Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) is a feature of displays that can continuously and seamlessly change their refresh rate without user input. A display supporting VRR usually supports a specific range of refresh rates, called the VRR range, which can vary seamlessly anywhere within this range. VRR is strongly associated with video games due to such content having unpredictable, discontinuous frame rates and thus most maximally benefit from the technology. However, VRR is also useful for media whose frame rate is fixed and known in advance, such as movies and video, by being able to automatically match the refresh rate to the various frame rates used as industry standard (24, 30, and 60 FPS), again eliminating screen tearing.

The main job of VRR is to eliminate screen tearing when playing games. Screen tearing happens when a displays refresh of its image is out-of-sync with the rate at which a console or PC graphics card delivers frames. VRR is designed to match a displays refresh rate with the gaming consoles frame rate, or the number of consecutive images being displayed per second, expressed in frames per second (fps). When VRR is enabled, a display automatically syncs with the source devices frame rate, and visual artifacts like screen tearing are resolved.

VRR is now part of the HDMI 2.1 standard and is a feature of the next-gen Xbox Series X, Series S, and PS5 consoles. It supports resolutions up to 4K and frame rates up to 120fps, which is the current ceiling of what these consoles and the most popular TVs can output. VRR can save power by not needlessly refreshing the display when no new frame is being pushed out; furthering this, VRR also has use in power management, by temporarily lowering the refresh rate of a display during instances when there is little movement on the screen to save power.