Best PC settings for Starfield: High FPS, graphics, more

Playing Starfield on new-gen Xbox consoles only allows up to 30 FPS and even on PC, running the expansive RPG by Bethesda is a difficult task. To significantly improve the graphics and FPS of your game, check out these best PC settings for Starfield.

Starfield has been out for a few weeks now and the player base has realized the size and scope of the space exploration RPG by Bethesda. The main campaign which takes around 15-40 hours to beat depending on your playstyle is a fraction of what the game has to offer and you can easily spend over 180 hours exploring planets and completing sidequests.

Running such a massive title can take a toll on your PC and even new-gen Xbox consoles cannot run it on 60 FPS. However, by tweaking the in-game settings on PC, you can improve the graphics quality and even boost the game’s performance.

On that note, let’s take a look at the best settings to play Starfield on PC with high FPS and stunning graphics.

• Starfield PC system requirements
• Best Starfield PC settings for high FPS
• Best Starfield PC settings for graphics
• How to update graphics drivers

Starfield PC system requirements

To play Starfield on PC, your system must meet the following requirements:

	MINIMUM	RECOMMENDED
OS	Windows 10 version 21H1 (10.0.19043)	Windows 10/11 with updates
Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X / Intel Core i7-6800K	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X / Intel i5-10600K
Memory	16 GB RAM	16 GB RAM
Graphics	AMD Radeon RX 5700 / NVIDIA GeForce 1070 Ti	AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
DirectX	Version 12	Version 12
Storage	125 GB available space (SSD required)	125 GB available space (SSD required)

As noted before, Starfield requires an SSD to run properly. Another thing to note is that you may require a CPU that’s more powerful than the ones listed here.

Best Starfield PC settings for high FPS

Here are the best-optimized graphics settings to run Starfield smoothly on your PC with 60 FPS and above:

• Dynamic Resolution: On
• Render Resolution: 75%
• Graphics Preset: Custom
• Shadow Quality: Medium
• Indirect Lighting: Medium
• Reflections: Low
• Particle Quality: Low
• Volumetric Lighting: Medium
• Crowd Density: Low
• Motion Blur: Off
• GTAO Quality: Medium
• Grass Quality: Medium
• Contact Shadows: Medium
• VSync: Off
• Upscaling: FSR2
• Enable VRS: On
• Depth of Field: Off

Starfield is not intended to be played at native resolution, so you should set Render Resolution to less than 100%. Bethesda expect you to turn FSR 2 on while playing, and it does a decent job of upscaling without making the game look too bland. This is also why the highest graphics preset also sets Render Resolution to 75%.

For most games, you might be used to seeing four presets for FSR, such as Ultra Quality, Quality, Balanced, and Performance. Starfield’s graphics settings, however, give you a slider with percentage values. As it turns out, there’s no official DLSS option for Starfield at the moment but it is in the works.

The most performance-intensive graphics settings in Starfield are Shadow Quality, Volumetric Lighting, GTAO Quality, and Contact Shadows. Turn these down if you’re not happy with the framerate you’re getting. Motion Blur also has an impact on performance, so disable it if you don’t like the effect.

Two more significant settings are Crowd Density and Enable VRS. The former option is quite obvious; it makes the game world more populated, and it’s taxing on your CPU. VRS, on the other hand, which stands for Variable Rate Shading, can improve performance on some PCs.

Best Starfield PC settings for graphics

Here’s how your graphics settings should look if you want the best graphics but with decent performance:

• Dynamic Resolution: On
• Render Resolution: 75%
• Graphics Preset: Custom
• Shadow Quality: Medium
• Indirect Lighting: High
• Reflections: Medium
• Particle Quality: High
• Volumetric Lighting: Medium
• Crowd Density: High
• Motion Blur: Off
• GTAO Quality: High
• Grass Quality: Ultra
• Contact Shadows: Medium
• VSync: Off
• Upscaling: FSR2
• Enable VRS: On
• Depth of Field: On

If your PC is able to handle the game quite well with the optimized graphics preset given above, you can try taking it up a notch. Options like Crowd Density and Contact Shadows add to the immersion, so you might want to increase it. The former can be quite CPU-intensive, while the latter doesn’t take up a chunk of your performance.

How to update graphics drivers

You should ensure that your graphics drivers are up-to-date before playing Starfield on PC. Here’s how you can do it:

For NVIDIA Graphic card users

If you have an NVIDIA graphics card on your PC, you can use the NVIDIA GeForce Experience app to update your drivers. You can download GeForce Experience from NVIDIA.com.

1. Find the GeForce icon in the right-hand corner of your taskbar. Right-click and select NVIDIA GeForce Experience.
2. Click on the Drivers tab.
3. Select Check for updates. If an update is available, click on Quick Install.
4. Wait for the installation process to complete.

For AMD Graphic card users

If you have an AMD graphics card on your PC, you can use the Radeon Settings app to update your drivers.

1. Right-click on your desktop and select AMD Radeon Settings.
2. Click on the Home Icon.
3. Select New Updates on the bottom left and click on Check for update.
4. Wait for the installation process to complete.

That covers everything to know about the best graphics setting in Starfield. If you wish to learn more about the game, check these out:

Best places to sell items in Starfield | Starfield ending explained | Where to sell Contraband in Starfield | All Starfield character creation options | Is Starfield on Xbox Game Pass for PC & console? | Starfield Outposts explained | Does Starfield have New Game Plus? | How to customize ships in Starfield