Grand Theft Auto 5: Fidelity Mode vs. Performance Mode vs. Performance RT Mode

With the introduction of the Xbox Series X/S and the PS5, gamers have been given more choices than ever before regarding gaming performance settings. While PC gamers have been able to adjust their visual settings for quite some time, the option has just recently come to consoles. Because every game is different, however, sometimes its necessary to get some help before choosing a setting for optimal play.

Grand Theft Auto 5 has finally made its way to the current generation of consoles and it, like many games before it, asks the player to choose between three modes: Fidelity, Performance, or Performance RT. The setting doesn’t inherently change anything about the gameplay featured in GTA 5, however, it does help tailor the experience based on a player’s personal gaming preferences.

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Choosing Fidelity Mode, Performance Mode, or Performance RT Mode

The three graphical options featured in GTA 5 are pretty standard for current generation games. The differences essentially come down to what a player wants the game to prioritize: graphical fidelity or frame rate.

Fidelity Mode ensures that the game’s visuals will be prioritized outputting at 4K resolution. In addition to the higher resolution, Fidelity Mode also allows the game to utilize ray tracing to give GTA 5 more realistic graphics. Unfortunately, that all comes with a caveat: the game will lock itself at 30 frames per second meaning that players can’t make the most of current-gen smoothness.

Performance Mode prioritizes the game’s frame rate and overall performance. Frame rate drops shouldn’t be expected and GTA 5 will run at 60 FPS, but not feature ray tracing. The game will output at upscaled 4K, so it’ll still look good, but just not as crisp or as realistic as in Fidelity Mode.

Performance RT Mode is only available on Xbox Series X and PS5 meaning that the Xbox Series S is locked with the two previous options. Performance RT Mode runs the game at 60 FPS (although frame rate dips shouldn’t come as a surprise) and also includes ray tracing. The game is outputting an upscaled 4K resolution so its essentially the best of both worlds, but doesn’t lean entirely one way or another.