EXCLUSIVE: Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition PS4/XONE Framerates Revealed

January 23, 2014

UPDATE (25/01): Further information from our sources points to the actual “average” of the PlayStation 4 build to be around 55fps (fluctuating between 50-60fps), while the Xbox One build should “average” around 40fps (fluctuating between 30-45fps). We’ll know more in the near future.

AMENDMENT (24/01): There appears to be a little bit of confusion of the framerates reported, and the fault is our own and our poor wording. We inaccurately used the term “average” when the math, in reality, does not add up. Logistically saying the average is ~30fps implies it exceeds and dips below 30fps, averaging at the number. That is not the case. What our sources have reported is that the listed FPS are roughly the most common targets during performance. So while the Xbox One version can reach ~45fps, for a majority of play it will sit around the ~30fps market, give a few frames. Same goes for the PlayStation 4 build, which in most cases hits around 60fps, take a few frames. Our sources have not confirmed exactly, but our own extrapolation of the information suggests you might say the average (accurate use of the term) Xbox One performance could be ~35fps, meanwhile the average PlayStation 4 performance may be ~55fps. Actual, concrete performance benchmarks will need to wait until the game is out for everyone, as we certainly don’t have them.

We apologise for any confusion from misuse of the term “average”, and hope this amendment better clarifies performance on both systems.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The internet is abuzz with talk of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, the graphically impressive souped up version of 2013’s Tomb Raider reboot. Now on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, folk know they can expect rendering effects closer to that of the original’s PC release (TressFX, subsurface light scattering, etc), but nobody seems quite sure what the framerate will be. Reports left and right seem to be contradicting one another, and that was giving us the shits, so we’ve done some digging around just for you to get to the truth.

Verified sources close to Rocket Chainsaw have detailed performance and rendering quality of both the Xbox One and PlayStation builds of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. And for that we’re thankful. So here it is!

On average:
PlayStation 4 = 60 fps
Xbox One = 30 fps

Yes, the PlayStation 4 build is, on average, twice the framerate of the Xbox One build. Both builds are rendering at native 1080p resolution, and generally look the same in graphical effects (though some minor differences may apply). Performance is a different matter. Both feature unlocked framerates, meaning framerate fluctuates between higher and lower values. The Xbox One build can technically reach around 45 fps, though this performance is generally only achieved during the most empty, simplest environments. For most of your play, and during action scenes, the Xbox One build will sit on around 30 fps. On the other hand, the PlayStation 4 build will attempt to hit 60 fps as often as possible, and does a pretty good job of doing so, but does have slight dips under 60 fps during certain scenarios.

So there it is. Both 1080p. PlayStation 4 = ~60fps average. Xbox One = ~30fps average. Take with a grain of salt if you’d like, but we’ve confirmed it on our end, and confirmation for the rest of the world is only a week away.