Cyberpunk 2077PC gamers were a bit shocked to discover that the game didn't run as well as they expected on their beefy PC rigs. Part of the reason is CD Projekt Red's ambitious decision to push the limits of current graphics technology, while the other is undoubtedly the lack of further optimizations and tweaks to boost performance.
RELATED:10 Things We Wish We Knew Before Starting Cyberpunk 2077
Regardless, there are ways PC gamers can drastically increase their FPS averages with a few simple tweaks. The following is a list of the best tips to squeeze much-needed extra juice out of your hardware and enjoy a much smoother play experience. Bear in mind that these tips will work for some, and not for others. Such is the bittersweet joy of multiple hardware configs.
THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY
10/10 Update Your Video Card Drivers
Veteran PC gamers know how absolutely annoying this tip is. After all, it goes without saying, or at least it should. Nevertheless, other gamers might not be aware of the little indicator on their task icon telling them to update their GPU drivers.
For instance, Nvidia has already issued a day-one driver update for better Cyberpunk 2077 performance. Ignoring it would be folly. If possible, have your drivers set to auto-update, unless you prefer to wait a few days to see if others are having issues. Otherwise, expect a few more driver updates over the next week or two.
9/10 Disable Game Mode
Windows 10 includes a "Game Mode" feature which doesn't always perform the way one would expect. Many mistakenly turn this on expecting a boost in performance, when the exact opposite may occur.
Click the Start icon and type "Game Mode" into the search bar to find the appropriate menu. Make sure the button is set to off.
8/10 Disable Captures
While in the Game Mode menu, look to the left-hand side of the window and click on "Captures," or type it after clicking the Start Menu icon. Turn all the options Off in this section.
Captures works in tandem with certain third-party features like Nvidia's Shadowplay functionality, which records and shares gameplay videos with in a DVR-style format. Leaving this on can sap extra resources that would otherwise be directed back into the game.
7/10 Disable Xbox Game Bar
Microsoft's strategic alignment of Windows 10 and the Xbox gaming platform has some disadvantages, notably in the performance department. The built-in Game Bar is a feature many gamers aren't aware of, but it can cause drops in FPS.
RELATED:Xbox Series X: 10 Games You Should Play Right Now
From the same screen mentioned in the last two entries, click on "Xbox Game Bar" to the left of the menu (or click start and type in "Game Bar") and shut it off. The only time this feature should theoretically be enabled is if it's being used by the gamer for a specific Xbox-related purpose.
6/10 Change Windows 10 GPU Settings
Changing Windows-related graphics settings outside of AMD or Nvidia menus is something many gamers simply don't think of. Yet, it can drastically improve the performance of many games, including Cyberpunk 2077.
Click the Start icon and type in "GPU" to open the Graphics Settings menu. Under Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling, switch the button to Off, as it can cause drops in FPS for many games. Second, navigate down to the Graphics performance preference setting and click the "Browse" button. Navigate to the Cyberpunk 2077.exe file which is usually located in the Cyberpunk installation directory inside the Bin>x64 folder subgroup. Steam users can usually find Cyberpunk's installation folder under C: Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common. Once it's added to the list, click Options and choose the High-performance mode. If Cyberpunk 2077 is already on the list, simply skip the Browsing step and repeat the aforementioned tweak. This is especially handy for gaming laptops.
5/10 Nvidia Tweaks
Right-click on your desktop and choose Nvidia Control Panel, or activate it via the icon in the bottom-right of the taskbar. On the left-hand side of the Control Panel, click "Manage 3D Settings" and toggle the main window from Global Settings to Program Settings. From the drop-down menu under "1. Select a program to customize," find Cyberpunk 2077. If it's missing from the list, click "Add" and repeat the same step in the previous tip to locate the Cyberpunk 2077.exe file. Once done, apply the following settings to the game's parameters.
Image Sharpening = Sharpening Off
Anisotropic Filtering = Off
Antialiasing - FXAA = Off
Antialiasing - Gamma correction = On
Antialiasing - Mode = Override any application setting
Background Application Max Frame Rate = Off
CUDA - GPUs = Use global setting (All)
Low Latency Mode = Ultra
Max Frame Rate = Off
Monitor Technology = G-Sync (if you have a G-Sync enabled monitor)
Mutli-Frame Sampled AA (MFAA) = Off
OpenGL rendering GPU = Auto-select
Power management mode = Prefer maximum performance
Preferred refresh rate = Highest available
Shader Cache = On
Texture filtering - Anisotropic sample optimization = On
Texture filtering - Negative LOD bias = Allow
Texture filtering - Quality = High performance
Texture filtering - Trilinear optimization = On
Threaded optimization = On
Triple buffering = Off
Vertical sync = Use the 3D application setting
Make sure to click "Apply" before closing the Nvidia Control Panel.
4/10 Clean Your PC
PC clutter can cause an unwanted drop in performance in games, so it's wise to keep things spic and span at all times. If you use an automated third-party cleaning program, you can skip this step. Otherwise, make sure to follow the tip for the most optimal play.
Click the Start icon and type "Clean," then open Disk Cleanup. Make sure your Windows 10 drive is selected (typically the C: drive), and choose which options to check off for cleaning. For instance, you may wish to uncheck Temporary Internet Files if you wish to retain your site login credentials, or Recycle Bin if you want to be sure nothing valuable is in there before deletion. Click Ok, then "Delete Files" and let the system run its course. Repeat the process for all the other drives on your computer.
3/10 Enable Super-Secret "Ultimate Power" Mode For Windows 10
Many gamers aren't aware that Windows 10 offers an Ultimate Power scheme which is sometimes disabled and hidden by default. If the best possible option on your machine is High performance, you may be missing out on some extra juice that could be put towards Cyberpunk 2077.
Click the Start icon and type in Power and Sleep, then click on "Power & sleep settings." In the right-hand menu under Related settings, click "Additional power settings" and choose the Ultimate Performance mode. If this option is missing, click the Start icon, type in CMD and right-click the Command Prompt option. Run the program as an Administrator, and copy/paste the following line: "powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61" without quotations. Repeat the above settings to re-open the power plan menu and the option should be visible for activation.
2/10 AMD Ryzen CPU Tweaks
AMD Ryzen gaming CPU owners may not realize that their chip has a few limitations compared to Intel equivalents when it comes to appropriate hyperthreaded processing. This robs them of a possible 20% to 30% increase in in-game performance, which is nothing to sneeze at.
RELATED:10 Hilarious Spoiler-Free Cyberpunk 2077 Launch Memes
The fix is a complex one, so we've included a link to a YouTube video by TroubleChute which breaks down the entire process. Activating this fix could yield massive gains for AMD users, including those with Threadripper processors.
1/10 In-Game Tweaks
This depends largely on the power of one's computer, and not every combination will result in the same performance. It's important to play around with these settings in order to achieve the most optimal framerates. That being said, there are a few tweaks that will boost performance right out of the box. Head to the Graphics tab in the in-game settings and change the following:
Field of View = 90-100 (note: this will render more on-screen content which is an increased burden on the hardware. Play with this setting to find the right value for yourself)
Chromatic Aberration = Off
Motion Blur = Off
Contact Shadows = On
Local Shadow Mesh Quality = Medium
Local Shadow Quality = Low/Medium
Cascaded Shadows Range = Medium
Cascaded Shadows Resolution = Low
Distant Shadows Resolution = Low
Volumetric Fog Resolution = Medium
Volumetric Cloud Quality = Medium
Screen Space Reflections Quality = Medium
Ambient Occlusion = Low
Color Precision = High
Mirror Quality = Medium
Ray-Tracing only applies to Nvidia 20 and 30-series GPU users, and will cost quite a bit of performance even on beefier systems. Apply all the tweaks mentioned above before experimenting in-game ray-tracing options to achieve the best result.
NEXT:Cyberpunk 2077: 10 Crazy Facts You Didn't Know About The Main Characters