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Overview
The 2022 next-gen update added ray tracing, DLSS, and FSR 2 — and made the game noticeably heavier on GPU and VRAM. Use the resolution and ray tracing toggles below to see what you need for 60 FPS. Keep HairWorks off — beyond the performance hit, it is known to cause crashes on many setups. GPU is the main bottleneck; CPU only spikes in dense areas like Novigrad.
Test preset
Ultra graphics preset, HairWorks off (recommended — can crash if enabled)
Upscaling
DLSS, FSR 2
Hardware by target FPS
Pick a resolution, 60 or 120 FPS target, quality preset (Low–Ultra), upscaler (Native, DLSS, FSR, or XeSS), upscaling quality when applicable, and ray tracing — specs update to match. Minimum gets you close to your target; recommended holds it with headroom.
1080p · 60 FPS · High · Native · Ray tracing off
High preset, HairWorks off, HBAO+ on, Native
RTX 3060 averages 65–73 FPS at 1080p Ultra without ray tracing. GTX 1660 Super holds ~55–60 FPS on a High–Ultra mix. Hardware adjusted for high preset.
Graphics card
Minimum
GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB / RX 560 4 GB
Recommended
GTX 1650 Super 4 GB / RX 5500 XT 4 GB
6 GB VRAM is the practical floor for Ultra textures at 1080p.
Processor
Minimum
Ryzen 5 3600 / Intel Core i5-10400
Recommended
Ryzen 5 5600 / Intel Core i5-12400
Matches CDPR's High preset CPU class (i5-7400 / Ryzen 5 1600).
Memory
Minimum
16 GB DDR4 (dual-channel)
Recommended
16 GB DDR4/DDR5 (dual-channel)
Storage
Minimum
50 GB SSD
Recommended
50 GB NVMe SSD
Optimization tips
· Drop Shadow Quality to High if you dip below 60 FPS in forests.
· Set Background Characters to Medium in Novigrad if CPU usage spikes.
· Keep Foliage Visibility at High rather than Ultra for free FPS.
Performance notes
· Ray tracing requires DirectX 12 mode and an RTX or RDNA 2+ GPU. Toggle RT off to use DX11 for slightly better performance on older cards.
· CD Projekt Red's official RT specs target 1440p (RTAO/RTGI) and 4K (all RT features) with DLSS or FSR — not native resolution.
· The game is mostly GPU-bound. A mid-range CPU is enough; prioritize GPU and 16 GB RAM.
· Disable NVIDIA HairWorks — it tanks performance and is known to cause crashes on many PC setups.
· Install on an SSD. The next-gen patch recommends 50 GB; upcoming updates may require 70 GB.
What affects performance
GPU (primary)
Draw distance, foliage, shadows, and ray tracing scale heavily with resolution. RT can add 30–50% GPU load on top of Ultra settings.
VRAM
Ultra textures at 1440p and 4K need 8 GB minimum; ray tracing pushes that to 10–12 GB. Stuttering is common below 8 GB with RT on.
CPU (secondary)
Most areas are GPU-bound, but Novigrad crowd scenes can drop 1% lows on older 4-core CPUs regardless of RT setting.
