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For a balanced starting point, turn ray tracing off, use DLSS Quality on a supported RTX card or FSR Quality on supported non-RTX hardware, set reflections to High and fog to Medium, and cap the game at a frame rate your PC can sustain. Lower the upscaler to Balanced only if needed. Keep textures High unless VRAM pressure causes hitching. These settings aim to improve performance without needlessly degrading image quality; the right choices still depend on resolution, hardware and whether the problem is low FPS, uneven frame pacing or network delay.
This guide reflects the PC version’s status as of August 18, 2026. Techland lists Update 1.28, dated June 10, 2026, and Hotfix 1.28.1, dated June 25, 2026, on its official patch-notes page. Update the game before applying older troubleshooting advice.
Best Dying Light 2 settings for most PCs
Start with this balanced profile, then change one group at a time. Menu labels and available options can vary by build and graphics API. The presets below are starting points, not guaranteed FPS targets.
| Setting | Starting point | Change it when |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | Your monitor’s native resolution | Use an upscaler or reduce render resolution if GPU load is consistently near its limit and FPS is too low. |
| Display mode | Fullscreen, or whichever available mode gives your system steadier frame times | Compare modes if you see uneven pacing or display problems. |
| Ray tracing | Off | Enable only if your GPU has substantial headroom and you accept the performance cost. |
| Upscaling | DLSS Quality on supported RTX hardware; FSR Quality where appropriate on other supported hardware | Try Balanced if you need more performance; use Performance only if necessary and acceptable image quality remains. |
| Textures | High if VRAM allows | Lower to Medium if VRAM pressure, texture hitching or delayed texture loading occurs. |
| Reflections | High | Lower if GPU-bound, especially if ray tracing is enabled. |
| Fog and volumetric effects | Medium | Reduce further when GPU load is high and you need more FPS. |
| Shadows, ambient occlusion, contact shadows, particles and foliage | High or Medium, depending on GPU and CPU headroom | Reduce demanding effects before lowering textures when the GPU is the limit. |
| Ray-Traced Flashlight | Off | Enable only as part of an intentional ray-tracing image-quality setup. |
| VSync | Off initially | Revisit if tearing is distracting; test it with your monitor’s variable refresh rate (VRR), if available. |
| FPS cap | A sustainable rate below your system’s unstable peaks | Adjust after testing a demanding area; a stable cap can feel smoother than a higher but erratic average. |
| Motion blur, film grain, chromatic aberration and depth of field | Personal preference; disable for a clearer image if desired | These are primarily clarity choices, not the first settings to change for a substantial FPS gain. |
If you want to adjust the ray-tracing preset rather than simply turn it off, Techland documents the PC keyboard path as Options → Video → F6/F7 to switch between low and high ray-tracing presets. Remapped keys may differ. See Techland’s ray-tracing preset instructions.
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Profiles for different performance goals
Balanced 60-FPS target
Use the starting-point table above, with ray tracing off and a Quality upscaler mode where available. If the game cannot hold your target, move to Balanced upscaling and reduce reflections, fog, shadows and volumetric effects as needed. A 60-FPS target is a goal, not a promise: resolution, CPU, GPU, VRAM, game build and laptop power limits all affect the result.
High-refresh or competitive play
Keep ray tracing off. Use Balanced or Performance upscaling only if required, and reduce reflections, fog, shadows and volumetric effects before textures. Choose a stable FPS cap below the highest rate the system can only reach intermittently. Prioritize consistent frame times and clear motion over a peak average FPS; turn off visual effects that obscure detail if you prefer.
Image quality with ray tracing
Enable ray tracing only when the GPU has room to spare. Start with the low RT preset and the best upscaler quality mode that maintains acceptable performance. If FPS is poor, reduce ray-traced reflections first; several RT effects can compound their cost. Leave textures high if VRAM is sufficient.
Lower-end PC
Turn ray tracing off. Try Quality or Balanced upscaling first; use Performance or reduced render resolution only when needed. Reduce fog, shadows, reflections, ambient occlusion and volumetric effects before textures. Close unnecessary overlays and background programs, and set a realistic stable target such as 30 or 45 FPS rather than chasing an unstable 60.
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Which settings affect FPS most?
Exact impact varies with hardware and scene, but these are sensible levers to test first when GPU usage is high:
- Ray tracing, especially reflections: often among the most expensive effects.
- Render resolution and upscaler mode: reducing the number of pixels rendered internally can improve GPU-bound performance, at the cost of image detail.
- Volumetric fog and lighting, shadows, reflections and ambient occlusion: reduce these in stages and compare the same scene.
PC Gamer’s test result: In its RTX 3080 test at 1080p, lowering ray-traced reflections from Ultra Quality to High increased frame rate by about 14%; Low produced about a 20% increase compared with the tested top setting. Those are results from that hardware and test, not predictions for another PC. See PC Gamer’s settings test.
Texture quality usually affects VRAM use and image detail more than raw rendering speed. Lower it when memory pressure causes hitching or delayed texture loading, not automatically as an FPS fix. Anisotropic filtering, small particle-quality changes and post-processing such as film grain generally deserve less attention than RT, resolution, fog and shadows. Busy city scenes, crowds, traversal, co-op activity and shader compilation can also change which component is limiting performance.
DLSS, FSR or native rendering?
Use the best option your hardware supports and judge it at your actual resolution and in motion. NVIDIA’s PC-version announcement lists DLSS support for Dying Light 2. DLSS is the first option to try on a compatible RTX GPU; FSR is a broadly supported alternative where available, including on AMD and other hardware. Neither is universally superior in every mode, resolution or scene.
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- Quality: renders more internal detail than lower modes and is usually the first choice when you want a modest performance boost.
- Balanced: trades some image detail for more performance.
- Performance: renders fewer internal pixels; it can look softer and may show shimmering, ghosting or foliage artifacts.
- Native rendering: choose it if your PC already meets its target and you prefer its image to reconstruction.
Set the upscaler mode before adjusting sharpening. Too much sharpening can exaggerate noise and shimmering; it cannot restore detail lost to an overly aggressive mode. If the game or hardware exposes frame generation, treat it separately from upscaling: generated frames can raise displayed FPS, but they do not replace a strong base frame rate and may add latency or worsen frame pacing. A displayed 100 FPS generated from a 50-FPS base does not respond like native 100 FPS.
Diagnose low FPS, stutter and lag separately
“Lag” can mean different problems. Low FPS means the PC is rendering too slowly. Stutter means uneven frame times, even if the average FPS looks acceptable. Network lag means delayed or inconsistent online responses; graphics settings will not fix it.
| What you notice | Likely area to investigate |
|---|---|
| Low FPS and GPU usage near 95–100% | GPU load, ray tracing, render resolution, upscaler mode and demanding effects. |
| Low FPS with low GPU usage | CPU limitation, wrong GPU, power mode, thermal throttling, background work, driver issues, VSync or an FPS cap. |
| High average FPS but uneven movement | Frame-time consistency, overlays, recording tools, storage activity, VRAM pressure, synchronization and frame caps. |
| Brief freezes entering new areas or delayed textures | Asset streaming, shader compilation, storage load or VRAM pressure. |
| Delayed enemies, rubber-banding or co-op response | Network connection or session host, rather than graphics quality. |
| Input delay after enabling VSync or frame generation | Rendering pipeline and synchronization settings. |
For a useful comparison, note the game build, resolution, API, RT state, upscaler mode, average FPS and frame-time behavior in one demanding area. Change one setting group, restart if needed, then test the same area again. This makes it easier to identify a cause than changing many options at once.
Fix stuttering and inconsistent frame times
- Update the game. Check Techland’s patch notes for the latest build. Techland’s Hotfix 1.27.1, dated February 17, 2026, says it corrected DX11 stuttering issues; older guides that prescribe DX11 as a universal stutter fix may be out of date.
- Restart after major graphics changes. Retest before changing more options.
- Install current official GPU drivers. Get them from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel.
- Update Windows and relevant motherboard or chipset drivers. Use the system or component manufacturer’s official channels.
- Verify game files in your launcher. This can repair missing or damaged files after an update.
- Close unnecessary background programs. As a test, exit overlays, recording or streaming tools, VPNs and driver-management utilities that could conflict with the game.
- Check resource use while playing. Watch CPU and GPU usage, clocks and temperatures, plus RAM and VRAM consumption. Low GPU usage paired with poor FPS points away from a simple GPU-settings problem.
- Set a sustainable cap. Test a rate your PC can maintain in demanding scenes rather than letting FPS swing between peaks and dips.
- Compare DX11 and DX12 only as a diagnostic. Restart between tests and keep the better result for your system; neither API is a universal prescription.
Techland’s performance and stuttering guidance also recommends driver and Windows updates, closing potentially conflicting software, verifying files, and checking that laptops use their dedicated GPU. It is an official baseline guide; compare older advice with current patch notes.
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Fixes for gaming laptops
- Connect the charger; many laptops reduce GPU and CPU power on battery.
- Select the manufacturer’s performance mode and a performance-oriented Windows power mode.
- Confirm the game is assigned to the dedicated NVIDIA or AMD GPU rather than integrated graphics. For NVIDIA systems, Techland describes selecting the high-performance NVIDIA processor.
- Check temperatures and clocks for thermal throttling. Keep vents clear, use a hard surface and avoid soft bedding that blocks airflow.
- Compare performance on AC power with battery performance only to identify power limits—not as a fair desktop-performance comparison.
Techland’s support guidance recommends maximum-power modes when connected to AC and choosing the high-performance NVIDIA processor where applicable. Avoid aggressive BIOS changes or third-party “optimizer” utilities as first-line fixes.
DX11 or DX12?
Do not switch APIs on the assumption that DX11 always fixes stutter. Techland’s patch listing says Hotfix 1.27.1 on February 17, 2026 corrected DX11 stuttering issues. If you still have trouble, update the game, then compare DX11 and DX12 as troubleshooting tests; judge by frame pacing and stability in the same area, not by old blanket advice. The official patch notes provide the relevant version history.
System requirements and realistic expectations
Steam lists these PC requirements. They establish a supported hardware floor, not a guaranteed frame rate: performance depends on resolution, RT, upscaler and mode, game build, CPU, VRAM, and—on laptops—power and thermal limits. Average FPS and 1% lows are also different measures.
| Steam listing | Processor | Memory | Graphics | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Intel Core i3-9100 or AMD Ryzen 3 2300X | 8 GB RAM | GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or Radeon RX 560, 4 GB VRAM | 60 GB |
| Recommended | Intel Core i5-8600K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X or newer | 16 GB RAM | GeForce RTX 2060, 6 GB VRAM, or AMD RX Vega 56, 8 GB VRAM, or newer | 60 GB |
The listing specifies Windows 10, 64-bit. Consult Steam’s technical-support page and Techland’s Windows PC requirements for the official details, including configurations associated with DLSS. Installing the game on an SSD rather than a slow or overloaded hard drive may help load times and asset streaming; it is not a guaranteed increase in GPU-rendered FPS.
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Optional Windows power-plan change
Techland’s troubleshooting article gives this command to add an Ultimate Performance plan on supported Windows installations. It is an optional diagnostic, not a guaranteed FPS boost, and may do little on a desktop already using a high-performance plan.
powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61- Open Command Prompt as administrator and run the command.
- In Windows power settings, select the new plan if it appears, then test the game while monitoring temperature and stability.
- To undo the change in use, switch back to your previous power plan in Windows power settings. You can also remove an added plan through Windows power-plan management if desired.
A more aggressive plan can increase power use, heat and fan noise. It is more relevant when diagnosing a power-limited system than as routine advice for every player.
Mods and unofficial fixes: use caution
Mods and graphics DLL replacements are not part of a safe baseline. If you still choose to experiment, back up saves and configuration files, use reputable mod-hosting pages, and check compatibility with the current build. Mods can break after patches. Do not use graphics DLL replacements in co-op or online play without checking the game’s rules.
If a modded game crashes, fails to launch or shows glitched or invisible graphics, remove the mod and verify files through the launcher. Community guides may recommend unofficial upscaler unlockers or post-processing removers, but that does not establish Techland support or reliable compatibility; an unlocker does not make unsupported hardware equivalent to native DLSS support.
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Before replacing hardware, rule out settings, power, heat and software causes. Record your GPU, CPU, RAM and VRAM use; temperatures and clocks; game build; resolution; graphics API; RT state; upscaler mode; and the scene where the issue occurs. Remove mods, verify files and retest with overlays closed. A GPU upgrade is only a sensible next step if measurements show the GPU is the limiting component; it will not fix CPU limits, thermal throttling, a laptop using the wrong GPU or network latency.
If the fault persists, use Techland Support and provide the details it requests, such as DxDiag or crash information where relevant.
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