Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is out today, pitting you as a defender of the Imperium against hordes of Tyranids and wiley Chaos Space Marine foes. The game has been well-received by all accounts following its initial preview outing, but it also offers a bit of a curveball when it comes to the usual balance of power between PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. With 30fps and 60fps modes on the table, what’s the optimal way to play, how do PS5 and Series X compare to the PC version, and finally how does the Series S version fare?
First things first. On PS5 and Series X, you have a choice of a 30fps quality mode or a 60fps ‘speed’ mode, while Series S locks you into a 30fps experience at settings largely similar to the speed mode on other platforms – though the settings differences here are incredibly minor, all things considered.
In quality mode on the premium consoles, expect a dynamic internal resolution from 1080p to 1440p, scaled to a 4K display with FSR2. Speed mode has a lower internal resolution in the push to 60fps, ranging from 720p to 1080p, with the same FSR2 upscale to 4K. Series S has the same internal resolution range, 720p to 1080p, but scales to 1440p instead – a common output resolution for the 4TF machine.
At 30fps, both PS5 and Series X manage to deliver an exceptionally stable performance, with only slight frame-time hitches during camera cuts in cutscenes and the odd blip as the dynamic resolution system springs into action to balance GPU load. Series S isn’t quite as perfect, with drops to around 26fps that aren’t seen on the other consoles, but the experience is still quite playable.