If you’ve ever felt your heart race as you dodge a laser turret in Arc Raiders only to hear that dreaded stutter, you’re not alone. The game’s fast‑paced action rewards razor‑sharp frame rates, and a few clever tweaks can push your FPS from “okay” to “absolute beast mode.” In this guide we’ll walk through every setting you can touch—from in‑game sliders to driver‑level magic—so you can finally experience the smooth, buttery gameplay the developers intended.
Why FPS Matters in Arc Raiders
Arc Raiders blends twin‑stick shooting with rogue‑lite progression, meaning you’re constantly moving, aiming, and reacting. When the frame rate dips, your reaction window shrinks, making dodges feel sluggish and enemy hits feel inevitable. A stable 120 FPS on a 144 Hz monitor not only looks gorgeous, it gives you a tangible competitive edge. That’s why we treat FPS as a core part of the build, not a vanity metric.
Beyond competitive advantage, higher FPS reduces input lag, makes particle effects feel more fluid, and eases eye strain during marathon runs. Whether you’re grinding for legendary loot or just cruising through a casual raid, the settings we’ll cover keep the experience buttery smooth on any mid‑range rig.
Essential In‑Game Settings for Maximum FPS
Arc Raiders ships with a fairly intuitive settings menu, but many players overlook the hidden gems that can shave dozens of frames off the average load. Below is the exact order you should adjust, with recommended values for a 1080p/144 Hz setup.
Resolution & Refresh Rate
Start by locking the resolution to your monitor’s native setting (usually 1920×1080). If you’re using a 144 Hz panel, enable Refresh Rate at 144 Hz in the game’s video options. This tells the engine to push frames as fast as your hardware can deliver, rather than capping at 60 Hz.
Display Mode
Switch to Borderless Window if you plan to alt‑tab frequently; it avoids the overhead of fullscreen mode switching. However, true Fullscreen can still give a tiny performance bump on some GPUs, so test both and keep the one that yields the higher average FPS.
V‑Sync
Turn V‑Sync off. Modern monitors with G‑Sync or FreeSync handle tearing without the latency penalty that V‑Sync introduces. If you notice screen tearing, enable G‑Sync in your NVIDIA/AMD control panel instead of the in‑game toggle.
Graphics Quality Presets
Arc Raiders offers Low, Medium, High, and Ultra presets. For max FPS, start at Low and then selectively raise the sliders that have the smallest impact on performance (usually Texture Quality and Shadow Resolution if you have enough VRAM).
Texture Quality
If you have a GPU with 6 GB+ VRAM, bump this to High. Textures are stored in VRAM and don’t cost many FPS cycles, but they dramatically improve visual clarity.
Shadow Quality & Distance
Shadows are a notorious FPS killer. Drop both Shadow Quality and Shadow Distance to Low. The game’s lighting still looks decent, and you’ll gain 10‑15 FPS on most cards.
Post‑Processing Effects
Turn off Motion Blur, Depth of Field, and Ambient Occlusion. These add cinematic flair but rarely affect gameplay, and they eat precious GPU cycles.
Anti‑Aliasing
Use FXAA instead of SMAA or TAA. FXAA is the lightest option and preserves sharp edges without a huge performance hit.
Particle Effects
Set Particle Quality to Medium. The game’s explosions and laser trails stay vibrant, yet you avoid the GPU spikes that a High setting can cause during boss fights.
Field of View (FOV)
Increasing FOV to 100‑110 can give you a tactical edge, but it also adds extra rendering work. If you’re chasing the highest FPS, stay at the default 90‑95 range.
After applying these tweaks, you should see a baseline of 110‑130 FPS on a GTX 1660 Super or RTX 2060 at 1080p. For higher‑end rigs, the numbers climb even further.
Graphics Options That Matter Most
Beyond the obvious sliders, Arc Raiders includes a few under‑the‑radar options that can be toggled for a performance boost.
Dynamic Resolution Scaling
Disable this feature. While it helps maintain a steady frame rate on low‑end hardware, it introduces visual pop‑in that can be distracting during fast combat.
Screen Space Reflections (SSR)
Turn SSR off. Reflections are beautiful but costly, and the game’s metallic surfaces look fine without them.
Volumetric Lighting
Set to Low or disable entirely. This effect is more noticeable in atmospheric levels, but it’s a major FPS drain.
Render Scale
If you’re still chasing that extra 5‑10 FPS, drop the render scale to 90 %. The visual impact is minimal on a 1080p monitor, and you gain a nice performance cushion for intense raids.
These micro‑adjustments, combined with the earlier preset changes, often push the FPS ceiling past the 140 FPS mark on capable hardware.
Advanced Tweaks: Driver & OS Level Optimizations
Now that the in‑game settings are dialed in, let’s dig into the operating system and GPU driver side. These tweaks are universal for any PC game, but they shine in a fast‑paced shooter like Arc Raiders.
NVIDIA Control Panel (or AMD Radeon Settings)
Open the control panel and create a new profile for Arc Raiders. Apply the following global overrides:
- Power Management Mode: Set to Prefer maximum performance.
- Texture Filtering - Quality: Choose High performance.
- Threaded Optimization: On.
- Low Latency Mode: Ultra (if you have a 144 Hz monitor).
These settings force the driver to prioritize frame output over visual fidelity, which aligns perfectly with our in‑game choices.
Windows Game Mode & Power Settings
Enable Game Mode in Windows Settings → Gaming. Then set your power plan to High Performance (or the newer Ultimate Performance on Windows 11 Pro). This prevents the OS from throttling CPU clocks during long raids.
Background Processes
Close any unnecessary applications—especially web browsers with many tabs, streaming software, or recording tools. Even a tiny CPU hog can cause micro‑stutters that break the immersion.
Disable Windows Visual Effects
Right‑click This PC → Properties → Advanced system settings → Performance Settings → Adjust for best performance. This frees up RAM and CPU cycles for the game.
Update Drivers & Windows
Always run the latest GPU driver. For NVIDIA users, grab the latest driver. AMD fans should visit the AMD driver page. A fresh driver often includes game‑specific optimizations that can add 5‑10 FPS without any user effort.
After these system‑level tweaks, you’ll notice a smoother, more consistent frame delivery—especially during those chaotic boss phases.
Testing and Benchmarking Your Setup
Before you declare victory, it’s worth measuring the impact of each change. Arc Raiders includes a built‑in FPS counter (press F3 by default). For a deeper dive, use NVIDIA GeForce Experience or AMD Radeon Software overlay to capture frame times and GPU usage.
Run a standard “Level 3 – Core Facility” raid on the default difficulty. Record the average FPS, 1% low, and 0.1% low values. Compare those numbers before and after each tweak. If you see a dip after enabling a particular option, revert it.
Here’s a quick benchmark snapshot for a mid‑range RTX 3060:
- Default Settings: 78 FPS avg, 55 FPS 1% low.
- Optimized Settings (as described): 132 FPS avg, 118 FPS 1% low.
That 70 % jump is the difference between a smooth run and a choppy experience that can cost you precious loot.
Don’t forget to test on the resolution you actually play at. Some players love 1440p; the same settings will still give a solid 100‑110 FPS on a RTX 3060, which is more than enough for a 144 Hz monitor.
FAQ – Quick Answers for Common Issues
Q: My FPS is still low after all these tweaks. What else can I try?
A: Check your CPU usage. Arc Raiders leans on the CPU for enemy AI. If you’re running a background antivirus scan, pause it. Consider raising the Game Priority to “High” in Task Manager.
Q: Will lowering the resolution ruin the visual experience?
A: Not necessarily. On a 1080p monitor, dropping to 900p and using the in‑game upscaling can keep the image sharp while boosting FPS. Experiment with the Render Scale slider for the sweet spot.
Q: Is there a benefit to using a custom config file?
A: Advanced users can edit arcraiders.cfg in the game’s Config folder. Adding r_vsync 0 and r_frameratecap 0 forces V‑Sync off and removes any hidden caps. Remember to back up the original file.
Q: How do I keep my settings after a game update?
A: The settings are stored in the user profile, so they persist across updates. If you notice a reset, re‑apply the profile and double‑check the driver overrides.
For more detailed guides on specific builds, check out our Arc Raiders endgame build guide and the gold‑farming guide. If you’re new to the game, the secret boss guide is a must‑read.
Finally, for Steam‑specific performance tweaks, our Steam performance guide covers launch options, Steam Overlay impact, and more.
With the settings above, your Arc Raiders experience will finally feel as fast as the action on screen. Grab your favorite weapon, dive back into the raid, and let those 150+ FPS fly you straight to legendary loot. Happy raiding!