Xbox Series S & X Get New FPS Boost Mode For Old Games

Backwards compatibility on Xbox Series S and X is getting even better with the new FPS Boost feature that Microsoft announced for their new consoles. This new enhancement to backwards compatible games will allow their frame rates to be doubled or quadrupled depending on the game.

Starting today, five games will be able to take advantage of the FPS Boost feature: Watch Dogs 2, Sniper Elite 4, UFC 4, Far Cry 4, and New Super Lucky’s Tale. Each of these games will now run at 60 frames-per-second on Xbox Series S and X, and in the case of New Super Lucky’s Tale, it can hit 120 frames-per-second.

Both the Xbox Series S and X already offered improvements to backwards compatible titles at a system level without any work needed from developers. This new FPS Boost feature is a bit different from what the consoles already do though, as it “employs a variety of new methods“ for increasing the frame rate in games.

If you’re more of a purist who prefers to play your games as they originally were, you’ll still be able to do that. Starting in the Spring, there will be a new “Compatibility Options” button in the “Manage Game” menu. Here you can toggle FPS Boost and Auto HDR on or off, allowing you to play the games however you would like to. And if you’re playing a game but aren’t sure if it’s using FPS Boost, an icon will appear on screen when you press the Xbox button indicating if the feature is on.

More games will be getting the feature in the coming months, and some of them will be part of Xbox Game Pass, allowing many people to experience the enhanced version of these games.

FPS Boost is yet another sign of Microsoft’s commitment to backwards compatibility and ensuring that all your games play the best that they possibly can on whatever console you have. Xbox already has arguably the best deal for a next-gen console, so little features like this only help to make the platform even better and more appealing.