The electrosurgical systems and methods according to the present disclosure use a multistage power converter for generating electrosurgical energy. The electrosurgical systems include an electrosurgical generator having a power converter coupled to an electrical energy source and configured to generate electrosurgical energy. The power converter includes a boost converter configured to convert a first direct current from the electrical energy source to a second direct current, and a phase-shifted pulse width modulation (PS-PWM) resonant inverter configured to invert the second direct current to an alternating current. The electrosurgical generator also includes a plurality of sensors configured to sense a voltage and a current of the generated electrosurgical energy and a controller coupled to the power converter and the plurality of sensors. The controller includes a signal processor configured to determine tissue impedance based on the sensed voltage and current, and an output controller configured to select one of a plurality of output characteristics based on the determined tissue impedance, and to generate control signals to control the boost converter and the PS-PWM resonant inverter, according to the selected output characteristic.