Your Xbox Series X or Series S can add Auto HDR to some older games, but should you use it instead of the original picture? Check your TV and game first, then compare both settings in the same scene.
What Is Xbox Auto HDR?
SDR, or standard dynamic range, is the picture format many older games were made to use. Native HDR is an HDR mode built into a game by its developers. Xbox Auto HDR is a console feature that adds an HDR presentation to selected games originally made for SDR. It does not replace a game’s native HDR mode, and it is not a separate download.
Auto HDR is also different from FPS Boost, which changes frame rate for supported games. Dolby Vision is another HDR format; seeing Dolby Vision support on a TV does not tell you whether the Xbox detects the HDR10 capability needed for this setup. Xbox makes Auto HDR and FPS Boost available on a game by game basis, so one option can appear without the other. See Xbox Support’s feature guide for its explanation of both enhancements.
Auto HDR vs Native HDR: Which Should You Use?
The short answer: if a game has its own native HDR mode, use it. Games built with native HDR use that implementation, and Auto HDR does not change them. Set them up with the game’s own HDR options and the console’s Calibrate HDR for games tool.
Auto HDR is for eligible games that were made for SDR. For those titles the real choice is Auto HDR or the original SDR picture, and that is the comparison the steps below walk you through. SDR is a perfectly valid result if a game looks better to you without Auto HDR.
Prerequisites
- An Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.
- An HDR10-capable TV or monitor connected through an input and HDMI cable that let the Xbox detect HDR10.
- A backward-compatible game you can launch. On Series S, use a digital copy or other valid digital entitlement; Series S cannot use game discs.
- A game for which Auto HDR appears in Compatibility options. Xbox’s backward compatibility page explains the program, but backward compatibility alone does not guarantee Auto HDR.
No command line or installation file is involved. The controls are in Xbox Settings and the individual game’s management screen.
Step-by-Step Guide
Fix #1: Check What Your TV Reports to Xbox
- Connect the Xbox directly to an HDR10-capable TV input using a working HDMI cable. If your TV requires HDR to be enabled separately for that input, turn it on in the TV’s own settings.
- Press the Xbox button on the controller, open Profile & system > Settings, then go to General > TV & display options > 4K TV details.
- Read the HDR capability results on that screen. The result must show that the current display connection supports HDR10. If it does not, note the reported limitation before changing Xbox settings.
Expected result: 4K TV details reports HDR10 support for the connected display. The labels and results depend on your TV and connection.
Fix #2: Allow HDR10 Output
- From Settings > General > TV & display options, open Video modes.
- Select Allow HDR10 if it is available and unchecked.
- In the same Video modes list, make sure Auto HDR is also selected. This is the console-wide Auto HDR switch; the per-game option in Fix #3 lets you turn it off for individual games.
- Return to 4K TV details and confirm that the console still reports HDR10 support.
Expected result: Allow HDR10 and Auto HDR are selected, and the Xbox reports an HDR10-capable connection. If the control is unavailable, resolve the display connection issue in Tips and Troubleshooting before continuing.
Fix #3: Find Auto HDR for a Game
- Open My games & apps on the Xbox.
- Highlight a backward-compatible game you can launch, then press the controller’s Menu button.
- Select Manage game and add-ons > Compatibility options.
- Look for Auto HDR. If it appears, select it to enable the option for that game. If it does not appear, try another game; do not assume that every backward-compatible title supports it. Menu labels can shift slightly between console software updates.
- Launch the game. If it was already running, fully quit it first: highlight the game on Home or in the guide, press Menu, then select Quit.
Expected result: The supported game starts with Auto HDR enabled. An absent Auto HDR option is a compatibility or setup clue, not proof that the console is broken.
Fix #4: Compare Auto HDR With the Original SDR Picture
- With Auto HDR enabled, load a repeatable scene in a supported game. Choose a save point or menu you can return to without changing the scene.
- Note how bright areas, dark areas, and colors look. Keep the TV’s picture mode and room lighting the same for both checks.
- Fully quit the game using Menu > Quit.
- Return to My games & apps > the game’s Menu > Manage game and add-ons > Compatibility options, then turn Auto HDR off.
- Relaunch the game and return to the same scene. Keep Auto HDR off if you prefer the original SDR picture; turn it back on if you prefer the HDR presentation. Fully quit and relaunch after either change.
Expected result: You can judge both presentations under similar conditions and leave the per-game option in the state you prefer. There is no official, verified ranking of which games look best with Auto HDR. Games that actually show the Auto HDR option are the useful ones to try.
Configuration
Allow HDR10 is the console’s display setting at Settings > General > TV & display options > Video modes. It permits HDR10 output when the connected display reports support. It does not make every game eligible for Auto HDR. The console-wide Auto HDR checkbox sits in the same Video modes list; changing it, like the per-game option, takes effect after you restart the game.
Auto HDR is checked under a game’s Manage game and add-ons > Compatibility options. Use this control when you want to compare an eligible game’s Auto HDR presentation with SDR. A game with native HDR uses its own HDR implementation; Auto HDR is intended for selected games that originally used SDR. Xbox’s backward compatibility update describes Auto HDR as an enhancement for older titles.
FPS Boost may appear on the same Compatibility options screen, but its availability says nothing about Auto HDR support. Leave each option set according to the result you want.
Tips and Troubleshooting
Auto HDR Is Missing From Compatibility Options
Check 4K TV details first, then Video modes > Allow HDR10 and Auto HDR. Reopen the game’s Compatibility options after confirming both. If Auto HDR is still absent, the title may not be eligible. Xbox does not enable the feature for every backward-compatible game, and an available FPS Boost option does not change that.
The TV Does Not Switch to HDR
Confirm that 4K TV details reports HDR10 support for the connection in use. Check the TV’s settings for the specific HDMI input, especially if the Xbox runs through a receiver or another device. Then confirm Allow HDR10 and the game’s Auto HDR option, fully quit the game, and relaunch it. A different HDMI cable or direct TV connection can help identify a connection that is not reporting HDR10 correctly.
The Picture Looks Too Bright or Washed Out
Open Settings > General > TV & display options > Calibrate HDR for games and follow the on-screen patterns. Check the TV’s HDR picture mode as well. Then repeat the same-scene comparison. Leaving Auto HDR off for that game is a reasonable choice if its SDR picture looks better to you.
Native HDR or Dolby Vision Appears Instead
Check whether the game already offers its own HDR mode. Native HDR is a feature of that game; it is not Auto HDR. Dolby Vision is a separate display format and should not be treated as an Auto HDR eligibility indicator. For this setup, the useful checks are the Xbox’s reported HDR10 capability and the game’s Auto HDR option.
Wrapping Up
The per-game comparison is the best way to decide: enable Auto HDR where Xbox offers it, restart the game, and judge the same scene against SDR. Keep whichever picture you prefer. If HDR10 never appears in 4K TV details after checking the TV input and HDMI connection, contact Xbox Support or the TV maker for help with that connection.