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How to Optimize Cities: Skylines 2 - Best Graphics Settings

 

How to Optimize Cities: Skylines 2 - Best Graphics Settings

Cities: Skylines 2 was released on Steam, but players began to experience frame drops and low FPS. It gets to the point where the game freezes even on top-end hardware with 40-series video cards. In this guide, we'll tell you how to optimize your city builder and what features you shouldn't use during gameplay.


Note: Most of the tips in this guide are provided by the developers themselves. If you want to supplement the material, be sure to write your notes in the comments.


System requirements

Before starting the game, you need to make sure that it is suitable for your build, at least according to the minimum system requirements. However, for now, this doesn't mean you won't experience FPS drops.


Minimum Requirements

  • Operating system: Windows 10;
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-6700K / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X;
  • RAM: 8 GB;
  • Video card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 / AMD Radeon RX 480;
  • Memory: 60 GB of free space.

Recommended Requirements

  • Operating system: Windows 10/11;
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-12600K / AMD Ryzen 7 5800X;
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Video card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 / AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT;
  • Memory: 60 GB of free space.

Main parameters affecting graphics

Below we have presented the main parameters that need to be configured first of all for a comfortable game in Cities: Skylines 2.

Virtual Texturing​

Virtual texturing is a fairly complex technology that uses a large amount of video memory during gameplay when working with textures. We recommend waiting until texturing finishes processing resources, and only then returning to the game.

Virtual Texturing​

If you continue gameplay while texturing, buildings and objects may become dark, and the game may freeze and stutter. Typically, texture processing time does not exceed a few minutes, but it all depends on the individual configurations of personal computers. When processing is complete, you will receive a notification on your home screen.

Screen resolution, motion blur, depth of field, and dynamic resolution

  • Resolution: the developers recommend setting the resolution to 1920:1080, 60 Hz even on powerful PCs and if you have a monitor (TV) with a higher resolution.
  • Depth of Field: Disabled.
  • Volume: Disabled. This will slightly reduce the quality of volumetric clouds, but will significantly improve overall performance.
  • Motion Blur: Disabled. Although this option does not have a significant impact on performance, for some users, with this feature enabled, the game may look visually worse and FPS may decrease.
  • Dynamic Resolution is a game setting that helps improve performance by dynamically changing the resolution. If you experience constant FPS drops, enable this feature.

Best graphics settings in Cities: Skylines 2

We have divided the best graphics settings for users whose PC builds meet the minimum and recommended system requirements. Regardless, it's best to follow the guidelines for some of the settings described in the previous section.

Graphics settings for weak PCs

  • Vertical Sync: Disabled on VRR/G-Sync enabled displays, otherwise set to Enabled;
  • Depth of Field Mode: Disabled;
  • Global Graphics Quality: Custom;
  • Performance preferences: Frame rate;
  • Dynamic Resolution Scale: Disabled;
  • Adaptive Dynamic Resolution Scale: Disabled;
  • Anti-aliasing quality: SMAA;
  • Cloud Quality Setting: Medium;
  • Volume clouds: Disabled;
  • Distant Clouds: Disabled;
  • Volume Cloud Shadows: Disabled;
  • Cloud shadows in the distance: Disabled;
  • Fog Quality Settings: Disabled;
  • Volumetric quality settings: Disabled;
  • Global Illumination: Medium;
  • Reflection quality: Low;
  • Transparent reflections: Disabled;
  • Depth of field quality: Off;
  • Motion Blur: Disabled;
  • Shadow quality: Low;
  • Terrain casts shadows: Enabled;
  • Terrain quality: Average;
  • Level of detail: Low;
  • Animation quality: Low;
  • Texture quality: Average.

Graphics settings for powerful PCs

  • Vertical Sync: Disabled on VRR/G-Sync enabled displays, otherwise set to Enabled;
  • Depth of Field Mode: Disabled;
  • Global Graphics Quality: Custom;
  • Performance preferences: Frame rate;
  • Dynamic resolution scale: Automatic;
  • Anti-aliasing quality: high SMAA;
  • Cloud Quality Setting: High;
  • Volume Clouds: Enabled
  • Distant Clouds: Enabled
  • Volume Cloud Shadows: Enabled.
  • Cloud shadows in the distance: Enabled
  • Fog Quality Settings: Enabled
  • Volumetric quality settings: Disabled;
  • Global Illumination: Medium;
  • Noise reduction radius: 0.5;
  • Reflection quality: Average;
  • Transparent Reflections: Enabled;
  • Depth of field quality: Off;
  • Motion Blur: Disabled;
  • Shadow quality: Average;
  • Terrain quality: Average;
  • Level of detail: Medium;
  • Animation quality: Average;
  • Texture quality: High.
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