Screen tearing

Screen tearing looks like a horizontal line across the picture, where the top part seems slightly out of step with the bottom. It is most visible when the camera moves sideways quickly. It happens because the screen is showing part of one frame and part of the next at the same time.

Frames arriving mid-refresh

A display refreshes its image at a fixed rhythm, its refresh rate. A game produces frames at its own pace, which often does not match. If a new frame arrives while the screen is midway through drawing the previous one, the screen switches over partway down, and the join shows as a tear.

Ways to fix it

V-Sync (vertical sync) makes the game wait for the screen to finish each refresh before sending a new frame. This removes tearing but can add input lag, and if the game cannot keep up, the frame rate may drop sharply, causing stutter.

Variable refresh rate (VRR) reverses the relationship: the screen adjusts its refresh timing to match the game’s frames as they arrive. This removes tearing with little added delay and smooths out frame rate fluctuations. VRR goes by different brand names depending on the graphics hardware and display, and generally requires a compatible screen, a compatible console or graphics card, and the setting to be switched on in both places.

Frame rate caps limit the game to a steady frame rate the screen can match, which reduces tearing on some setups.

Choosing between V-Sync and VRR

Console games usually handle this automatically, though many now offer VRR support if your TV has it; check both the console’s display settings and the TV’s game settings. On PC, try VRR first if your monitor supports it, otherwise V-Sync or a frame cap. Some players, particularly in competitive games, accept a little tearing in exchange for the lowest possible delay. It is a matter of preference.