Assassin’s Creed Valhalla could be limited to 30fps on Xbox Series X

Why it matters: Are you looking forward to seeing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla running at 60fps in glorious true 4K on the Xbox Series X? You might want to reel in your expectations. Developer Ubisoft has confirmed that in its current state, the game will “run at least 30fps.”

One of the Xbox Series X’s supposed flagship features is the ability to run games in a 4K resolution at 60 fps. We’ve also heard of titles able to run at 120fps, presumably at a lower resolution, such as Dirt 5.

With Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, it seems Ubisoft is still working on hitting that magical 60 fps target. Speaking to Eurogamer Portugal, the company said: “Currently, we can guarantee that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will run at least 30 FPS. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will benefit from faster loading times, allowing players to immerse themselves in history and the world without friction. Finally Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will benefit from improved graphics made possible by the Xbox Series X, and we can’t wait to see the beautiful world we’re creating in stunning 4K resolution.”

The keyword here is “currently.” Ubisoft could further optimize the game so the guaranteed framerate increases by the time the Xbox Series X arrives, but running at true 4k@60fps is something even the highest-end PCs struggle to achieve.

It could be that Valhalla offers a performance mode similar to those on the current-gen consoles, one which sacrifices visuals and/or resolution for higher frame rates. That would likely disappoint those expecting “the world’s most powerful consoles” to offer high FPS counts at true 4K.

It’s not been a great few days for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The gameplay trailer didn’t actually show any gameplay, and we heard that the Legend of Beowulf mission would be exclusive to Season Pass holders.