For most PCs, start at 1080p on the High preset with ray tracing off. At 1440p, keep High and use an upscaler if frame times are uneven. At 4K, plan on 1440p output with an upscaler rather than forcing native 2160p. RTX owners should try DLSS Quality first; Radeon, Intel and older GeForce cards should test TSR before FSR. Ray tracing is a separate, much more demanding tier, not a small toggle on the normal High setup.
Recommended starting settings
Ghostwire: Tokyo has no built-in benchmark, so there is no single setting combination that is optimal for every processor, graphics card and driver. The reliable approach is to choose a resolution and frame-rate target, apply the closest preset, then tune the controls that affect GPU load, VRAM pressure and traversal stutter. The table below gives practical starting points rather than promises of a particular frame rate.
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| Target | Resolution and preset | Ray tracing | Upscaling | First adjustments if performance is unstable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p, dependable 60 FPS | 1920×1080, High | Off | Native to begin; DLSS Quality or TSR can add headroom | Shadow Maps, then Global Illumination |
| 1440p, dependable 60 FPS | 2560×1440, High | Off | DLSS Quality on RTX; TSR first on Radeon, Intel and older GeForce | Shadow Maps, Global Illumination, then Level Streaming Distance |
| 4K, smooth frame times | Use a 1440p internal target or 2160p with an aggressive upscaler | Off unless your GPU is in the highest RT tier | DLSS Balanced or Performance only when the target requires it; TSR is the non-RTX starting point | Reduce output resolution before cutting every quality option |
| 1080p with RT | Low RT tier | On | DLSS or the documented FSR 1.0 option | Keep RT only if reflections and shadows justify the frame-time cost |
| 1440p with RT | High RT tier | On | DLSS Quality is the sensible first test; use the documented FSR mode on AMD | Lower RT-related load through resolution or upscaling before ordinary textures |
Those recommendations separate the variables that matter most. Resolution and upscaler determine how many pixels the GPU shades; ray tracing adds a distinct workload; Shadow Maps and Global Illumination are usually better first cuts than reflections or subsurface detail; and streaming controls can affect hitching even when the average frame rate looks acceptable.
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What Bethesda’s official tiers actually require
Bethesda’s 15 March 2023 PC specifications describe three conventional targets: up to 720p on Low, up to 1080p on High, and up to 2160p on the Highest preset. The commonly used 1080p High recommendation calls for a Core i7-6700 or Ryzen 5 2600, 16 GB of memory, and a GeForce GTX 1080, Radeon RX 5600 XT or Intel Arc A750-class GPU. The published summary does not attach a complete CPU and GPU pair to every conventional tier, so do not treat the 2160p Highest label as a guarantee of native 4K performance on a card that merely meets the 1080p row.
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| Bethesda tier | Advertised target | Graphics hardware stated in the tier | Processor and memory stated in the tier | How to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | Up to 1280×720 | Not stated in the cited tier summary | Not stated in the cited tier summary | Use as a starting point for entry-level hardware, then raise resolution only after checking frame-time consistency. |
| High | Up to 1920×1080 | GeForce GTX 1080, Radeon RX 5600 XT or Arc A750 class | Core i7-6700 or Ryzen 5 2600, 16 GB RAM | The safest general-purpose baseline; disable RT and tune individual controls rather than forcing a higher preset. |
| Highest | Up to 3840×2160 | Not stated in the cited tier summary | Not stated in the cited tier summary | Treat “up to 2160p” as a target category, not evidence that native 4K will have even frame times. |
“Up to” is important. The specification describes an intended resolution and quality level, not a measured 60-FPS guarantee in every scene. Ghostwire’s dense outdoor areas can produce worse frame times than a quiet interior, and a card can meet the listed class while still benefiting from an upscaler.
Ray-tracing hardware tiers
Ray tracing should be evaluated independently from the ordinary High and Highest presets. Bethesda’s RT table assigns materially faster hardware to each target and documents an upscaling requirement in its highest row.
| RT tier | Advertised target | GPU examples in Bethesda’s table | Upscaling noted by Bethesda |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low RT | Up to 1080p | GeForce RTX 2060, Radeon RX 6700 XT or Arc A770 | Use an upscaler as needed; the table’s highest-row requirement does not apply to this row. |
| High RT | Up to 1440p | GeForce RTX 3070, Radeon RX 6800 or Arc A770 | Choose the mode that keeps frame times stable; start with quality-oriented scaling. |
| Highest RT | Target defined in Bethesda’s highest RT row | GeForce RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 6900 XT | Bethesda specifies DLSS Quality or FSR 1.0 Balanced. |
The Arc A770 appears in both the Low RT and High RT rows in Bethesda’s published table. That is a reminder that “can run RT” is not the same as “can run every RT preset at the same resolution.” Your target, upscaler mode and frame-time tolerance still decide whether the setting is worthwhile.
Choose the right upscaler
DLSS for RTX graphics cards
NVIDIA says RTX owners can combine ray-traced reflections and shadows with DLSS and advertises up to a 2× performance boost. That figure is a vendor claim and is not a guaranteed result for every GPU, resolution or scene. For a practical starting point, select DLSS Quality at 1440p. It preserves more detail than the more aggressive modes while reducing the internal rendering load. At 4K, move to DLSS Balanced, then Performance only if Quality cannot meet your frame-rate target. Check thin geometry, distant signs and hair after each change; a higher nominal frame rate is not useful if reconstruction artifacts distract you.
TSR for Radeon, Intel and older GeForce cards
Test TSR first when you do not have an RTX card. DSOGaming’s testing specifically favored TSR over FSR for non-RTX users. TSR is therefore the sensible first comparison for Radeon, Intel Arc and older GeForce hardware, even though the best mode can vary by resolution and driver. Compare it at the same internal scale and in the same route through the city so that you are judging image stability rather than a different scene.
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FSR when you need another option
Bethesda’s RT table documents FSR 1.0 as the AMD option, with Balanced specified for the highest RT row. FSR can be useful when TSR does not deliver the frame-time headroom you need, but FSR 1.0 is an older reconstruction method and may show more shimmer or softness than a quality-oriented TSR or DLSS setting. Use it as a measured alternative, not as an automatic choice for every Radeon card.
Native resolution versus scaling
Begin at native resolution only when the GPU has clear headroom. If the average frame rate is close to the target but 1% lows dip during traversal, an upscaler usually improves consistency more efficiently than lowering several unrelated quality settings. At 4K, DSOGaming observed poor frame times even on an RTX 3080; moving to 1440p reduced the problem, although it did not eliminate every hitch. That makes 1440p output with a quality upscaler a defensible 4K fallback rather than a failure of the preset.
What each important graphics control does
DSOGaming identified the following adjustable controls as the ones most useful for tuning performance. Change one at a time, and return to the same test route after every change.
Motion Blur
Disable Motion Blur if you prefer a clearer image while turning the camera or moving through the city. It is primarily a presentation choice; turning it off is a low-risk first change because it does not remove geometry or lighting detail.
Shadow Maps
Lower Shadow Maps when GPU utilization is high and the frame rate falls in outdoor scenes. Shadows become less detailed or update at a lower quality, but the change generally preserves the scene’s overall materials and geometry better than cutting several settings at once.
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Global Illumination
Global Illumination affects indirect light and the way surfaces respond to the environment. Reduce it after Shadow Maps when the GPU remains saturated. Watch interiors, alleys and areas with strong colored lighting, where the visual difference is easier to notice.
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Level Streaming Distance
Lower Level Streaming Distance when traversal causes spikes or when the game is trying to keep too much distant content resident. The trade-off is that objects and detail can appear closer to the player. If average FPS is fine but moving quickly through the city produces hitches, this control is a more relevant test than reducing reflections.
Texture Streaming
Texture Streaming is a useful lever when VRAM pressure is suspected. Lower it if monitoring shows the graphics card running out of practical memory headroom or if streaming coincides with hitching. The cost is softer or slower-arriving textures, not a direct reduction in geometric complexity.
Screen-space reflections (SSR)
SSR changes reflections visible in screen space. Keep it for the final tuning pass because lowering it changes the look of wet streets, glass and other reflective surfaces. It is rarely the first setting to cut when the immediate problem is a low 1% low.
Subsurface scattering (SSS)
SSS influences the way light passes through materials such as skin. Reduce it only after the larger performance controls have been tested, since the visual impact is concentrated on characters and selected materials rather than the whole scene.
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A repeatable tuning procedure
- Set the target. Decide whether you are optimizing for 1080p, 1440p or a 4K display, and choose a frame-rate target you can sustain. A stable 60 FPS is preferable to an unlocked average that repeatedly collapses during traversal.
- Apply the closest baseline. Use High at 1080p, High at 1440p, or a 1440p internal target for a 4K display. Leave ray tracing off for the first pass.
- Select an upscaler. Use DLSS Quality on RTX hardware. Test TSR first on Radeon, Intel and older GeForce cards. At 4K, try DLSS Balanced or Performance only when Quality cannot meet the target. Use FSR 1.0 when it is the better-performing alternative for your system.
- Disable Motion Blur if desired. This improves clarity for many players without sacrificing scene detail.
- Check a busy outdoor route. Walk and sprint through the same dense area, turn the camera repeatedly, enter and leave an interior, and repeat the route after every change. Quiet rooms are not a sufficient test for traversal consistency.
- Record average and 1% low FPS. Because the game has no built-in benchmark, use an external performance overlay or monitoring tool. Record the same route, resolution, upscaler mode and settings each time.
- Lower Shadow Maps. If the GPU is loaded and the target is missed, reduce this setting one step and repeat the route.
- Lower Global Illumination. If frame times are still high, reduce GI and check a brightly lit interior as well as the outdoor route.
- Address streaming symptoms. If the average is acceptable but traversal hitches persist, test a lower Level Streaming Distance. If VRAM usage is close to the card’s practical limit, test lower Texture Streaming.
- Make visual-quality cuts last. Only after the above steps should you reduce SSR or SSS. Compare the same reflective surfaces and character close-ups so you understand the cost of the change.
- Validate the result. Play for at least one full route loop after the final change. If the result is stable, save the settings profile; if it degrades later, use the troubleshooting steps below before making further quality cuts.
Preset recipes by display and GPU class
1080p High without ray tracing
This is the broadest recommendation. Start with High, ray tracing disabled and native 1080p. RTX users can still select DLSS Quality if they want more headroom for busy scenes; non-RTX users should compare TSR with native output. If the 1% low misses your target, lower Shadow Maps and then Global Illumination before touching SSR or SSS.
1440p High without ray tracing
Keep the High preset and use DLSS Quality on an RTX card. On Radeon, Intel Arc and older GeForce cards, test TSR first. If frame times remain uneven, lower Shadow Maps and Global Illumination. A lower Level Streaming Distance is appropriate when the symptom occurs during movement rather than in a stationary view.
4K display
Do not assume that the Highest label means native 4K will be smooth. DSOGaming found poor 4K frame times even with an RTX 3080 and saw improvement after reducing output to 1440p. Start with a 1440p internal target and a quality upscaler, then increase the internal resolution only if the route remains stable. DLSS Balanced or Performance is a last step for RTX users who need more throughput; the equivalent choice for other hardware should be judged against TSR and FSR image quality.
Low RT at 1080p
Use this only when your GPU is close to Bethesda’s RTX 2060, RX 6700 XT or Arc A770 Low RT class. Keep the conventional preset conservative, select an upscaler and watch 1% lows rather than the menu’s average. If reflections and shadows are not important to you, ordinary High without RT will usually provide a steadier baseline on the same hardware.
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Bethesda places RTX 3070, RX 6800 and Arc A770-class hardware in the up-to-1440p High RT row. Treat that as a starting tier, not a universal 60-FPS promise. Use quality-oriented upscaling first, then lower the output or RT tier if outdoor frame times remain inconsistent.
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Highest RT
The highest RT row lists RTX 3080 or RX 6900 XT-class hardware and specifies DLSS Quality or FSR 1.0 Balanced. Those requirements make this a specialist visual mode. If your system is below that class, reducing resolution and using an upscaler may help, but ordinary High without RT is the more predictable choice for a fixed frame-rate target.
How to diagnose stutter and hitching
Shader-cache and traversal stutter
DSOGaming reported shader-cache and traversal stutters in its 2022 testing. A short hitch when a new effect or area appears is different from a sustained GPU bottleneck: monitor whether the average FPS is healthy while frame-time spikes occur only on the route between areas. Repeat the route after a few passes so that you can distinguish one-time shader compilation from a setting that is permanently too demanding.
Memory-leak symptoms
The same testing reported major memory leaks. If performance degrades substantially during a long session rather than immediately after loading a demanding scene, save your game, quit to the desktop, relaunch and test the same route again. This is an observed troubleshooting measure, not a guarantee that every current GOG build leaks memory; a relaunch can nevertheless separate a growing-session problem from a fixed graphics setting.
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Watch dedicated graphics-memory use while moving through the city. When usage approaches the card’s practical limit and hitching coincides with texture or area transitions, lower Texture Streaming and, if necessary, Level Streaming Distance. Do not diagnose VRAM pressure solely from an average FPS number: the defining symptom is often a burst of frame-time spikes during traversal.
CPU or GPU limitation
If GPU utilization is near its ceiling and lowering resolution or enabling an upscaler raises FPS, the GPU is the limiting component; prioritize resolution, Shadow Maps and Global Illumination. If utilization is low while frame times spike during movement, streaming, shader compilation or CPU-side work is more likely; changing SSR or SSS will not address that symptom. Use the same route and overlay readings before and after each change.
What the GOG edition changes
PC Gamer reported on 17 October 2026 that the GOG edition joined GOG’s Preservation Program. The release removes Bethesda.NET integration and carries a promise that stability issues caused by future operating-system changes will be addressed in patches. Those distribution and support changes matter if you are choosing the GOG build, but they do not alter Ghostwire: Tokyo’s graphics controls, official hardware tiers or upscaling choices. Use the same settings workflow on GOG as on other PC releases, while keeping the edition’s different online-integration behavior in mind.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Forcing Ultra or Highest everywhere: Bethesda’s tiers are resolution targets, not a reason to ignore frame-time behavior. High at the right resolution is often a better experience than Highest with inconsistent traversal.
- Turning on RT before establishing a baseline: RT has separate hardware tiers and can overwhelm a card that handles ordinary High comfortably.
- Choosing an upscaler by brand loyalty: Start with DLSS on RTX and TSR on non-RTX hardware, then compare the actual route, image stability and 1% lows on your system.
- Changing seven settings at once: You lose the ability to identify which control solved the problem. Change one control, repeat the route and record the result.
- Using only an average FPS counter: Traversal hitching can hide behind a good average. Record 1% lows and observe frame-time spikes.
- Blaming every hitch on the preset: Shader compilation, streaming and possible long-session memory growth require different remedies from a GPU that is simply overloaded.
A concise decision framework
Use this order when you want a quick answer without guessing:
- If you have an RTX GPU, choose 1080p or 1440p High with DLSS Quality and RT off. Add RT only if your card fits Bethesda’s RT row for the resolution you want.
- If you have Radeon, Intel Arc or an older GeForce GPU, choose High with TSR first. Compare FSR 1.0 only when TSR cannot meet the target or produces a less stable image.
- If you play on a 4K monitor and frame times are uneven, lower the internal target to 1440p before dismantling the quality preset.
- If the GPU is saturated, lower Shadow Maps and Global Illumination. If traversal is the problem, test Level Streaming Distance and Texture Streaming instead.
- If performance worsens over a long session, save, quit and relaunch before assuming that every setting is too high.
This method preserves the settings that define Ghostwire’s look while addressing the controls most likely to affect throughput and consistency. It also gives you a reproducible way to revisit the configuration after a driver, operating-system or game update.
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