Starter Guide
How to Increase FPS in Star Citizen Without Making It Ugly
Need more FPS without turning the game into mush? This page focuses on the settings that usually buy back performance first while keeping the image decent.
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Quick answer
Quick take
The trick is to cut expensive effects first, not overall detail everywhere.
- Small changes you can actually feel are better than chasing settings screenshots.
- The trick is to cut expensive effects first, not overall detail everywhere.
- You can often keep readability and style by lowering a few heavy settings and using upscaling.
- Verify changes in the same scene so you don’t chase placebo.
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- Lower volumetrics/clouds before anything else.
- Reduce shadow distance/quality (big cost, moderate visual hit).
- Use upscaling to trade pixels for FPS while keeping UI readable.
- Keep textures as high as VRAM allows (textures are often cheaper than heavy effects).
- Retest in the same location; stop when the game feels smooth enough.
Common mistakes (and exact fixes)
| Mistake | What happens | Fix (exact) |
|---|---|---|
| Lowering textures first on a VRAM-rich GPU | You lose quality for little gain. | Target effects (clouds/shadows) first. |
| Chasing max FPS everywhere | You make the game ugly and still stutter in hubs. | Aim for ‘smooth enough’ + stable feel. |
| Ignoring CPU limits | GPU tweaks won’t fix CPU-bound scenes. | Run the CPU vs GPU bottleneck test. |
FAQ
What’s the best ‘low ugliness’ lever?
Shadows and volumetrics are common wins.
Is upscaling worth it?
Often yes — it’s one of the cleanest FPS trades.
Should I disable all post-processing?
Only if needed; start with the biggest levers first.
Why is one city always worse?
Some scenes are heavier; use them to test worst-case.
Where do I go for a full baseline?
The performance guide has a full checklist and requirements tiers.