Final Fantasy XVI (FF16) Graphics or Framerate mode?

Performance VS Eye Candy

Ever since the release of the PlayStation 4 Pro console, some developers added two separate modes to their games. The first, Framerate Mode, optimized the game to focus on prioritizing framerate above all else. When entering a specifically graphics-intensive area of the game, this mode would often downscale the visuals to keep the framerate smooth. The other mode, Graphics mode, would ensure the game prioritized looked pretty without consideration of the framerate. This popular choice has carried over onto the PlayStation 5, and Final Fantasy XVI does, in fact, offer these options.

When starting FF16 you have a few choices before starting the game. The final setting in Final Fantasy XVI is Graphics or Framerate mode?

Should you choose Graphics or Framerate mode in Final Fantasy XVI?

In order to properly answer this question, we must highlight an important part of FF16: the action combat. While many past entries in the franchise have been turn-based, Final Fantasy XVI features an action combat system that can be very fast-paced. Therefore, it’s almost always our recommendation that you choose Framerate mode. Even in this mode, the graphics are absolutely stunning. In fact, you usually can’t even tell the difference graphically between the two modes.

The problem is, when using Graphics mode, you can definitely tell a difference when the actual framerate itself is dipping a bit low. This can be incredibly frustrating when you are in the middle of fast-paced combat or trying to perfectly time evading a big attack in a boss fight. When running the game in Framerate mode it almost always stays near 60 FPS. While doing a little bit of testing in Graphics mode, I found myself dipping under 30 FPS quite often.

Help prevent Final Fantasy XVI from overheating your PS5

There have been some reports of PlayStation 5 consoles literally overheating while playing FF16. A lot of players that have encountered this problem confirmed that switching to Framerate mode stopped their PS5 from overheating. This is even more reason to recommend playing Final Fantasy XVI in Framerate mode as opposed to Graphics mode.