No, The Division 2 does not run at 120 fps on PS5

As a passionate gamer and hardware enthusiast, this is a question I have researched extensively. Based on the latest technical analysis and official details from Ubisoft, The Division 2 unfortunately does not have an optimized 120fps mode for PS5 as of early 2023. While the console and game engine could likely support these higher framerates with some work, the development team has not patched in an unlocked frame rate thus far.

Analyzing The Division 2‘s PS5 Version and Performance

Here‘s what we know about The Division 2 on PlayStation 5:

• Runs at a native 4K resolution through temporal injection
• Higher resolution textures vs. PS4 Pro
• Enhanced ambient occlusion, shadows, reflections, and draw distances
• Target render of 60fps with more stable framerates

Digital Foundry conducted a detailed breakdown comparing The Division 2 on PS4 Pro vs. PS5, finding modest improvements to visuals and 60fps stability rather than a dramatic leap in performance. Their analysis did not reveal any dormant 120fps mode in the code.

PlayStation 5‘s 120fps Capabilities

The PS5 hardware is definitely capable of delivering 120fps gaming:

• The custom Zen 2 CPU with 8 cores and SMT allows for tons of parallelization needed for high framerates.
• A beefy RDNA2-based GPU with 36 CUs and variable frequencies up to 2.23 GHz can push a lot of polygons while maintaining quick pixel response times.
• 16GB of GDDR6 RAM provides ample memory bandwidth to supply assets and textures.
• Integrated I/O alleviates potential storage bottlenecks when loading scenes.

As evidence, other titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Rainbow Six Siege, Destiny 2 and Fortnite offer explicit 120fps modes on PS5. So the capability exists in both hardware and software, however…

Why The Division 2 Lacks 120fps Support on PS5

Enabling features like 120fps requires substantial developer effort:

• The game engine must beoptimized to handle the drastically increased performance demand.
• Graphical effects often need to be pared back to hit faster framerates.
• Art assets might need tweaking to prevent glitches at higher speeds.
• Higher CPU/GPU utilization generates more heat, requiring thermal calibration.
• Extensive quality testing is needed to ensure stability.

As this comparison shows, TD2 seems to share a common codebase between PS5 and Series X. I speculate they would add 120fps simultaneously to both platforms if so inclined.

Would 120fps Improve The Division 2 on PS5?

In certain games like competitive shooters, doubled framerates translate into snappier response times and tighter gameplay. Players can track targets and react quicker with an extra 60fps of visual feedback per second.

However, The Division 2 is primarily a PvE cooperative looter shooter. While higher framerates could provide a more fluid experience, they may not yield as dramatic an advantage as other genres.

Visually though, the fluidity when panning cameras or navigating chaotic firefights would see noticeable improvement at 120fps. This could better immerse players into the world and action gameplay.

The Feasibility of Adding 120fps to The Division 2

Given Ubisoft has not patched 120fps support nearly 3 years post-launch, I suspect it is not high on their priority list for this title. The Division series seems focused on expanding open world content rather than enhancing core visuals or performance.

However technically, I believe the Snowdrop engine powering The Division 2 could likely handle 120fps operation on PS5 with some targeted optimizations. Destiny 2 shares a similar backdrop yet runs smoothly at 120fps on PlayStation 5 hardware.

Of course, next-gen versions like The Division: Heartland built natively for modern hardware will almost assuredly offer higher framerates out of the box. Hopefully Massive Entertainment applies these learnings to future franchise entries!