- Hellblade 2 is currently locked at 30FPS on Xbox Series X.
- Testing with the AMD 4800S and Radeon RX 6700 shows that the PC version can get very close to 60FPS gameplay.
- With more optimization, Ninja Theory may be able to achieve a solid 60FPS experience on consoles.
Hellblade 2 has become synonymous with high-quality visuals since its release, marking a huge leap forward for console gaming. However, this quality comes at a cost, with Ninja Theory pursuing a locked 30FPS experience on consoles.
While many have criticized the Xbox Series X hardware for this limitation, the console is not to be blamed. According to testing, 60FPS is achievable on this hardware with some tweaks.
Why it matters: Hellblade 2 would become the complete package with a 60FPS mode, excelling in both visuals and performance.
Digital Foundry tested the game using the AMD 4800S processor and the RX 6700 GPU for a PC build comparable to the Xbox Series X.
The team found that when running the game at 1440p with medium settings and dynamic resolution, 60FPS seemed quite achievable. Various cutscenes still dropped below 50FPS, but the gameplay segments stayed in the high 50s for the most part.
Testing makes it clear that this title in not CPU-bound. Instead, Hellblade 2 is very heavy on the GPU. Fortunately, GPU-intensive games are easier to scale across multiple sets of hardware.
This suggests that Ninja Theory could achieve similar or even better results with more tweaking and optimization on consoles. Perhaps the studio would need to lower graphics quality even further and implement more aggressive dynamic resolution scaling, but 60FPS does not seem impossible.
I’d say 60FPS is theoretically possible on the Series X with reduced resolution and effects.
-Digital Foundry
What’s interesting is that the team made a similar breakdown for Starfield that suggested such a mode could be introduced post-release. With Starfield now running at 60FPS on Xbox Series X, Hellblade 2 could be next to follow.
Since Hellblade 2 is more of a cinematic adventure, a 40FPS mode would suffice for the game. Based on the testing, such a mode would be more than feasible, so either option could be patched into the title at a later date.
For now, Hellblade 2 runs at 30FPS on both the Xbox Series S|X. However, in doing so, the game achieves a new level of visual fidelity rarely seen in Unreal Engine 5 titles, let alone on consoles.
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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