Released on February 25, 2022, From Software’s Elden Ring is among the most anticipated games of the year. Its status as a cross-gen title means a wide variety of players adventure through The Land Between, though that experience can vary widely depending on console and player setup. As YouTubers and media outlets work to hype the game’s performance on 8th and 9th generation hardware, it becomes increasingly apparent that Elden Ring, while already widely known, is far from consistent.
In a YouTube video posted two days before the game was made publicly available, Resero, a outlet known primarily for commenting on the console performance of new video game releases, produced a video comparing the many versions of Elden Ring. From the new ninth-gen consoles to the entry-level PS4 and Xbox One, there seems to be a considerable fluctuation in terms of frame rates, with even the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions of Elden Ring struggling to achieve sixty frames per second.
Thankfully, even when encompassing the game’s most graphically intensive vistas or encountering hordes of enemies, the next-gen versions of Elden Ring rarely drop below thirty FPS. Elden Ring supports quality and performance modes and in quality mode the PS5 and Xbox Series X run between 35 and 45 FPS, while in performance mode the Xbox Series X maintains a fairly stable 50 FPS, while the PS5 is capable of running at 60 FPS, albeit inconsistently.
Unsurprisingly, the game doesn’t fare as well on older hardware. On the base model of PS4, the game maintains a relatively consistent 30 FPS, while on the base model of Xbox One, the game runs at a lower frame rate than 30, sometimes dropping as low as 25 FPS. The recent Elden Ring day one patch has improved this somewhat, but those looking for the smoothest experience possible will likely want to turn to 9th-gen consoles if the option is available.
This is not to mention the very questionable performance of Elden Ring on PC. The game seems to stutter and suffer from FPS drops across the board, with plenty of notable bugs turning PC gamers’ initial explorations of Limgrave into frustrating jobs. By most accounts, the game is playable at the very least, though the game’s lackluster performance has earned it a mixed rating on Steam.
Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco has released a statement saying it is aware of performance issues affecting the PC version of the game and assures players that they will be addressed in an upcoming patch. Bandai Namco also suggested that gamers keep their graphics card drivers up to date, as that can have a noticeable impact on performance.
Elden Ring is now available for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X. And our review of this great adventure is now available, which you can read here.
