Input lag messes with your confidence in a way nothing else does. Your crosshair looks right. Your timing feels right. Yet every flick lands a hair late. And you start “fixing” it with more aim training, more sens tweaks, more panic.

Let’s cut through that.

This guide shows you how to reduce input lag by shortening the full chain from input to pixels. You’ll set up your display correctly, trim buffering on PC, and use the right console toggles without stacking latency traps.

What input lag is (and what it isn’t)

Input lag is end-to-end delay between an action you make and the screen updating. Think of it like a relay race:

Mouse or controller → USB or wireless → OS or console → game input sampling → CPU sim → GPU render queue → scanout → TV processing → pixels

Low input lag means the relay hands off instantly. High input lag means someone in the middle stops to tie their shoes.

Don’t confuse it with these lookalikes:

  • Low FPS: you can feel delay because frames arrive slowly.
  • Stutter: frame times jump around so inputs feel inconsistent.
  • Ping: the server responds late even if your local input feels snappy.

You can have 240 FPS and still feel “mushy” if you buffer frames. You can also have clean frametimes and still feel delayed if your TV runs movie processing.

The fastest wins before you touch anything else

Do these first. They change the input-lag chain the most.

  • Put your display in Game Mode. TVs add processing for movies. Game Mode cuts it. TechRadar notes that TV processing like motion interpolation can drastically affect input lag and that Game Mode disables some of it for lower latency.
  • Turn off motion smoothing. If your TV says MotionFlow, TruMotion, Auto Motion Plus, Smooth Motion, or any “clarity” slider, kill it.
  • Go wired for your controller when you can. Wireless can feel fine but interference makes it inconsistent.
  • Use the correct HDMI port. Many TVs only support full bandwidth and best gaming features on specific ports.

Now you’ve removed the big, dumb delay. Time for the precise stuff.

Display settings to reduce input lag (PC + console)

1) Lock in the low-latency picture path

In your TV or monitor menu:

  • Enable Game Mode / Game Optimizer / Low Latency Mode
  • Disable:
  • Motion interpolation
  • Noise reduction
  • Dynamic contrast
  • “Reality creation” style sharpening

These features can make a film look great. They also hold frames longer. That’s input lag.

If you want a credible way to compare displays, RTINGS publishes standardized input lag measurements.

2) Run the highest refresh rate you can actually use

Higher refresh reduces scanout time. It also gives your input more chances per second to show up.

  • If your setup supports 120 Hz, use it.
  • On a console, 120 Hz often requires the right cable and the right port.

3) Use VRR when your FPS can’t stay stable

VRR helps when your frame rate fluctuates. It reduces tearing without forcing classic V-Sync buffering behavior.

But VRR isn’t magic. Bad VRR implementations can flicker or feel unstable. Test it per game.

PC: reduce input lag with Windows + GPU + in-game settings

Windows settings that matter

Keep it boring. Keep it consistent.

  • Enable Windows Game Mode so Windows prioritizes game workloads. NVIDIA also recommends it as a latency reducer.
  • Disable heavy background tasks during ranked sessions.
  • Prefer motherboard USB ports over hubs for mice and controllers.

Mouse polling rate matters, too. NVIDIA points out that 125 Hz can add a few milliseconds compared to 1000 Hz.

NVIDIA: the clean path for lower latency

If you play esports titles, you want the game to stop building a deep render queue.

  • Turn on NVIDIA Reflex in-game when available. NVIDIA recommends it as the first choice to reduce system latency.
  • If Reflex is not available, use Ultra Low Latency Mode in the NVIDIA driver.
  • Prefer Exclusive Fullscreen when possible. NVIDIA notes it can bypass the Windows compositor and reduce latency.
  • Be careful with V-Sync. NVIDIA calls out that V-Sync can add backpressure through the pipeline. Turn it off if you can tolerate tearing.

Source: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/guides/system-latency-optimization-guide/

The “one rule” for competitive PC feel

You don’t chase maximum FPS. You chase stable frametimes with minimal buffering.

That usually means:

  • Lower settings until the game stops spiking frame time.
  • Use Reflex when supported.
  • Use a sensible frame cap strategy for your refresh and VRR setup.

If you change five things at once, you’ll never know what helped. Change one setting. Then play a real match. Then decide.

Console: reduce input lag on PS5 and Xbox (settings that matter)

PS5: Video Output settings that impact latency

On PS5 go to Settings → Screen and Video → Video Output.

Key toggles:

  • 120 Hz Output: enable if your display supports it.
  • VRR: enable if supported. The PlayStation support docs also note VRR can affect behavior and that results vary by TV.
  • ALLM: if your TV supports it, it switches the TV into low-latency mode while gaming. The docs also note ALLM behavior can interact with VRR.

If 4K 120 looks wrong, check TV firmware, HDMI cable quality, and HDMI 2.1 port choice. PlayStation’s troubleshooting list matches that reality.

Xbox Series X|S: enable 120 Hz the right way

Go to Settings → TV & display options → Refresh rate → 120Hz. TechRadar walks through that exact path and how to verify it via “4K TV details.”

Then enable VRR and ALLM in the video modes menu if your display supports them.

Copy these step-by-step “reduce input lag” recipes

Recipe A: PC + VRR monitor (most competitive setups)

1) Set monitor to max refresh rate.

2) Enable VRR (G-SYNC Compatible or FreeSync).

3) Enable NVIDIA Reflex in-game if available.

4) Keep graphics settings low enough to avoid frame time spikes.

5) Decide on V-Sync based on your tolerance for tearing then test.

Recipe B: Console + 120 Hz display

1) Enable 120 Hz output on the console.

2) Turn on TV Game Mode and confirm it stays on.

3) Enable VRR if your display supports it then test per title.

4) Use Performance mode in-game when offered.

Recipe C: Console + 60 Hz TV

1) Game Mode on. Motion smoothing off.

2) Performance mode over quality mode.

3) Reduce in-game aim smoothing and tune deadzones. That often “feels” like less lag.

The mistakes that quietly add input lag

  • You enable Game Mode but leave motion processing on inside the mode.
  • You chase ultra settings and accept frame time spikes.
  • You stack sync solutions without understanding the queue they build.
  • You blame ping for a local delay problem.

The next step

Pick one setup path today. PC or console. Then do this:

1) Confirm Game Mode and motion smoothing off.

2) Enable 120 Hz if supported.

3) Get frametimes stable by lowering settings or using performance mode.

That’s how you actually reduce input lag without spiraling. If you tell me your platform, display model, and main game, I’ll suggest the cleanest exact settings stack.