Sea of Thieves has just received a new patch to kick off the launch of the game’s first season, and the new bits are also introducing a new 120FPS Performance mode on Xbox Series X consoles. Until now, the pirate game ran in a comfortable 4K at 60FPS on the Series X, and opting for the 120 FPS Performance will reduce the resolution to 1080p, just like on the Xbox Series S.
“Some TVs do not support 120Hz and HDR simultaneously, so HDR may need to be disabled from the Console Settings,” the developer noted in the release notes. If the Xbox Series S is also capable of running games at 120 FPS, the cheaper console is currently limited to running the pirate game at 1080p/60FPS, which remains good enough for most gamers.
If you have a TV or gaming monitor with a 120Hz refresh rate, playing games at 120 FPS can really make a difference, and it’s nice to see Sea of Thieves add this option on the Xbox Series X. Since the release of Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S consoles in November, we’ve been seeing more and more cross-gen games add support for 120FPS, though this option is sometimes limited to the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Borderlands 3, Destiny 2, and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War are three other big games with a 120 FPS mode on the Series X that’s currently absent on the Series S.
In addition to this new Performance mode, this new patch introduces another permanent Voyage type, new time-limited in-game events, more cosmetics to unlock, and some gameplay improvements for the PvP Arena mode. Developer Rare announced back in December that the popular pirate game would transition to a new seasonal model, similar to what other live service games such as Fortnite have been doing in recent years.
Sea of Thieves Season One has begun!
???? New Seasonal progression system
???? 100 levels of Renown and rewards, free for all
???? Pirate Legend-exclusive unlocks
⚓ New Merchant Alliance Voyage type
???? Plunder Pass
☠ And more!Learn all about this new era: https://t.co/cJ87QxSILF pic.twitter.com/dZTdtavmHJ
— Sea of Thieves (@SeaOfThieves) January 28, 2021
Sea of Thieves remains one of the most successful first-party games Microsoft released in recent years, and developer Rare explained that each new Season will last approximately three months and bring new gameplay features, rewards and Live events. The Plunder pass, an optional premium element will add even more rewards for the most dedicated pirates.
