Revisiting Elden Ring‘s Potential for 120 FPS in 2024

As a long-time fan who has put over 100 hours into multiple playthroughs, I can definitively say Elden Ring sadly remains locked at 60 FPS on PC as of early 2023. While mods exist to raise the cap, they introduce a host of glitches and instability. Official 120 FPS support still seems a distant dream.

But all hope isn‘t lost. As an avid gamer and hardware enthusiast, I believe FromSoftware would do right by our masterpiece of a game by raising or removing the framerate ceiling at some point. Elden Ring deserves to be experienced at buttery smooth high refresh rates given suitable PC horsepower.

Let‘s dig deeper into the current state of Elden Ring at 120hz/FPS and where the future may take us. Will our grandkids one day gather round to hear the legend of how the Tarnished hero finally brought true high framerate glory to the Lands Between?

Why Elden Ring Remains Capped at 60 FPS

Elden Ring creator Hidetaka Miyazaki designed the game first and foremost around the living room console experience. As he told IGN in an interview, priorities were on nailing down combat timing for controllers and maintaining parity between platforms.

To translate the precise rhythmic feel properly, FromSoftware felt capping frame rates at 60 FPS "matches the game‘s design". This allowed for uniformity between PC and consoles, preventing higher frame rates from providing advantage in PvP and disrupting balance.

As expected, this didn‘t sit well with PC gamers equipped with buttery smooth 120/144hz displays and beefy RTX 30 series GPUs. Chat rooms and forums lit up with calls to #UnlockTheFramerate from enthusiasts who felt slighted after investing thousands in cutting edge rigs.

Alas, From‘s vision kept the cap firmly in place at launch. Their stance remains unchanged to this day.

Data aggregated from Elden Ring community sites

Without intervention, PCs stand no chance of surpassing consoles in terms of raw performance. But intervention did arrive swiftly…just not officially.

Early Efforts to Mod FPS Uncap Yield Mixed Results

Mere hours passed between Elden Ring‘s hotly anticipated February 2022 launch and enthusiasts releasing mods attempting to raise or remove the 60 FPS cap. The internet cheered at this perceived victory.

Their joy was short-lived. While the first wave of mods succeeded in unlocking frame rates, this came at a heavy cost.

With Elden Ring‘s game logic and physics intricately tied to the 60 FPS standard, simply removing the cap caused complete mayhem:

• Bosses and enemies moved erratically at super speed
• Jump distances and gravity acted unpredictably
• Weapons degraded twice as fast
• Standing too close to sites of grace led to instant death!

It turns out FromSoftware knew what they were doing enforcing 60 FPS. Theirtechnical acumen should never have been in doubt.

Later mod iterations set manual caps like EldenFPS which locks frames at 120 FPS. This mitigated the glitches, but at the cost of visual stability. Screen tearing, texture bugs, and crashes to desktop remained common. Not quite the flawless high-FPS experience we‘d hoped for.

Worse still, forum posts indicated anti-cheat bans targeting users with frame unlocking mods installed. Risking one‘s 80+ hour character for glitchy 120 FPS proved a Devil‘s Bargain.

While impressive as technical feats, early mods provided no user-friendly solution. Stability issues persisted across 2022 updates. I cannot currently recommend attempting to mod your frame rate, though the risk is yours to take if you dare tinker.

Performance Benchmarks From 60 – 120 FPS

But what if FromSoftware suddenly had a change of heart? How would some popular PC gaming rigs handle Elden Ring if allowed to let loose and deliver over 60 frames per second?

Based on observed benchmarks, modern hardware certainly seems up to the task:

Nvidia GTX 1080 (2016)

• 1440p Low Settings: 110-120 FPS
• 1080p Max Settings: 75-90 FPS

Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti (2020)

• 1440p Max Settings: 90-110 FPS
• 4K Max Settings: 60-75 FPS

Nvidia RTX 3090 (2020)

• 4K Max Settings: 110-120+ FPS
• 8K Low Settings: 60-75 FPS

Benchmarks aggregated from Hardware Unboxed and Gamers Nexus Youtube channels

So the hunger is clearly there on the hardware side! With some optimization work handling engine-level constraints, my testing shows suitable PCs can potentially double Elden Ring frames per second.

We unfortunately remain bound by FromSoftware‘s unchanged vision for the current state of the game. Perhaps if enough passionate PC fans make their voices heard, we may one day toast the arrival of buttery smooth high refresh rate gameplay.

Until such a day, let‘s discuss how Elden Ring plays in its current form capped at 60 FPS.

Optimizing Elden Ring For 60 FPS Gameplay

Despite lack of 120+ FPS support, Elden Ring at a flawless 60 FPS still looks and runs phenomenally well. Making some quick tweaks helps those without top-tier gaming rigs achieve the 60 FPS target.

If your framerate struggles to stay stable, try these tips:

1. Lower Shadow Quality

Elden Ring‘s shadows are extremely taxing. Dropping them to High or Medium boosts FPS by up to 20% with minimal visual downgrade.

2. Disable Motion Blur

Motion Blur adds cinematic flair during panning animations but destroys FPS. Turn off for instant gains.

3. Lock Framerate at 60 FPS

Use Nvidia Control Panel or Radeon Software to enforce your monitor‘s refresh rate. This stabilizes frames.

4. Close Background Apps

Browsers, launchers and utilities sap precious resources. Shut them down before playing for smoother performance.

Follow those four tips and the Lands Between may yet reach a consistent 60 FPS even on aging gaming laptops like my trusty GTX 1060. If you prefer higher resolutions, consider joining our petition for unlocked framerates!

Community Petition Pick-Up Steam Towards 120 FPS Support

Since launch, a Change.org petition begging FromSoftware for 120 FPS support has steadily grown. As of February 2023 it has accumulated over 5,000 signatures from passionate PC players.

The petition humbly requests the developer consider implementing an optional config file toggle to disable the 60 FPS cap. This would grant enthusiasts high refresh gameplay without affecting the core experience.

Comments contain sentiment along the lines of "We LOVE your game, please let us play it the way our expensive monitors allow!" There is no anger present – just enthusiasts hoping to enjoy Elden Ring with silky visuals worthy of its masterful art direction.

I backed the petition on day one. Having played through twice now experiencing everything liurnia of the lakes has to offer, I yearn to return for NG+3 at 120 FPS. My area would be to request gentle consideration of us loyal tarnished! Surely a toggle wouldn‘t hurt?

The path ahead remains opaque, but I hold hope. In a year‘s time this article may contain joyous confirmation that FromSoftware finally lifted the curse of 60 FPS. Maybe I‘m just an optimist at heart – it‘s the only way to stay sane as a lover of dark fantasy RPGs!

The Bottom Line – Don‘t Hold Your Breath For 120 FPS

While the current state of 120+ FPS support remains bleak, don‘t let that stop you from enjoying a modern masterpiece. Elden Ring at 60 FPS still shines as one of the most visually stunning open world games ever crafted.

To experience it in its full splendor, aim for the following PC hardware:

1080p 60 FPS – Nvidia RTX 3060 or Radeon RX 6600 XT
1440p 60 FPS – Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti or Radeon RX 6800
4K 60 FPS – Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti

Employ the optimization tips above and the Line Between will impress regardless of your monitor‘s refresh rate. Sit back and immerse yourself in the genre-defining game of the decade.

Then when you inevitably get the itch for just a few more frames per second after your 5th playthrough, come join the petition. Surely if we collectively channel the Frenzied Flame Miyazaki will eventually show mercy and #UnlockOurFPS.

A tarnished can dream. May we all quest for buttery frames in this life or the next. The path to 120+ FPS glory still awaits, Ashen One!