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Best Settings to Improve Performance in an Early-Access PC Game

There is no universal performance preset for early-access PC games. Make small, reversible changes, test resolution and sync options, and check system-level causes.
Length5 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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There is no universal best preset for an early-access PC game: the right settings depend on the game, your hardware and the performance you want. Start by measuring how the game runs, lower a few demanding options, and test again. Change settings gradually so you can tell what helped without sacrificing more image quality or responsiveness than necessary.

How to find the settings that help your PC

Early-access builds can change, and a setting that works well in one game—or on one PC—may not work the same way on another. Use the current options in the game and check its latest support notes. Riot Games Support likewise cautions that there is no single ideal setup for every PC, and recommends lowering demanding settings and testing again. Riot Games Support’s graphics guidance is general advice, not a tested preset for your game.

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  1. Establish a baseline. Play the same area or repeat the same activity and note the frame rate and whether motion feels smooth. Avoid changing settings while comparing.
  2. Lower a few demanding options. Start with shadows, effects or particles, post-processing, environment or material detail, and anti-aliasing. These can increase the work the PC must do; texture quality is another option to test if needed.
  3. Test the same scene again. Note any change in frame rate, stutter, image detail, or input feel. If the game improves, restore settings one at a time until you find a balance you prefer.
  4. Keep a record of changes. If the result gets worse, revert the last change rather than rebuilding a preset from memory.

There is no quantified FPS gain established for these adjustments across early-access games. The useful result is the change you can reproduce in your own game and system.

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What should you lower first?

Prioritize options that are visibly expensive in your game, and adjust them individually or in small groups. Shadows, visual effects, reflections, foliage, view distance, global illumination, and crowd density are examples of options that some games expose. Their names and impact vary by title, so use the actual in-game descriptions where available.

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Obsidian’s recommendations for The Outer Worlds 2 include shadows, reflections, global illumination, foliage, view distance, visual effects, textures, and crowd density. That is a game-specific example, not a settings list proven to improve performance in every early-access game. Obsidian’s support guide also recommends checking that game’s system requirements and updating graphics drivers.

Should you lower resolution or use upscaling?

Lowering the game’s rendering resolution means the graphics card draws fewer pixels, which can improve performance; the trade-off is a softer or less detailed image. If performance is still below your goal after testing graphics options, try a modest resolution reduction and compare the result.

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If the game offers upscaling, you can test a supported option: the game renders at a lower internal resolution and scales the image up for display. Availability and image quality depend on the game, graphics card, and implementation. Obsidian discusses TSR, DLSS, FSR, and XeSS for The Outer Worlds 2; that does not mean an unnamed early-access game supports any particular one. Check the game’s own menu and documentation rather than assuming compatibility.

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Windows Auto SR is an optional, device-dependent feature

Microsoft’s Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR) is a Windows feature, not a universal in-game setting. Microsoft lists Windows 11 version 24H2 or later, a display resolution of 1080p or higher, current drivers, compatible device families, and DirectX 10-or-later games among its eligibility requirements. It is opt-in, requires a compatible display and resolution configuration, and results can vary by game and system. Most players should first check the game’s own scaling options. See Microsoft’s current Auto SR requirements and setup guidance before relying on it, since eligibility can change.

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How should you set an FPS cap, V-Sync, or variable refresh rate?

These options affect smoothness and responsiveness as well as frame rate. A frame-rate cap may help stabilize frame pacing or avoid unnecessary GPU work. V-Sync can reduce visible screen tearing, but may increase input latency. Test them against your own priority: a steadier image, less tearing, or faster-feeling input.

Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds 2 guide discusses trying a cap near the monitor’s refresh rate and testing V-Sync choices, while noting that adaptive sync and other settings can affect the result. Treat those as game-specific options to try, not universal values. If your monitor supports variable refresh rate (VRR), check that the feature is enabled and supported by the relevant drivers. Microsoft notes that Windows VRR options require a capable monitor and drivers and apply only to eligible apps.

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On a hybrid-graphics laptop, the game may run on integrated graphics instead of the intended high-performance GPU. Windows graphics settings can offer a per-app GPU preference for eligible apps. In Windows, look under Settings > System > Display > Graphics; labels and available choices may vary by Windows version and device. Microsoft’s DirectX overview of the redesigned Graphics settings page describes per-app GPU preferences and VRR options.

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What else can cause poor performance?

Graphics settings are only one part of the diagnosis. Before making more compromises to image quality, check the game’s current requirements and support page, then investigate common system-level causes:

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  • Requirements: Compare your PC with the game’s current minimum and recommended requirements. Requirements may change as an early-access build develops.
  • Graphics drivers: Check for a current driver for your GPU. Restart after installing it so the update is fully applied.
  • Background applications: Close unnecessary programs that may be using CPU time or memory, then test again.
  • Overlays: If stutter persists, disable overlays one at a time and compare. This is a diagnostic test, not a guaranteed fix.

Obsidian lists drivers, background applications, and overlays among troubleshooting considerations for The Outer Worlds 2. These are useful checks, but they do not establish the cause of a problem in a different game. If performance remains poor, the game’s developer support page is the best place to check for build-specific issues.

How to choose a setting based on your goal

Judge each change against both performance and the experience you want. A higher frame rate is not automatically worth a distracting image or less responsive controls.

  • If frame rate is the priority: Test demanding effects and detail settings first, then try lower rendering resolution or supported upscaling.
  • If the game feels uneven: Compare frame pacing with and without a cap; look for stutter as well as the average frame rate.
  • If tearing is distracting: Test V-Sync or a supported VRR configuration, and pay attention to any increase in input latency.
  • If the image becomes too soft: Restore resolution or change the upscaling option, then reduce other settings instead.

For more specific advice, the useful details are the game and build, CPU and GPU, memory, display resolution and refresh rate, and whether you care most about image quality, smoothness, or responsiveness. Without those details, an exact preset or expected FPS gain cannot be established.

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