Arc Raiders Optimization Guide: Best Settings for Maximum FPS and Performance
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Arc Raiders is an intense free-to-play PvPvE extraction shooter with massive maps, dynamic weather, and heavy firefights. This Arc Raiders PC performance optimization guide covers the settings that maximize your FPS and minimize input delay so you can win more fights and extract more often.
Is Arc Raiders optimized?
Arc Raiders is better optimized than most modern extraction shooters — it runs well on mid-range hardware and scales down cleanly. Before you start tweaking, check your hardware against the Arc Raiders system requirements. The complaints you see about performance usually come from three things, not the engine:
- Shader compilation after a patch or driver update, which causes temporary hitching
- VRAM pressure on 8 GB cards with textures set too high
- Driver issues after game or Windows updates
If your problem is hitching and frame time spikes rather than low average FPS, go straight to the Arc Raiders stuttering fix — it is a different problem with different fixes.
Display settings
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Window Mode | Fullscreen |
| Resolution | Native (your monitor’s native resolution) |
| V-Sync | Off (introduces input lag) |
| Frame Rate Limit | Unlimited |
| Field of View (FOV) | 90–100 (higher FOV = more peripheral vision, slightly lower FPS) |
Graphics settings
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Quality | Custom | |
| Texture Quality | Medium / High | High is fine with 6 GB+ VRAM |
| Shadow Quality | Low or Medium | Shadows are FPS-heavy with minimal competitive benefit |
| Effects Quality | Low | Less visual clutter from explosions and abilities |
| Post-Processing | Low | Kills motion blur and depth of field |
| Anti-Aliasing | TAA or Off | TAA smooths edges at minimal FPS cost |
| View Distance | High | Spotting enemies at range is critical |
| Motion Blur | Off | Impairs tracking |
| Depth of Field | Off | |
| Bloom | Off | Distracting |
| Lens Flare | Off | |
| Chromatic Aberration | Off | |
| Film Grain | Off |
Upscaling and frame generation
If native resolution does not hold a stable frame rate, DLSS Quality (NVIDIA RTX) or FSR Quality (any GPU) recovers a large chunk of FPS with minimal clarity loss. Leave frame generation off until your base FPS is already solid — it adds smoothness, not responsiveness. The full breakdown is in Arc Raiders DLSS, FSR, and frame generation settings.
Windows optimizations
For the absolute best performance, combine the in-game settings with Windows-level tweaks:
- Timer resolution — Use Tier1Timer to reduce system timer latency, significantly improving frame consistency and input responsiveness. Tier1Timer applies the optimal 0.5 ms resolution automatically when Arc Raiders launches. Read the Ultimate Guide to Timer Resolution for Gaming for the full explanation.
- Game Mode — Enable Windows Game Mode to prioritize system resources for gaming.
- Fullscreen optimizations — Disable fullscreen optimizations in the Arc Raiders
.exeproperties. - Disable overlays — Turn off Steam, Discord, and other overlays to free up resources.
Additional PC optimizations
- Update your graphics drivers to the latest version
- Close background applications while gaming
- Set Arc Raiders to High priority in Task Manager
- Consider overclocking your GPU for extra headroom
- Use a wired ethernet connection for lowest latency
For more on reducing input lag, see How to Minimize Input Delay for Competitive Gaming.
More Arc Raiders setup guides
- Arc Raiders best visibility settings — make enemies easier to spot
- Arc Raiders best controller settings — deadzone, ADS, and response curve
- Arc Raiders best audio settings — footsteps and directional sound
- Arc Raiders stuttering fix — frame time spikes and hitching
Summary
Arc Raiders demands both skill and system optimization. Apply these settings, then add Windows-level tweaks like timer resolution with Tier1Timer — consistent high FPS and low input lag are what let you react first in PvPvE encounters.
Frequently asked questions
Is Arc Raiders optimized for PC?
Yes, reasonably well — it scales from older mid-range hardware up to high-end GPUs. Most performance complaints trace back to shader compilation after patches, VRAM-heavy texture settings, or unstable drivers rather than the engine itself.
What are the best Arc Raiders settings for maximum FPS?
Shadows Low, Effects Low, Post-Processing Low, motion blur and depth of field off, textures matched to your VRAM, and View Distance High for spotting. Add DLSS or FSR Quality if native resolution is unstable.
What FOV should I use in Arc Raiders?
90 to 100 for most players. Higher FOV gives more peripheral vision but slightly lowers FPS and makes distant targets smaller, so stay near 90 if you struggle to track at range.
How do I fix low FPS in Arc Raiders?
Lower shadows and effects first, enable a quality upscaler, update your GPU driver, and close overlays. If FPS is fine but the game hitches, that is a stuttering problem — fix shader cache and VRAM pressure instead.