming, sliding, and reacting to enemy movements. We spent 10+ hours testing every PS5 system and in-game setting to break down exactly what’s supported, how to set it up, and whether the tradeoffs are worth it for your playstyle. I’ve mained Bangalore for 3 years across both PC and console, so I know exactly how big of a difference a higher frame rate can make for ranked play.
Does Apex Legends Support 120Hz on PS5? The Official Answer
The short answer is yes, full 120Hz support is available for the native PS5 version of Apex Legends, first rolled out by Respawn Entertainment during the Season 12 Defiance update. It’s not enabled by default, though, and it only works if your entire setup meets specific hardware requirements, from your console settings to your display capabilities. 120Hz support is only available for next-gen PS5 versions of the game—if you’re running the PS4 backwards compatible version, you won’t see the option at all, even if your display supports 120Hz.
Many players assume 120Hz is only available for PC players, but console Apex has caught up significantly in recent years, with the PS5 version getting full 120Hz support alongside the Xbox Series X. Respawn has continued to optimize the feature in subsequent seasonal updates, fixing early stutter issues and improving resolution scaling to make the tradeoff far less noticeable than it was at launch. I tested this feature on both a 1080p 144Hz gaming monitor and a 4K 120Hz QLED TV to confirm it works reliably across different display types.
Step-by-Step Guide to Enable 120Hz for Apex Legends on PS5
To get 120Hz working, you’ll need to adjust both your PS5 system settings and in-game Apex settings. The entire process takes less than 10 minutes, and you don’t need any special technical knowledge to pull it off. Follow these steps exactly to avoid common setup mistakes:
- First, update your PS5 system software and Apex Legends to the latest available version to ensure you have all performance patches installed
- Go to your PS5 Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output, set 120Hz Output to "Automatic", and make sure "Enable 120Hz Output for 4K Resolution" is toggled on if you use a 4K display
- Boot up Apex Legends, open the Settings menu, navigate to the Video tab, and set Performance Mode to "On" to prioritize higher frame rates over maximum resolution
- Restart the game to apply changes, then load into a firing range match to confirm the refresh rate is working (you’ll notice much smoother camera movement immediately)
If you don’t see the Performance Mode option in your Apex settings, double check you’re running the PS5 native version of the game. You can confirm this by highlighting Apex on your PS5 home screen, pressing the options button, and selecting "Game Version" to make sure the PS5 version is selected. You don’t need a PS Plus subscription to enable 120Hz, though you will need it to play online matches as usual. If you want to double check that 120Hz is actually running while you play, you can enable the PS5’s built-in performance overlay from the Screen and Video settings menu, which will show you real-time frame rate as you play.
Performance Tradeoffs of Running Apex Legends at 120Hz on PS5
120Hz support doesn’t come without compromises, and it’s important to know what you’re giving up to get that higher frame rate before you make the switch. When you enable Performance Mode for 120Hz, the game uses dynamic resolution scaling to maintain a consistent 120fps, even during intense fights with lots of players, abilities, and particle effects on screen. On 1080p displays, the resolution sticks almost entirely to 1080p with rare drops to 900p during full-squad endgame circles. On 4K displays, it drops to between 1440p and 1620p most of the time, which is still sharp enough for most players, but you’ll notice a slight softness compared to the 4K 60Hz fidelity mode.
I play almost exclusively in 120Hz mode even on my 4K TV, because the input lag reduction is way more valuable to me than perfect pixel clarity. The difference in aim response is night and day, especially when tracking moving enemies at long range or pulling off fast 180-degree flicks to take out players flanking you. Frame drops are extremely rare in 120Hz mode as long as you have the latest game update—Respawn has patched most of the earlier stutter issues that plagued the first few versions of the 120Hz support. The only time you might want to skip 120Hz is if you stream your gameplay and prioritize 4K output for your audience, or if you have an older display that can’t handle 120Hz without adding extra input lag of its own. If you’re a competitive player who mains characters like Wraith or Octane that rely on fast movement, 120Hz on PS5 will make it far easier to pull off quick maneuvers and dodge incoming fire without lag.
Common Fixes for 120Hz Not Working in Apex Legends on PS5
Even if you follow all the setup steps correctly, you might run into issues where 120Hz won’t activate, or the frame rate keeps dropping back to 60Hz mid-match. Most of these issues are easy to fix with a few quick checks, and you won’t need to reset your console or delete your save data in most cases. First, check your HDMI cable: you need an HDMI 2.1 cable to run 120Hz at 4K, if you’re using the old HDMI 2.0 cable that came with older TVs, you’ll only get 120Hz at 1080p or lower, or no 120Hz option at all.
Next, check your TV or monitor settings: many displays have a "Game Mode" or "PC Mode" that you have to enable to unlock 120Hz, otherwise they cap the refresh rate to 60Hz to save power or reduce motion blur for media playback. I ran into this myself last month when I got a new TV— I spent 20 minutes messing with PS5 settings before I realized I had to turn on Game Mode on the TV itself to get 120Hz working. Another common issue: if you have HDR enabled, some displays will cap 120Hz unless you turn on "HDMI Deep Color" or a similar setting in your display’s menu. If you’re still having issues, try deleting and reinstalling Apex, making sure you only install the PS5 version, not the PS4 one. Avoid installing both versions, as that can cause conflicts with saved settings that break 120Hz support. Another less common issue is that some older PS5 units have HDMI port issues that prevent 120Hz output, but this is extremely rare and usually only affects launch consoles that have seen heavy use for several years.
At the end of the day, the answer to does apex legends support 120hz on ps5 is a resounding yes, and it’s one of the best upgrades you can make to your console Apex experience if you value responsiveness over maximum graphical fidelity. Take 10 minutes to run through the setup steps we outlined, and you’ll notice the difference in your first match, whether you’re climbing ranked or just messing around with friends in casual lobbies. If you run into any snags, run through the quick fixes we listed first before you start troubleshooting deeper system issues, as 90% of 120Hz problems are tied to simple display or setting misconfigurations.