Microsoft adds toggles for Xbox Series X FPS Boost and Auto HDR features

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Whereas before FPS Boost and Auto HDR were automatic, now you can choose whether you want them

Xbox Series X FPS Boost
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Update: The Xbox Series X FPS Boost and Auto HDR features for backward compatible games can now be toggled on and off, Microsoft has announced. The feature is included in today's March Xbox Update, which also updates the Xbox Accessory app with audio settings ahead of the Xbox Wireless Headset launch.

When the FPS Boost was announced, it automatically increased the framerates of some older backward compatible Xbox games, sometimes to the detriment of resolution. Now, along with Auto HDR, you have the option to toggle FPS Boost on and off to your liking.

Right now, FPS Boost is only available for a small number of Xbox One games, including New Super Lucky's Tale, UFC 4, Far Cry 4, Watch Dogs 2, and Sniper Elite 4. Xbox says we'll hear news about new FPS Boost-supported games "soon."

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In a new Xbox Wire post, Xbox Senior Program Manager Paul Eng says the new FPS Boost feature will nearly double, and in a few cases quadruple, the framerates of most supported games. The level of the framerate boost depends on the game as well as the hardware. For instance, New Super Lucky's Tale can now run up to 120 FPS, while UFC 4 specifically targets 60 FPS on Xbox Series S.

The two above games, as well as Far Cry 4, Watch Dogs 2, and Sniper Elite 4 are the only ones so far to support the feature, but Eng says more will be announced "soon."  There's also an upcoming system update that will add new menu icons and system settings to let you toggle FPS Boost on and off, just like you would with Auto HDR. The new "Compatibility Options" menu should go live sometime this Spring.

Xbox Series X FPS Boost

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Eng also clarifies that FPS Boost is being handled by Xbox itself without the need for the games' developers to go back and tweak anything. The feature will be added to games just like any other patch, so make sure your client is up to date if you have a title you'd like boosted. Speaking of which, it's been confirmed that "many" of the games that are getting the FPS Boost treatment will be available on Xbox Game Pass, so the feature doesn't only apply to games you've bought.

Here are all the upcoming Xbox Series X games we can't wait to play.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.