Hogwarts Legacy: Performance Mode vs. Fidelity – Which is Better?

Nowadays, next-gen consoles are more and more similar to the PC experience when making some choices about graphical settings in video games. We are somehow used to the fact that in most new games we have a choice between Performance mode, which focuses more on fps, and Fidelity, which enables more details and higher resolution. The new Hogwarts Legacy is no exception, but here instead of two usual modes – we have five different ones! Let’s try and find out which is better in Hogwarts Legacy.

Related: Should You Play Hogwarts Legacy on PS5 or Xbox Series X? – Answered

Hogwarts Legacy: Performance Mode vs. Fidelity – Which is Better?

While on PC you can choose the resolution and level of detail, and turn on and off various effects by clicking on the checkboxes, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, you have a choice of as many as five different video modes, they are:

• Fidelity – Favoring resolution and graphical quality, it runs on both PS5 and XSX in around 1800p resolution with 30fps and no Ray Tracing.
• Fidelity with Raytracing – Adds Ray Tracing to the Fidelity mode. The effect works on shadows and reflections (but not on the water), sacrificing draw distance (this mode will require a restart and it won’t be shown in the initial choice of video modes when you first boot up the game, only later in the display options).
• Performance – Lowers the resolution, and targets 60fps.
• Balanced – Rendering mode that aims to strike the balance between quality and performance. It mentions that it only works on supported output devices, meaning that this is most likely the 40fps mode that requires a 120hz screen and HDMI 2.1.
• HFR Performance – Stands for High Frame Rate Performance mode, it is another HDMI 2.1 / 120hz screen option, that unlocks the frame rate up to 120fps but with much more graphical compromise.

It should be added to all this that if you have a new TV or monitor ready for next-gen, with 120hz and HDMI 2.1 – you also have VRR, which Hogwarts Legacy also supports. Variable Refresh Rate screens can smooth out large inconsistencies in the frame rate, which is not bad for use with Performance and HFR Performance modes – especially if you toggle the “Cap Frame Rate” option to OFF.

So, Performance Mode or Fidelity? The decision is of course still up to you. Hogwarts Legacy is a very good-looking game and extracting the maximum graphic quality may be a goal for some players, while others will appreciate a higher frame rate due to action scenes – and there is some good action in there!

The only thing you shouldn’t worry about is Ray Tracing, which isn’t implemented particularly well on PC, let alone on consoles, so feel free to play without it and get the maximum draw distance you can instead. Hope this helps, and whatever mode you decide to play in – don’t forget to have fun!

For more Hogwarts Legacy here on Prima Games check out some of the following – What Engine Does Hogwarts Legacy Run On? – Answered, How to Get Albatross Patronus in Wizarding World: Albatross Answers Guide, and How to Get Merlin’s Cloak in Hogwarts Legacy.