Fix: Need for Speed Unbound Screen Tearing on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S

Need for Speed Unbound (shortly called NFS Unbound) is a new racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X/S. However, like other video games, the NFS Unbound title also has a Screen Tearing issue on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, which is irritating.

Now, if you’re also facing the same issue, then make sure to follow this troubleshooting guide completely to fix it. Screen Flickering or Screen Tearing becomes one of the most common issues among players, no matter whether they’re using a PC or a console. In this scenario, the specific game seems to have some graphical glitches, or the visuals occasionally shimmering, affecting the gameplay experience and nothing else.

Fix: Need for Speed Unbound Screen Tearing on PS5

If you’re using the PS5 console and facing the flickering screen issue quite often, follow the methods below one by one until the problem gets fixed.

1. Use Another Graphics Mode

It’s expected to encounter frame drops in some games occasionally, even if you’re using the PS5 console. Try using another graphics mode in the game settings menu to cross-check whether the higher graphics settings conflict with the system performance. Sometimes changing the graphics mode or reducing the graphics quality to some extent (depending on your need), may fix such an issue.

2. Reboot the PS5 Console

If, in case, you’re one of the PlayStation 5 console users and having issues with the system performance or even the in-game performance, then make sure to reboot the PS5 console to refresh the system. Sometimes a simple restart of the console may fix the issue with the game crashes or lags, stutters, screen flickering, etc.

3. Update PlayStation Firmware

Updating the PS5 system software is recommended to avoid graphical glitches or lags. You can follow the steps below to install the update.

• Head over to Settings > Hit System.
• Select System Software > Hit System Software Update and Settings.
• Select Update System Software > Select Update Using Internet.

4. Update NFS Unbound

If you haven’t updated the NFS Unbound video game on your PlayStation 5 console for a while, then make sure to update it by following the steps below:

• Turn on your PS5 console > Go to the Home screen.
• Now, navigate to the main menu on top.
• Head over to the Games tab.
• Please scroll down to NFS Unbound and highlight it.
• Press the Options button on your controller.
• Finally, choose to Check for Update from the drop-down menu.

5. Power Cycle your PS5

Sometimes, any system glitch or cache issue can cause errors, crashes, lags, screen flickering, etc. By power cycling your console, you can clear the temporary cache or glitch to improve the performance.

• First, shut down your console completely.
• Next, remove the power cable from the console.
• Wait for around 30 seconds and plug the cable back in.
• Finally, turn on the PS5 console and check for the issue again.

6. Keep PS5 in a well-ventilated area

In some scenarios, your PS5 console may trigger several issues with the system performance or game lags due to overheating. Sometimes the lack of proper air ventilation in the room may cause hardware stress that directly affects gameplay or gaming performance. So, you should keep your PS5 console in a well-ventilated place to check if there is an overheating issue or not.

The proper airflow and the cooler place or temperature inside the room might gonna help the PS5 console to work better. Keeping the console in a congested area or directly under sunlight may trouble a lot.

7. Check your TV or Monitor

Another possible reason behind the NFS Unbound game lagging on the PS5 console is that your TV or monitor might have some issues with the screen refresh rate. Maybe there is a temporary glitch or the refresh rate issue appearing on the PS5 console that may trigger some issues.

8. Check the HDMI port

It’s also recommended to check the HDMI port of both the console and display device properly because a misalignment or even the dust particles can easily cause connectivity issues whatsoever. Try gently removing the HDMI cable and then blow some air in force to clear dirt/dust from the HDMI port.

9. Check the Free Hard Drive Space

Sometimes having low storage space on the hard drive can also trigger application launching issues apart from glitches, slow loading, lags, graphical issues, etc. You should always check for the free hard drive storage space before getting to any other conclusion. If the free storage space is too low then make sure to uninstall unnecessary games or other applications from your PlayStation console and check for the screen tearing issue again.

10. Eject the Game Disc and Gently Clean It

If in case, you’re using the disc edition of the PlayStation console then keeping and using the physical discs are quite a tough job because any kind of scratches or physical damage or even dust particles can easily ruin the disc and your gaming experience too. So, it’s suggested to simply eject the game disc and gently clean it using a microfiber cloth to remove smudges and dirt then try inserting the disc again to check for the issue.

11. Try Playing Another Game on PS5

Sometimes PlayStation games may not run properly which is a bit of a letdown. Make sure to play another game on the PS5 console to check for the issue or wait for some time to try again.

12. Clear NFS Unbound Game Data

It seems that clearing out the game saved data on the console may also fix multiple issues with the game launching or gameplay. You can try it out:

• Go to Settings > Select Application Saved Data Management.
• Choose either System Storage or Online Storage or USB Storage > Select Delete.
• Select the NFS Unbound game > Checkmark the files that you want to delete or just Select All.
• Finally, select Delete > Select OK to confirm the task.
• Once done, reboot your console to check for the NFS Unbound screen flickering issue on the PS5 console.

13. Rebuild Database

Rebuilding the database on your PlayStation console can quickly resolve the potential issues or errors. To do so:

• Switch off your console completely. Unplug the power cable from the console and wait for around 2-3 minutes.
• Now, plug in the power cable, and turn it on to clear the Cached Data automatically from the system.

Check whether this issue has been fixed with the NFS Unbound Stay Human game or not. If not, follow the next steps below.

• Now, press and hold the Power button on the PlayStation console until you hear 2 beeps. [The second beep will sound after seven seconds]
• The console will boot in the Safe Mode > Connect the controller to the USB with the console and press the PS Button on the controller.
• Next, you’ll get an option called Rebuild Database.
• Select Rebuild Database and confirm the task.
• It may take some time depending on the hard drive data size. Have some patience.
• Once done, just reboot the system normally.

14. Hard Reset your Console

In most cases, performing the hard reset of your console can fix system glitches or cache data issues from the game itself. To do so:

• Switch off your PlayStation 5 console first.
• Once the console is turned off, press and hold the Power button on the console until you hear two beep sounds within a couple of seconds.
• Here you’ll see two reset options to choose from.
• Select the necessary option to reset your PlayStation console.
• Wait for the process to complete and then make sure to sign in to the PlayStation account.
• Finally, install the NFS Unbound game, and try running it.

15. Don’t Put in Rest Mode

As a bonus method make sure not to put your console in the rest mode because it may cause the system to have glitches or fully goes into the rest mode. So, during the gameplay sessions, don’t put in the rest mode. To do so:

• Go to the PS5 Settings menu > Open the Power Saving tab.
• Select Set Time Until PS5 Enter Rest Mode.
• Set to Don’t Put in Rest Mode > Restart the console to apply changes.

Fix: NFS Unbound Screen Tearing on Xbox Consoles

If you’re using the Xbox gaming console and facing the screen tearing issue with the NFS Unbound game then make sure to follow the methods below.

1. Check System Updates

We’ll highly recommend you check for system updates on the Xbox console before jumping into any other getting into any other workarounds because an outdated system version can trigger screen-related issues whatsoever. To do so:

• Press the Home button on the Xbox console to open the Dashboard menu.
• Now, select Settings from the bottom of the menu > Select All Settings.
• Choose to System > Select Updates.
• Select Update Console (if available) > Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the update process.
• Once done, make sure to restart the console to apply changes.

2. Update NFS Unbound

You should also update the game version on your console to ensure there is no issue with the game files. An outdated or corrupted game can easily trigger multiple issues whatsoever. To do so:

• Go to the My Games and Apps section of your Dashboard menu.
• Select Manage > Go to Updates.
• If your NFS Unbound game has any available updates, you can find them easily.
• Make sure to select the update process and press the A button on the controller to start it.

Note: It’s worth recommending to go to the Settings page > Choose to Systems > Select Updates to make your game update automatically whenever the console is connected to the internet.

3. Power Cycle your Xbox Console

It’s worth mentioning to perform a power cycle method on your Xbox console to ensure there is no issue with the device firmware or glitch. A normal reboot might not work in most cases and requires a power cycle process to clear out temporary glitches or cache data issues. To do this:

• Power Off the Xbox console > Unplug the power cable from the console and power source.
• Now, wait for around 30 seconds, and then plug back the power cable in.
• Make sure to turn on the Xbox console and check whether the screen flickering issue has been fixed or not.

4. Reinstall the Game

You should also try uninstalling and reinstalling the NFS Unbound game on your Xbox console. Once done, make sure to reinstall it on the Xbox console to avoid game-related issues. To do this:

• Press the Xbox button on the controller to open the Guide menu.
• Select My Games and Apps > Hit See all > Choose to Games.
• Then select the Ready to install tab > Select Queue.
• Select the NFS Unbound game that you’re trying to reinstall.
• Now, press the Menu button on your controller.
• Select Manage game & add-ons or Manage app.
• Choose NFS Unbound > Select Uninstall all.
• Make sure to select Uninstall all to confirm the task.
• Wait for the uninstallation process to complete.
• Reboot the system to apply changes.
• Then press the Xbox button on the controller to open the Guide menu again.
• Hit My Games and Apps > Select See all > Go to Games.
• Select the Ready to install tab > Hit Install for NFS Unbound.
• Wait for the installation process and then restart the console.

5. Reset the Console

If the above methods didn’t work for you then make sure to follow the steps below to simply reset the console manually. By doing so, you can easily clear out system glitches or cache data issues from your console whatsoever. To do so:

• Press the Xbox button on the controller to open the Guide menu.
• Select Profile & system > Go to Settings > Select System.
• Go to Console info > Select Reset console.
• You’ll get a prompt like Reset your console?
• Here you should select Reset and remove everything. [This will delete all user data including accounts, saved games, settings, all installed apps & games, etc]
  • Although you can choose to Reset and keep my games & apps, it may not gonna resolve the issue in most cases.
• After you select the option, your Xbox console starts deleting and resetting the system to the factory default settings.
• Wait for the process to get completed then reboot the console.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.