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Set your resolution and frame-rate cap first, change one related group of settings at a time, run Settings > Graphics > Run Benchmark Test, and then verify the result in a demanding gameplay area. The benchmark is a useful guide, not a guarantee of every scene’s frame time.
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A practical starting preset
There is no universal “best” RDR2 preset. The game’s settings have very different costs on different CPUs, GPUs, memory capacities and laptop power limits. A setting that is inexpensive on one PC can be the cause of stutter on another. Use the following order to reach a stable result without sacrificing image quality unnecessarily.
- Choose the output resolution and frame-rate target. Decide whether the priority is a locked 30, 60 or another cap before changing quality options. A sensible cap reduces wasted GPU work and makes frame-time problems easier to identify.
- Start with the Quality slider. Rockstar’s guidance says the slider evaluates the selected resolution and your preference for performance or quality. Apply it, run the benchmark, and record the result before making custom changes.
- Reduce Reflection Quality and Volumetrics Quality first. PC Gamer’s controlled testing identified these as the two largest frame-rate levers. Lower them before sacrificing texture detail.
- Turn MSAA off or keep it low. Multisample anti-aliasing can be disproportionately expensive. Check moving foliage, fences and wires after changing it because a still benchmark image can hide shimmer.
- Keep textures high or ultra if VRAM allows. With 4GB or more of VRAM, lower textures only after the expensive lighting and volumetric options have been addressed; texture reductions are visibly obvious.
- Use temporal upscaling when native resolution misses the target. Try DLSS 2.2 or FSR 2.2 in Quality mode first, then move to a lower mode only if necessary and only after checking image stability.
- Compare Vulkan and DirectX 12 if performance is erratic. Vulkan was the standardized API in PC Gamer’s testing, but DirectX 12 can perform better on some systems. Test both using the same scene and cap.
Resolution, frame-rate and the Quality slider
Set the target before quality options
Resolution changes the number of pixels every frame must render, so it should be fixed before comparing settings. Pick the resolution you will actually play at, set the desired cap, and avoid changing both while evaluating a graphics option. Otherwise, a frame-rate change cannot be attributed to a particular setting.
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Use Rockstar’s slider as the baseline
Open the graphics menu and apply the Quality slider for the chosen resolution and performance preference. Rockstar recommends this workflow because the impact of each option depends on the rest of the system. Treat the slider as a measured starting point, not as a final competitive preset. Unlock the advanced options only after you have a benchmark result you can compare against.
Benchmark after meaningful groups of changes
Run Settings > Graphics > Run Benchmark Test after each meaningful group rather than after every individual checkbox. Keep notes on average frame rate, obvious hitching and image defects. When a change helps in the benchmark, confirm it during a demanding ride through a town or other busy area; the built-in sequence cannot represent every CPU and streaming load.
Vulkan or DirectX 12?
Neither graphics API is a guaranteed winner. PC Gamer standardized its comparisons on Vulkan and found that DirectX 12 may be faster in some cases. Driver versions, CPU behavior, overlays, shader compilation and the rest of the hardware can reverse that result.
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| Comparison point | Vulkan | DirectX 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence in the cited testing | Used as the standardized test API | Reported as potentially faster on some systems |
| Expected frame rate | System-dependent; use as the baseline | System-dependent; may improve or reduce performance |
| Frame-time consistency | Must be checked in the benchmark and a real gameplay route | Must be checked in the benchmark and a real gameplay route |
| Best use | First comparison path for a clean baseline | Alternative when Vulkan stutters, crashes or performs poorly |
A fair API test
- Use the same resolution, frame-rate cap and graphics settings.
- Close overlays and background workloads that could change the result.
- Run the benchmark more than once after the API has loaded the scene.
- Compare average frame rate and frame-time consistency, not just the highest number.
- Play the same demanding route for several minutes and check for hitching, texture-pop, crashes and input feel.
Keep the API that delivers the better combination of smooth frame times, stability and image quality on your PC. A small average-FPS advantage is not worthwhile if it introduces regular stutter.
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Which settings cost the most performance?
Start with the settings below because they offer the clearest performance trade-offs in the available testing. The exact gain varies by hardware, resolution and whether the GPU or CPU is the current limit.
| Setting or group | Why it matters | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
| Reflection Quality | One of the two major frame-rate controls in PC Gamer’s benchmark | Reduce before lowering textures; inspect water, windows and wet surfaces afterward |
| Volumetrics Quality | One of the two major frame-rate controls; fog, clouds and light shafts are expensive | Lower in steps until the target is met, then check distant haze and interiors |
| MSAA | High-cost multisample anti-aliasing | Leave off or low unless the GPU has substantial headroom |
| Near Volumetric Resolution | Changes the detail of nearby volumetric effects | Reduce after the main volumetric quality option if fog or light shafts remain costly |
| Global Illumination | Can provide a more modest gain when reduced | Adjust after reflections and volumetrics |
| Shadows | Meaningful but generally smaller gains than the two primary levers | Reduce only as far as needed; watch contact shadows and interiors |
| SSAO | Moderate performance cost and affects contact depth | Lower if frame rate is close to target after larger changes |
| Texture Quality | Usually more visible than expensive lighting reductions | Keep high or ultra with at least 4GB VRAM unless memory pressure causes problems |
Textures and VRAM: what your card can realistically handle
Texture quality primarily consumes video memory and changes surface detail. PC Gamer’s guidance recommends high or ultra textures on cards with 4GB or more of VRAM because lower textures are visibly degraded and often provide less benefit than reducing reflections or volumetrics.
The same 2019 guidance provides a useful historical baseline: a GTX 1060 or RX 570-class card with 4GB of VRAM could run the game at 1080p at roughly 30–60 frames per second. That is not a 2026 guarantee. Current drivers, game patches, newer or slower GPU models, CPU limits, laptop power settings and the chosen mix of options can all change the result.
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|---|---|
| 2GB cards | PC Gamer reported that these were mostly limited to 1080p low settings in its 2019 guidance |
| 3GB cards | PC Gamer reported that they could not attempt all ultra settings |
| 4GB or more | High or ultra textures are generally the better visual choice; a GTX 1060/RX 570-class card was associated with about 30–60 FPS at 1080p in that historical test |
Watch for texture warnings, sudden hitching and delayed asset loading rather than assuming a nominal VRAM number guarantees smoothness. If memory is full, lowering textures can be justified even when the average frame rate barely changes.
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Anti-aliasing and image reconstruction
MSAA
MSAA is one of Rockstar’s first recommended tuning targets and is often a poor trade for a mid-range GPU. Start with it disabled. If you have substantial GPU headroom and dislike geometry aliasing, raise it one step and retest motion, not just the benchmark camera.
Temporal anti-aliasing, FXAA and sharpening
Rockstar lists temporal anti-aliasing and FXAA among the secondary controls to adjust. Temporal anti-aliasing can reduce shimmering but may soften fine detail; FXAA is inexpensive but can also look soft. Compare horse reins, tree branches, fences and distant rooflines while moving. Keep the option that produces stable detail at your chosen resolution, even if a static screenshot looks slightly less sharp.
DLSS 2.2 and FSR 2.2
PCGamingWiki lists DLSS 2.2 and FSR 2.2 as high-fidelity upscaling options. They render internally at a lower resolution and reconstruct the output, allowing a performance gain when the GPU is the bottleneck.
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| Upscaling path | How to begin | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| DLSS 2.2 | Use Quality mode at native output resolution | Fine foliage, hair, wires, distant detail and motion artifacts |
| FSR 2.2 | Use Quality mode at native output resolution | Edge stability, shimmering, ghosting and perceived sharpness |
| Lower quality mode | Use only when Quality mode cannot meet the cap | Whether the extra FPS is worth softer detail or more reconstruction artifacts |
Upscaling is most useful when reducing expensive settings is not enough and the GPU is saturated. It will not solve a CPU limit; monitor whether the GPU is actually fully occupied before expecting a large gain.
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Detailed tuning order for the remaining graphics options
After the major controls, work through the rest in groups. Change only one group at a time so you can identify the source of a gain or an artifact.
Lighting, shadows and ambient shading
- Global Illumination: Reduce it after reflections and volumetrics if you still need performance. Check interiors, dusk scenes and indirect light.
- Shadow Quality: Lower it when shadow rendering is a remaining bottleneck. Inspect contact shadows under characters, trees and wagons.
- SSAO: A lower setting can recover some performance, but corners and object contact may look flatter.
- Lighting Quality: Rockstar includes lighting among its secondary tuning controls. Change it with shadows rather than at the same time as textures so the visual trade-off is clear.
Water and volumetric detail
- Water Quality: Adjust after the main volumetric controls if rivers, rain or reflections remain expensive.
- Near Volumetric Resolution: Lower it when nearby fog and light shafts are the specific problem.
- Volumetric Lighting: Reduce it if shafts and atmospheric lighting consume the remaining GPU budget.
- Far Volumetric Resolution: Tune it after near effects; distant haze is less noticeable during normal movement than nearby artifacts.
Geometry, filtering and distance
- Anisotropic Filtering: Rockstar lists it among the secondary options. It affects the clarity of surfaces viewed at an angle and is usually a later adjustment than reflections or volumetrics.
- Far Shadow Quality: Reduce it if distant shadow rendering is costly, then inspect horizons and long roads.
- Tessellation: Lower it only after the larger GPU costs have been addressed; check terrain and curved surfaces for visible simplification.
Particles, mirrors and buffering
- Particle Quality: Adjust for smoke, dust, explosions and weather effects. Test a busy scene rather than an empty field.
- Mirror Quality: Lower it if reflections in interiors or mirrors are a recurring cost.
- Triple-Buffering: Treat it as a frame-pacing option, not a guaranteed FPS booster. Compare input feel and consistency with it enabled and disabled.
Preset logic for common hardware situations
4GB-or-more GPU targeting 1080p
Use the Quality slider first, keep textures high or ultra, disable or minimize MSAA, and lower Reflection Quality and Volumetrics Quality before touching texture detail. If native 1080p still misses the cap, try DLSS 2.2 or FSR 2.2 Quality. The historical 30–60 FPS estimate for GTX 1060/RX 570-class 4GB cards is a reference point from 2019, not a promise for a current system.
Lower-memory 2GB to 3GB GPU
Start with low or moderate texture expectations and avoid ultra combinations. The cited 2019 guidance described 2GB cards as mostly limited to 1080p low and 3GB cards as unable to attempt all ultra settings. Prioritize a stable cap over distant texture detail, and watch for streaming hitching that indicates memory pressure.
High-end GPU seeking image quality
Begin with the Quality slider’s quality preference, then raise reflections, volumetrics and MSAA one at a time while benchmarking. Keep the frame-rate cap realistic. If the image looks excellent but frame times spike in towns or storms, reverse the last expensive change instead of lowering every option evenly.
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CPU-limited systems
If GPU usage is low while the frame rate remains below the cap, reducing resolution or enabling an upscaler may do little. Keep the API and visual settings that deliver the smoothest frame times, then test shadows, population-heavy scenes and other options that affect scene complexity. The benchmark and a representative gameplay area are essential because a GPU-only test can hide a CPU limit.
How to diagnose stutter, blur and crashes
Low average FPS
- Lower Reflection Quality and Volumetrics Quality first.
- Disable or reduce MSAA.
- Check Global Illumination, Shadows and SSAO next.
- Use DLSS 2.2 or FSR 2.2 Quality if the GPU is saturated.
Uneven frame times or hitching
- Run the benchmark again after the first API load and compare repeated runs.
- Test Vulkan and DirectX 12 with identical settings.
- Check a demanding gameplay route for streaming and shader-related hitching.
- Lower textures only when VRAM pressure is evident; otherwise, retain their visual quality and target the expensive lighting groups.
Soft or unstable image
- Move DLSS or FSR back to Quality mode if you selected a lower mode.
- Compare temporal anti-aliasing and FXAA while moving through foliage and past fences.
- Reduce MSAA only if the resulting shimmer is acceptable, or restore it when GPU headroom allows.
Crashes or an API-specific problem
Switch between Vulkan and DirectX 12 and retest the same scene. Because the API result is system-dependent, a crash or severe hitch on one path is a valid reason to use the other even if its benchmark average is slightly lower.
A repeatable optimization checklist
- Set resolution and frame-rate cap.
- Apply Rockstar’s Quality slider.
- Run Settings > Graphics > Run Benchmark Test and note average performance and frame pacing.
- Lower Reflection Quality and Volumetrics Quality.
- Set MSAA to off or low and inspect motion.
- Keep textures high or ultra when 4GB or more of VRAM is available, unless memory pressure appears.
- Adjust Near Volumetric Resolution, Global Illumination, Shadows and SSAO as needed.
- Test DLSS 2.2 or FSR 2.2 Quality when native resolution misses the target.
- Compare Vulkan and DirectX 12 using the same settings if stutter or crashes persist.
- Re-run the benchmark, then validate the final choice in a demanding in-game area.
This process produces a smoother result than copying a single “ultra” or “low” preset because it preserves the settings your hardware can afford and removes the options that are actually limiting your frame time.
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