Hogwarts Legacy is a huge success. Avalanche Software’s game stands out in particular for its art direction and vast open world to explore, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy it. Digital Foundry today delivers its complete analysis of the different versions of the game, and details the graphics modes available.
Up to 5 graphics modes available!
The least we can say is that the studio has thought of all the players. Indeed, Hogwarts Legacy offers no less than 5 different graphics modes, allowing everyone to make the most of their console and television. If your machine is connected to a 60Hz TV that does not support HDMI 2.1, you can only enjoy the modes loyalty, fidelity with ray tracing et performance.
In its fidelity mode, the game runs in 1728p at 30 FPS, while the fidelity mode with ray tracing runs in 1440p. If the fidelity mode offers a fairly stable 30 FPS, this is not the case with the ray tracing mode which is considered not very advisable for the moment by Digital Foundry.
For its part, the performance mode also runs in 1440p, with however some lower graphics options compared to the fidelity mode, such as the density of the vegetation. The game here runs at 60 FPS, but the framerate is quite unstable on the Xbox Series X version. According to Digital Foundry, jerkiness remains, even if your television is VRR compatible.
2 additional modes on HDMI 2.1 TVs
If your console is connected to a VRR and 120 Hz compatible HDMI 2.1 TV, you will be able to enjoy 2 additional modes in game. balance is similar to fidelity mode, but offers a framerate of 40 FPS. So you can enjoy a slightly smoother and more responsive game.
The mode high framerate allows you to play with a framerate above 60 FPS, but at a resolution of 1080p. In this mode, the game generally runs between 60 and 90 FPS.
It should also be noted that the game uses dynamic resolution across all of its modes and the final rendering is upscaled thanks to FSR 1.
Better performance on PS5
When it comes to the comparison between the Xbox Series X and PS5 versions, Digital Foundry concludes that Hogwarts Legacy generally runs better on PS5 than on Microsoft’s console. The framerate in the modes performance, loyalty et balance y is more stable, while the mode high framerate is identical on both media.
The experts also point out that the graphic quality of the different modes is also identical.
Note also that it is also possible on these two machines to disable the framerate limit, but that this is not necessarily beneficial. We often do not gain more than 5 FPS on the different modes according to Digital Foundry, and a VRR compatible screen is obviously strongly recommended to play in these conditions.
No ray tracing on Xbox Series S
As is often the case, the Xbox Series S does not offer ray tracing mode. Only modes performance, loyalty et balance are present on the small Microsoft console. The game runs at 792p in performance mode, and 1080p in the other two modes.
As on Xbox Series X, the framerate is very unstable in performance mode, while fidelity mode offers a much more pleasant 30 FPS. Digital Foundry also specifies that this is the best mode to play Hogwarts Legacy on Xbox Series S.
Overall, Richard Leadbetter concludes that the PS5 generally delivers decent performance, but the Xbox versions currently require “serious work” from the studio. Digital Foundry also wonders regarding the state of the Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch versions, given the ambitions of the title and its difficulties in running correctly on “next-gen” consoles.
Remember that Hogwarts Legacy is available now on Xbox Series X | S and PS5 and is expected for April 4 on Xbox One and PS4. The release of the Nintendo Switch version is scheduled for July 25, 2023.