Horizon Zero Dawn Update 1.53 Adds 60 FPS Support and Removes Graphics Mode

Horizon Zero Dawn has received a surprise update today that appears to have added support for 60 FPS. It also removes the Graphics mode on PS5.

This update was released out of nowhere, as in there was no prior announcement at all. It was just suddenly made live on the PlayStation servers and players were able to download it on their PS4. It is mainly aimed at the PS5 and resolves some issues when streaming the game while adding support for 60 FPS. Curiously, the Graphics mode has been removed now.

Horizon Zero Dawn Update 1.53 Patch Notes

The patch notes for this update appear to mention 60 FPS support. We have verified this by downloading the update on our consoles and checking the changelog.

• Unlocked framerate to 60 frames per second when running on a PS5™ console in backwards compatibility mode
• Fixed streaming performance issues when running on a PS5™ console in backwards compatibility mode
• Removed Graphics Mode option from the Visual Settings when running on a PS5™ console in backwards compatibility mode

So it appears that the game now runs by default at the checkerboard 4K resolution at 60 FPS. While I am not quite sure of it as my memory is a bit hazy, there were two modes available in the past. One was the Performance mode that runs at 1080p at 30 FPS while the other was Graphics mode that runs at checkerboard 4K at 30 FPS. The performance of the game at 30 FPS was still pretty good so there was no need to stick to a lower resolution.

Horizon Zero Dawn is available for both PC and PS4. It has been recently updated to add support for 60 FPS on PS5. The game was developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.