Elden Ring’s launch has been marked by strong reviews praising its gameplay and art direction, but also questions over its technical performance on each platform – PlayStation, Xbox and PC. Here at Digital Foundry, our analysis is in progress on the recently released 1.02 version of the game, but we wanted to provide some initial thoughts, recommendations and performance expectations for anyone planning to pick up the game at launch. This will be followed by our full analysis as soon as possible thereafter, detailing both PC and console performance.
First, let’s look at the situation on consoles. The performance metrics we saw in the game’s network test last year seem largely unchanged on PS5 and Series X. Both continue to offer two modes – a frame-rate mode and a quality mode. However, even running on the launch day patch 1.02, the frame-rate mode continues to run at a range of 45-60fps on PS5 and Series X, while the quality modes on each range between 30-60fps. Both machines run with entirely unlocked frame-rates, and much like the network test, there’s still no 30fps cap to even out the wavering reading in quality mode. The result? A highly variable performance for the quality mode in particular, where 60fps is rarely – if ever – achieved on PS5 or Series X.
In comparison, PS5 is typically operating at a higher frame-rate than Series X, though clearly neither is ideal. The bottom line is neither console offers a consistent 60fps in the final release. That being said, there are workarounds for each platform well worth considering. Xbox Series X is greatly improved by its system-level support for variable refresh rate (VRR) if you have a supporting display. VRR helps minimise the perceived judder in its 45-60fps range in frame-rate mode, creating a smoother experience by matching the screen refresh to the frame-rate. This may not be a solution for everybody, but for those with compatible TVs it’s the best option on Xbox right now. Series S users also benefit from VRR here. Given this platform’s frame-rate mode runs between 40-60fps right now it’s a viable choice, though not perfect, given Series S’s performance veers more often towards the lower end of this range than Series X.