In our earlier post here we provided an update on PC performance. We thought it would also be useful to explain what the different Graphics Settings do and how you can vary them to get the best performance on your setup.
Graphics settings are listed below in a rough order of performance impact, from highest to lowest. The exact impact of each setting will vary depending on hardware, resolution, and whether upscaling technologies such as DLSS or FidelityFX are enabled.
Window Mode
If you are running on hardware close to the minimum specification and using Windowed Fullscreen, the game may be running at a higher resolution than your system can comfortably support.
Fullscreen
Runs in fullscreen mode at the resolution selected under the Resolution setting.
Windowed Fullscreen
Runs fullscreen at the desktop resolution, ignoring the resolution selected under the Resolution setting.
Windowed
Runs in a window at the resolution selected under the Resolution setting.
Texture Quality
As a rough guideline, it is recommended not to allocate more than approximately 50 percent of available GPU memory to textures.
Approximate GPU memory usage by texture setting is as follows:
Low
Approximately 1200 MB
Medium
Approximately 1800 MB
High
Approximately 2500 MB
Epic
Approximately 5000 MB
For 4K resolution, at least High texture quality is recommended to avoid noticeable texture issues. For 1080p resolution, Medium texture quality is generally sufficient. Low can work at 1080p but may result in visible texture blurriness in some areas.
Allocating too much GPU memory to textures forces the GPU to use system memory instead of its dedicated high speed memory, which can significantly reduce performance and cause stuttering. The operating system also consumes GPU memory in the background, often around 1 GB even when no other applications are running. Any additional background software may further reduce the memory available to the game, which is why keeping texture memory usage well below the GPU limit is strongly recommended.
Shadow Quality
Shadow quality has a significant impact on GPU performance due to shadow resolution, draw distance, and the number of lights casting shadows.
Low
No distance field shadows. Shadows stop approximately 120 metres from the camera. Low resolution shadows.
Medium
Distance field shadows beyond approximately 140 metres from the camera. Medium resolution shadows equivalent to 1080p.
High
Distance field shadows beyond approximately 170 metres from the camera. High resolution shadows. All lights in the world cast shadows, including street lights.
Epic
Distance field shadows beyond approximately 200 metres from the camera. 4K resolution shadows. All lights in the world cast shadows.
Even at 4K resolution, Epic is rarely required. The visual improvement over High is relatively small, while the performance cost is substantial. Casting shadows from all lights, particularly during dusk or night scenes, adds significant GPU workload. For most systems that are not high end, Medium provides a good balance between quality and performance.
Foliage Density
Foliage density controls the amount of grass and trees rendered in the world and can be performance intensive, particularly in dense environments.
Low
No grass. Approximately 12 percent of trees.
Medium
Approximately 30 percent of grass and 47 percent of trees.
High
Approximately 60 percent of grass and 88 percent of trees.
Epic
100 percent of grass and 100 percent of trees.
Foliage rendering can be expensive at higher densities. Epic is intended for high end GPUs only. Medium is recommended for systems near the minimum specification, while High is suitable for more capable mid range GPUs.
Ambient Occlusion
Ambient occlusion enhances contact shadows and depth but varies widely in performance cost depending on quality level.
Low
Off.
Medium
Lowest cost ambient occlusion.
High
Medium cost ambient occlusion.
Epic
Very high cost ambient occlusion.
Unless running on a very high end GPU, settings above High are not recommended. Medium provides a good balance and avoids overly dark shading in enclosed areas.
Transparency
Transparency affects the rendering cost of most translucent elements in the game. This includes particle effects such as tyre smoke and dust, car glass, and motion blur on moving wheels.
If frame rate is generally stable but drops noticeably when driving offroad or on dirt tracks, reducing transparency quality can help.
Rendering transparency at full resolution can be expensive due to overdraw, where multiple transparent layers are rendered on top of one another. Reducing transparency resolution significantly lowers this cost with minimal visual impact in most cases.
Low
Transparency rendered at 50 percent resolution.
Medium
Transparency rendered at 60 percent resolution.
High
Transparency rendered at 80 percent resolution.
Epic
Transparency rendered at 100 percent resolution.
When using upscaling technologies such as DLSS or FidelityFX, transparency is already rendered below native resolution. In these cases, further reducing transparency resolution may affect visual quality more quickly.
VFX
VFX settings affect the complexity and frequency of visual effects such as tyre smoke, dust, and explosions.
If performance issues occur when driving offroad, on dirt tracks, or during crashes, and transparency has already been reduced, lowering the VFX setting can provide further improvement.
Low
Low VFX quality. Only the player vehicle spawns tyre VFX. Only rear tyres spawn VFX. Explosion effects do not include lighting.
Medium
Medium VFX quality. All vehicles can spawn tyre VFX. Only rear tyres spawn VFX. Explosion effects include lighting.
High
High quality VFX. All vehicles and all tyres spawn VFX. Explosion effects include lighting.
Volumetric Clouds
Volumetric clouds can have a noticeable performance impact, particularly at higher quality levels.
Low
Off. Volumetric clouds are replaced with a simpler cloud material.
Medium
Single cloud layer at a reduced quality setting.
High
Two cloud layers at a reduced quality setting.
Epic
Two cloud layers at the highest quality setting.
Unless running on high end hardware, Medium is generally recommended, as higher settings offer diminishing visual returns relative to their cost.
Anti Aliasing
Anti aliasing smooths jagged edges but can interact with motion blur and overall image clarity.
Low
Off.
Medium
FXAA.
High
TXAA high quality.
Epic
TXAA epic quality.
If FXAA is used, some players may notice increased ghosting when motion blur is enabled. In this case, reducing or disabling motion blur may improve clarity.
Motion Blur
Motion blur affects fast moving objects and camera movement.
Low
Off.
Medium
Medium quality motion blur.
High
High quality motion blur.
Epic
Highest quality motion blur.
Motion blur generally has a moderate performance impact and can be adjusted based on visual preference.
Volumetric Fog
Volumetric fog adds atmospheric depth and lighting effects.
Low
Off.
Medium
Low quality fog.
High
High quality fog.
Epic
Best quality fog.
Fog settings are tuned to be relatively low cost compared to other effects. Medium performs well visually and is a good option when tuning for performance.
Bloom
Bloom controls light glow and brightness bleed.
Low
Off.
Medium
Medium quality bloom.
High
High quality bloom.
Epic
Highest quality bloom.
Bloom has a relatively modest performance impact and can be adjusted primarily based on visual preference.
If you haven’t done already we also recommend you read our earlier post on PC performance
