The Xbox Series X Digital Edition outputs up to 4K at 120 frames a second over HDMI 2.1, along with HDR and Variable Refresh Rate, but you only get these when the whole chain supports them: the console, the HDMI cable, the TV port, and the TV's own settings. When the console says that 120 Hz is not available or HDR looks washed out, work from the cable outwards. Use the Ultra High Speed HDMI cable that came with the console, plugged into the TV port that supports 4K at 120 Hz, which is labeled HDMI 2.1 or 4K 120 on many TVs and may be only one of the ports.
The checks in more detail
On the TV, turn on the setting that enables the full HDMI bandwidth, often called Enhanced, HDMI Ultra HD Deep Color or Input Signal Plus, and set the picture mode to Game, which cuts processing and lets VRR work. Then check the console's display options in Settings, General, TV and display options, Video modes, where you can tick Allow 4K, Allow 120 Hz, Allow variable refresh rate, Allow auto low latency mode and the HDR formats. The Advanced Video Settings and the TV details page in the same menu show what the console detects, such as the maximum resolution, refresh rate, and whether VRR and Dolby Vision are available.
If the 120 Hz option is grayed out, the TV port, the cable or a receiver in the chain is not passing it, and connecting the console directly to the TV, using eARC for sound, is the fix. In games, HDR needs the in-game setting too, and the Calibrate HDR for games app in the console adjusts the brightness and black levels. A picture that is dull with HDR on usually has the TV in a mode with its backlight too low, so raise it. Games must also support 120 Hz; many have a performance mode that does.
Some older TVs show a black screen when 120 Hz is enabled, so lower the mode if the picture vanishes. If you switch between HDR and non-HDR content, the TV may flash or change brightness, which is normal when it switches modes, but a TV that stays in the wrong mode may need Auto HDR turned on or off in the console's display settings. Auto HDR adds HDR to older games and can look different from the original, so try it on and off in a game you know well and choose the picture you prefer.
Differential
Likely causes of “Xbox Series X Digital Edition HDR, 4K, 120 Hz or VRR is not available”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A TV port without HDMI 2.1
What separates it 120 Hz is grayed out
How to confirm Use the 4K 120 Hz port
- 2
A cable that cannot carry it
What separates it Options are missing
How to confirm Use the Ultra High Speed cable
- 3
TV settings off
What separates it No VRR or HDR
How to confirm Enable the enhanced input and Game mode
- 4
A receiver in the path
What separates it The mode is not passed
How to confirm Connect directly to the TV
- 5
Game settings
What separates it HDR looks dull or 120 Hz is absent
How to confirm Check the game's own options
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The TV port used
- The cable
- The detected modes on the TV details page
- The game's settings
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedUse the right port and cable
ReversibleHDMI 2.1 and Ultra High Speed.
Enable the enhanced input
ReversibleOn the TV.
Select Game mode
ReversibleFor VRR.
Tick the video modes
ReversibleAllow 4K, 120 Hz, VRR.
Check TV details
ReversibleIn the console.
Calibrate HDR
ReversibleIn the app.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- HDMI 2.1
- The TV port must support it.
- Game mode
- It lets VRR work.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If options stay grayed out with a direct connection, check the TV firmware
- !If the picture vanishes at 120 Hz, lower the mode
- !Contact Xbox support if the console does not detect the TV
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Why is 120 Hz grayed out?+
The TV port or cable does not support it.
Does the Digital Edition support VRR?+
Yes.
Why is HDR dull?+
The TV mode or the game's settings.
Do all games support 120 Hz?+
No.