Why Your Xbox Series X Screen Is Flickering And How To Fix It

Whether you've had it a while or just bought a new one, your Xbox Series X is the top-of-the-line Microsoft console and should look like it. Games should look amazing on the Series X with Dolby Vision and HDR10 support, refresh rates up to 120 Hz, and a full 4K picture. However, all this new technology might also cause problems, especially on older TVs that might be unable to handle these features.

Let's say you're having trouble with screen flickering. This can take a few different forms, such as distorted images, random brightness/gamma changes, or even the Xbox's HDMI connection randomly dropping and coming back. These are all usually down to a few issues that aren't difficult to solve. 

First things first, try powering the system completely off and restarting it. If this doesn't help, try a different HDMI cable. These cables can and do go bad, seemingly for no reason at all sometimes. Finally, make sure your system isn't overheating. There's an excellent chance these easy steps will fix your issue. If that doesn't help, don't despair. There are still several things you can try.

These flickering issues often stem from settings on your TV or Xbox that need to be changed. The first place to look will be in the Settings app on your Xbox Series X. Under General, look for "TV & display options." You can select options like resolution and refresh rate on this screen, but there are further options under "Video modes." Head there and try unchecking everything on that screen, then see if the flickering disappears. If so, recheck each box, one by one, and see if the flickering returns.

If it does come back after checking a box, try leaving that one unchecked and continue enabling the other options. Suppose the flickering only occurs when one option is selected (for example, "Allow variable refresh rate" or "Allow HDR10"). In that case, it's possible that your TV has an issue with that particular setting, and it needs to stay off for the best performance.

If you're still seeing flickering, you might also try reducing the refresh rate to 60 Hz and the resolution to 1080p or even 720p. Any modern TV should be able to handle these settings. If you're still seeing flickering, the best thing to try is hooking your Xbox up to another TV. If it's still flickering and you've already tried a new HDMI cable, you should contact Microsoft for service. If it's not flickering on a different TV, contact your TV manufacturer for help.