Do High Refresh Rate Screens Really Reduce VR Sickness? A Deep-Dive for Gamers & Creators

Do High Refresh Rate Screens Really Reduce VR Sickness? A Deep-Dive for Gamers & Creators

 

What Is VR Sickness?

VR sickness (also called cybersickness) is a form of motion sickness triggered by virtual environments, where your brain receives conflicting signals from your eyes and inner ear. Typical symptoms include nausea, dizziness, eye strain, headache, cold sweats, and a lingering sense of disorientation even after you remove the headset.​

This happens because your visual system may perceive motion or acceleration in VR while your body is actually still, or vice versa, creating a sensory mismatch that the brain interprets as “something is wrong.” Individual sensitivity varies widely: some users can play for hours with intense movement, while others feel sick within minutes even in gentle experiences.​

 

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Refresh Rate 101: Why It Matters in VR

Refresh rate is the number of times per second a display updates the image, measured in Hertz (Hz). In VR headsets, common refresh rates include 72 Hz, 80 Hz, 90 Hz, 120 Hz, and in some niche headsets even 144–180 Hz.​

Higher refresh rates help VR comfort in several ways:

• They reduce motion blur and “judder,” making head movements feel smoother and more natural.​

• They lower visual latency (the delay between your movement and what you see), which cuts down on the sensory mismatch that drives nausea and dizziness.​

 

What the Research Says About High Refresh Rate and VR Sickness

Research and industry testing indicate that higher frame rates and refresh rates are linked to less reported VR sickness, up to a point. A recent experimental study that tested frame rates of 60, 90, 120, and 180 frames per second found that participants reported significantly less nausea at 120 fps compared to 60 and 90 fps, with only marginal additional benefit at 180 fps.​

Some VR training and enterprise sources now recommend targeting at least 90 Hz, and ideally 90–120 Hz, to reduce motion blur and lag for most users. However, researchers also stress that refresh rate is not the only variable: headset resolution, field of view, optical design, and especially the type of VR content can dramatically influence sickness levels.​

 

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Key Hardware Factors Beyond Refresh Rate

Even if you run a headset at 120 Hz, other hardware issues can still make people feel sick. The most important technical factors include:​

• Latency: High motion-to-photon latency is one of the strongest contributors to VR sickness because it creates a visible “delay” between head movement and scene updates. Best practices recommend minimizing end-to-end latency alongside using 90 Hz or higher displays.​

• Field of View (FOV) and Distortion: Wider FOV can boost immersion but may also increase visual stimulation and, in some setups, cybersickness, especially if the optics introduce geometric distortion near the edges. Some research shows that temporarily restricting FOV during fast locomotion can reduce sickness without seriously harming performance.​

• Resolution and Visual Clarity: Higher resolution panels reduce the “screen door” effect and visual noise, which can lower eye strain and make motion feel more stable, although resolution alone is less critical than frame rate for sickness.​

• Tracking Quality: Inaccurate or jittery tracking of head and controller movements undermines the benefits of a high refresh rate by introducing erratic motion and extra latency.​

 

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Content and Design: The Other Half of the Story

Content design is often as important as hardware specs when it comes to VR sickness. For example, experiences that rely on smooth artificial locomotion (like joystick-controlled walking, flying, or rollercoaster rides) trigger far more discomfort than room-scale experiences where your physical movement matches what you see.​

Developers use several design strategies to reduce sickness:

• Preferring teleport or dash movement over continuous sliding.

• Avoiding sudden camera cuts, forced acceleration, or rapid rotation not controlled by the user.​

• Allowing users to enable “comfort options” such as vignette (FOV reduction) during movement, seated modes, or slower default speeds.​

 

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Does 120 Hz Really Make a Big Difference?

For many people, the jump from 60 Hz to 90 Hz is huge, and from 90 Hz to 120 Hz is noticeable but more subtle. The study mentioned earlier suggests that 120 fps is a meaningful threshold, with participants reporting lower simulator sickness symptoms at 120 fps (and 180 fps) compared to 60 and 90 fps in the same headset.​

In practice:

• Below ~60 Hz: Most users experience obvious judder, lag, and a high risk of nausea, especially during movement.​

• Around 72–90 Hz: This is often “good enough” for many mainstream experiences, especially if content is gentle and latency is well controlled.​

• Around 120 Hz: This tends to offer smoother motion, lower perceived lag, and reduced sickness reports in sensitive users, especially in fast-paced or visually complex titles.​

 

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Hardware Comparison: Refresh Rate and Comfort

Below is a simplified comparison of how different VR refresh rate tiers relate to motion comfort, assuming reasonable content design and stable performance.​

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Practical Tips to Reduce VR Sickness (Beyond Just Buying a Faster Headset)

If you are considering a new headset or trying to get more comfortable in VR, think in terms of a holistic strategy rather than banking solely on high refresh rates.​

Here are practical, user-friendly steps:

• Aim for stability first: Configure graphics settings so your system can maintain a consistent target frame rate (90 or 120 fps if your headset supports it) rather than chasing maximum visual quality.​

• Use comfort locomotion: Choose teleport or dash movement and enable vignette options when moving to reduce sensory conflict.​

• Start slow and build tolerance: Begin with seated or stationary experiences and gradually increase session length as your brain adapts.​

• Optimize fit and IPD: Ensure the headset is correctly adjusted to your interpupillary distance and sits firmly yet comfortably, which reduces eye strain and visual discomfort.​

• Take regular breaks: Short breaks at the first sign of discomfort help prevent symptoms from escalating and can make long-term adaptation easier.​

 

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How to Choose a VR Headset If You’re Motion-Sensitive

If you are particularly sensitive to VR sickness, treat refresh rate as one of several priority specs, not the only one. Look for:​

• Refresh rate options of at least 90 Hz, with 120 Hz modes if your hardware can handle them.

• Good reviews for tracking accuracy and low latency, not just high resolution.​

• A comfortable fit, adjustable straps, and reliable IPD adjustment, which all support visual comfort over longer sessions.​

 

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Bottom Line: Do High Refresh Rate Screens Reduce VR Sickness?

High refresh rate screens do meaningfully reduce VR sickness for many users by lowering motion blur and visual latency, especially once you move from 60 Hz to 90 Hz and potentially up to around 120 Hz. However, they are not a magic cure, and their benefits depend heavily on stable performance, low-latency tracking, thoughtful content design, and individual sensitivity.​

 

 

You May Know

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality_sickness