What are variable frame rates?

A variable frame rate is when a video or game changes how many pictures it shows each second, like a flickering toy that sometimes moves fast and sometimes slow.

Imagine you're on a slide at the playground. When you go down quickly, you see everything passing by in a blur, that’s like a high frame rate, where lots of pictures are shown every second. But if the slide is bumpy or you stop halfway, it feels slower, that's like a low frame rate, with fewer pictures each second.

Now imagine the slide sometimes goes fast and sometimes slows down, that’s what variable frame rates feel like. A video game might show more pictures when you're running, but fewer when you're just standing still.

When the number of pictures changes smoothly, it feels natural, like riding a smooth swing. But if the change is sudden, it can be jumpy, kind of like when your friend pulls the slide from under you!

So, variable frame rates help make videos and games feel more realistic by changing how many pictures are shown each second, just like the slide at the playground.