PS5 4K/120Hz, HDR & VRR Not Working on TV or Receiver: Fix Guide

No 4K/120Hz, HDR, or VRR from a PS5 is almost always one of four things: the wrong HDMI port, the TV's enhanced mode off, an under-spec cable, or a receiver in the chain that can't pass it. The console is capable — the signal is getting downgraded. Here's the fix for both direct-to-TV and through-a-receiver setups.

Direct to the TV

1. Plug into a HDMI 2.1 (4K120) port. Many TVs put 4K120/VRR on only one or two ports — the rest are 2.0 and cap at 4K60. Check the labels and move the PS5 there. (LG OLEDs: all four are 2.1 — the LG C2/C3 PS5 4K 120 VRR setup with no blackouts covers those panels.)
2. Turn on the port's enhanced mode. Samsung Input Signal Plus, LG HDMI Deep Color, Sony Enhanced format, TCL/Hisense HDMI Enhanced. Without it, 4K HDR/120Hz isn't offered.
3. Use a certified Ultra High Speed (48 Gbps) cable. 4K120 needs the bandwidth; a cable fine at 4K60 drops to 60Hz or black-screens at 120Hz.
4. Set the PS5 output. Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output: Resolution Automatic, HDR Automatic, 120Hz Output Automatic, VRR Automatic. (120Hz and VRR are per-title.)

Through an AV receiver

1. Use the receiver's actual HDMI 2.1 port (often only one) and send its output to a 4K120 TV input.
2. Many receivers pass 4K60 only — and some early HDMI 2.1 receivers cap at 40 Gbps. If the PS5 blanks at 120Hz through the receiver, that's the cause — see the dedicated steps for 4K120 passthrough not working on an Onkyo receiver.
3. Best workaround: connect the PS5 directly to the TV's 4K120 port and run eARC from the TV back to the receiver for sound. Full video from the TV, audio still to the receiver.

Diagnose by symptom

• Stuck at 4K60, no 120Hz: port isn't 2.1, mode isn't enhanced, or cable can't sustain 48 Gbps.
• No HDR: enhanced mode off or cable dropping metadata. If HDR is the only thing missing, the PS5 won't output 4K HDR fix isolates that path.
• No VRR: needs enhanced mode + 48 Gbps cable, and VRR enabled on the PS5; some TVs disable VRR with certain processing on (use Game Mode).
• Black-screen at 120Hz: the cable can't sustain 48 Gbps — swap to a certified short one.

FAQ

Stuck at 4K60, no 120Hz. You're on a HDMI 2.0 port, the enhanced mode is off, or the cable isn't 48 Gbps. Move to a 2.1 port, enable enhanced mode, and use a certified cable.

No VRR on my PS5. It needs the port's enhanced mode, a certified cable, and VRR enabled on the PS5 — and Game Mode on (some TVs disable VRR with processing on).

4K120 works on the TV but not through my receiver. The receiver is the bottleneck — use its HDMI 2.1 port, or connect the PS5 to the TV and run eARC back for audio.

Black-screen at 120Hz. The cable can't sustain 48 Gbps. Swap to a certified Ultra High Speed cable, kept short.