Pokémon Unite - How To Get 60fps


Although it's not absolutely necessary to enjoy the game, the super-smooth Pokémon Unite 60fps experience is certainly nice to look at and play. We've come a long way from the Pokémon sprites of the 90s that had the back of Venusaur look like a moldy salad, and it's good to see the crisp HD models sprint about a luscious arena wailing on Aipom and Audino at 60fps.

At first glance, the Pokémon Unite 60fps mode is only available when the Nintendo Switch is docked. But that's not actually true. Here's how to hit 60fp - or at least how to allow your console to attempt to hit that legendary number while it's sat in your hand.

Before we dive into that, though, why not check out some of our other Pokémon Unite guides? If you're confused by Held Items, we've got you covered there. And the same goes for Battle Items. Just looking for the best Pokémon for each role? We've got that sorted, too.

What is Pokémon Unite 60fps Mode?

The Pokémon Unite 60fps mode allows the game to run at its absolute best regardless of whether you're playing docked or handheld. Again, most players won't really care about the difference. Some might not even notice it. But for the hyper-competitive, running Pokémon Unite at 60fps can mean being slightly faster to react to the action.

The subtle advantages of high frame rates are why a lot of competitive Rocket League and Apex Legends players aim for crazy numbers like 360fps in their matches. Simply put, the higher the number, the more up-to-date information you're seeing every second. And that can make a difference. Not as much of a difference as the game's blatant pay-to-win mechanic, but it's something to keep in mind.

And you can actually achieve that desired Pokémon Unite 60fps number whichever way you play the game.

How to toggle the Pokémon Unite 60fps mode.
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How To Get 60fps in Pokémon Unite

You might not have noticed it, but Pokémon Unite runs at 30fps in handheld mode and 60fps when docked. That's the default setting for the game. Like many others, the game makes use of the Nintendo Switch's boosted specs when it's hooked up to the dock and isn't trying to conserve battery life. It's locked to 30fps in handheld mode.

But you can actually force the game to unlock its FPS limit whichever way you decide to play. It's not recommended, likely for power consumption and temperature concerns, but the game won't stop you from trying.

To do so, all you need to do is wander on down to the Pokémon Unite Settings menu. You can do this by pressing 'X' on the main lobby screen and scrolling down. On the menu that pops up, the first thing you should see is the 'Frame Rate' option under where it says Screen Display on the System Settings tab. You can even do this mid-match by pressing '+'.

This menu has three settings: low, medium, and high. Here's how they differ:

  • Low - runs the game at 30fps
  • Medium - runs the game at 30fps
  • High - runs the game at 60fps

Quite why Low and Medium both seem to run the game at 30fps isn't currently clear, but what is clear is that you can activate Pokémon Unite 60fps mode by toggling this setting to High. This should only be necessary when playing in handheld mode.

If you leave the setting at Low/Medium in handheld mode, the Pokémon Unite 60fps mode should kick in automatically whenever you dock the console and vice-versa. By toggling this setting to High in handheld mode, though, you'll be able to play the game at its best regardless of whether you play docked or undocked.

Just note that the Pokémon Unite 60fps mode isn't rock-solid in either situation. Heavy action can temporarily drop your frame rate whether you're playing docked or undocked. This isn't usually too noticeable or frequent when docked, but the console's lower CPU clock rate when undocked will mean these little hiccups will cause greater dips on average.

Where to see Pokémon Unite fps frame rate in-game.
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How Do I Know What Frame Rate Pokémon Unite is Running In?

If you can't tell or just need a number as reassurance, you can see your Pokémon Unite FPS in-game really easily. Without even turning on a setting, you should see your in-game FPS at the top of the screen slightly to the left. This is only visible while in a match, so don't worry if you can't find it on the main menu.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Pokémon Unite, Pokémon, Only Mobile Gaming, and OMG Guides pages.