Fast-paced PS5 games can feel strangely sluggish when a TV’s HDMI settings are not tuned, with input lag and micro-stutter turning tight controls into a guessing game. Sony’s own guidance and independent testing point to three HDMI tweaks that can clean up that experience in a few minutes. I am going to walk through those changes, where they live in the menus, and simple ways to confirm they are actually working.
Why HDMI Tweaks Matter for PS5 Gaming
HDMI is the pipeline that carries every frame, color value, and audio cue from a PS5 to a TV or monitor, so any bottleneck or mismatch in that chain shows up immediately as blur, lag, or artifacts. Sony’s official PS5 4K resolution guide explains that the console is designed to run through high-bandwidth connections, with HDMI 2.1 supporting up to 48Gbps to handle 4K signals at high refresh rates. When that bandwidth is restricted by a slower port or an older cable, the PS5 often has to compromise on frame rate, resolution, or both.
Those trade-offs matter because competitive shooters, racers, and action games depend on rapid response and a stable image. If a TV is adding processing on top of the signal or struggling to sync to the console’s output, the result can be extra latency or visible tearing that makes aiming and timing harder. By aligning the PS5’s HDMI features with what the display actually supports, players can unlock the smoother motion and cleaner picture the hardware is already capable of delivering.
Tweak 1: Enable Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
The first setting to check is Auto Low Latency Mode, or ALLM, which tells a compatible TV to switch into its lowest-lag mode as soon as the PS5 starts sending a game signal. Sony’s primary documentation on video output spells out exactly where this lives: on the console, the path is Settings, then Screen and Video, then Video Output, where an item labeled ALLM can be toggled. Sony also specifies that the console must be running the latest system software for ALLM to behave as intended, since earlier firmware did not expose the same level of control.
According to that same Sony guidance, switching ALLM to On lets the PS5 automatically request a low-latency mode from the display during normal gameplay, which reduces the extra processing that often causes input lag. The documentation includes a nuance that many quick-tip lists miss: even if ALLM is set to Off in the Video Output menu, the PS5 can still move into a low-latency state when it is outputting Variable Refresh Rate. That means players who rely heavily on VRR do not lose latency benefits if they prefer to leave ALLM disabled for a particular TV profile.
Tweak 2: Activate Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)
Variable Refresh Rate is designed to keep the TV’s refresh cycle in sync with the console’s frame delivery, which helps smooth out fluctuations in performance-heavy games. On PS5, the VRR toggle sits alongside ALLM in the same Settings, Screen and Video, Video Output menu, under an item labeled VRR that can be set to On when the connected display supports it. Sony’s own 4K guide frames this as part of the console’s broader HDMI 2.1 feature set, intended for TVs and monitors that can accept high-bandwidth signals and adapt their refresh rate dynamically.
Independent testing compiled in the IGN PS5 tips guide reports that, on compatible HDMI 2.1 televisions, VRR can deliver tear-free output across a wide refresh window, with smooth performance observed between 48Hz and 120Hz. That same guide notes that some gaming monitors expose VRR under different branding, so checking the display’s specifications or on-screen info panel is a practical way to confirm that the PS5’s VRR signal is actually being recognized. For players sensitive to micro-stutter and screen tearing, that confirmation step is often the difference between a theoretical feature and a visible improvement.
Tweak 3: Optimize 120Hz Output and HDR
Once latency and refresh behavior are under control, the next priority is making sure the PS5 is allowed to output at 120Hz where games support it. Sony’s configuration path again runs through Settings, Screen and Video, and Video Output, with a dedicated 120 Hz Output option that should be set to Automatic so the console can negotiate the highest refresh rate a given HDMI link can handle. The same Sony support page ties this to HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, explaining that the full 48Gbps pipeline is what enables 4K signals to pair with high frame rates without forcing the console to scale back resolution.
High Dynamic Range, or HDR, is layered on top of those basics, and it only looks right when both the console and the TV are using the same assumptions about brightness and color. Display specialists at Tom’s Guide highlight that many televisions, including recent Hisense models, reserve their full-bandwidth HDMI inputs for specific ports that must be manually switched into an enhanced mode to expose features like 120Hz and richer HDR. In practice, that means a PS5 owner might need to move the console’s cable to a particular HDMI port on the TV, set 120 Hz Output to Automatic on the console, then run the PS5’s built-in HDR calibration to line up tone mapping before checking an in-game frame rate indicator to verify that the higher refresh mode is active.
Testing Your Tweaks for Real Results
After changing HDMI settings, the most convincing proof that they are working comes from direct testing rather than assumptions. The IGN feature on hidden PS5 settings points to the console’s own information panels as a first stop, since many games and streaming apps display their detected resolution and refresh rate in their video options screens. By comparing those readouts before and after enabling ALLM, VRR, 120 Hz Output, and refreshed HDR calibration, players can see whether the console and TV have actually shifted into the desired modes.
IGN’s reporting also relays expert opinion that reduced latency from low-lag modes is often noticeable even without specialized equipment, particularly in fast shooters and fighters where button presses feel more immediate once processing-heavy TV features are disabled. For those who want harder numbers, several free lag-testing tools on modern televisions and monitors can approximate response times, although their accuracy varies. Combining those on-screen metrics with a subjective feel test in a familiar game gives a more complete picture of whether the HDMI tweaks are paying off.
Common Pitfalls and TV Compatibility
Not every display connected to a PS5 is ready to take advantage of the full HDMI 2.1 feature set, and that mismatch is a common source of frustration. Sony’s 4K resolution documentation stresses that both the TV or monitor and the HDMI cable must be capable of handling the bandwidth the console is trying to send, especially when targeting 4K at high frame rates. When a screen only supports older HDMI standards, the PS5 may still function, but features like 120Hz output and VRR can be limited or disabled, which is why checking the display’s specifications before troubleshooting the console menus can save time.
Cable quality is another recurring issue that Sony flags in its support material, since a damaged or under-specced HDMI lead can prevent the PS5 from maintaining a stable high-bandwidth link even when the TV itself is compatible. That can manifest as intermittent black screens, forced drops in resolution, or the console silently falling back to lower refresh rates. Matching the cable type to Sony’s recommendations and using the HDMI input identified by the TV maker for gaming or enhanced format, as highlighted in the Tom’s Guide Hisense setup advice, usually resolves those bottlenecks without any need for deeper technical tweaks.
When to Update or Seek More Help
Many of the HDMI options that PS5 owners rely on today, including the granular ALLM toggle and expanded VRR support, were tied to firmware updates that arrived after the console’s original launch. Sony’s own support pages repeatedly reference the need for the latest system software when describing how ALLM behaves and which 4K modes are available, which signals that older firmware may not expose the same controls or may handle them differently. Before spending time troubleshooting why a particular TV mode is unavailable, checking for a system software update on the PS5 itself often resolves missing options in the Screen and Video menus.
For edge cases where the console is fully updated and the TV appears to support the right HDMI features but problems persist, Sony’s customer support channels remain the next logical step. The IGN tips guide notes that some users encounter configuration quirks specific to certain television brands or receiver setups, which fall outside what simple menu walkthroughs can cover. In those situations, providing Sony support with the exact TV model, HDMI port in use, and current Video Output settings on the PS5 gives them the detail needed to match real-world setups against the behavior described in the official documentation.
More from Morning Overview
*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
