Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an action-adventure video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Activision. The game was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on March 22, 2019. Sekiro was met with universal critical acclaim upon release, currently maintaining a score of 91 on review aggregator Metacritic.

While Sekiro’s gameplay and graphical quality are excellent, its performance on consoles leaves much to be desired. Digital Foundry, a video game publication known for their in-depth tech analysis, tested Sekiro’s console performance upon release and found a number of issues that negatively impact gameplay. On “base” consoles (i.e. Xbox One S and PS4 Slim), the game suffers from what is known as “improper frame pacing”; on “enhanced” consoles (i.e. Xbox One X and PS4 Pro), the game runs at an inconsistent frame-rate that varies between 30 and 50 frames per second on average.

Both of these issues result in a noticeable “judder” that makes gameplay feel far less smooth than the PC version running at a consistent 60 frames per second. This judder can also make player input feel less responsive at times. These issues are especially impactful to Sekiro due to its heavy emphasis on fluid, fast-paced combat.

Console gamers deserve better. FromSoftware owes much of their recent success to support from the console market; Demon’s Souls (PS3) and Dark Souls (X360 and PS3 at release) established the genre From is known for, and Bloodborne remains one of PS4’s most successful exclusives. These titles have no doubt converted many gamers into dedicated FromSoft fans. And yet, FromSoft has refused time and again to adequately address console performance issues amidst its current windfall.

Activision and FromSoftware, please optimize the console versions of Sekiro.

The following are patches/additions that I think would best address this issue:

Eliminate improper frame pacing on the base PS4 and Xbox One

on the base PS4 and Xbox One Allow players to choose between two display modes on the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro A mode that favors frame-rate above image quality and resolution in order to achieve a locked 60 frames per second A mode that achieves the best possible image quality while adhering closely to a locked 30 frames per second



Leaving Sekiro on console in its current state, while far from unplayable, is still a disservice to this incredible game and to a large portion of its dedicated fanbase. Sekiro is already a favorite of mine, and I would love to experience it on Xbox without the annoying performance issues. I’m sure many others would, too.