Hunt: Showdown Stretched Resolution Guide for FPS & Visibility

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Hunt: Showdown 1896 is one of the heaviest shooters on PC, so stretched resolution does double duty here — it widens player models for visibility in dark compounds and claws back real FPS on its demanding CryEngine. But picking a 4:3 resolution on a 16:9 monitor usually leaves black bars unless you force your GPU to scale the image across the full panel. This guide shows you the Display settings and the NVIDIA/AMD scaling step to get true stretched res in Hunt.

Hunt: Showdown Stretched Resolution Guide for FPS & Visibility

Stretched is a preference — wider models and a useful FPS lift on a heavy engine. Test it against native 16:9 and keep whatever reads targets best for you.

Why a 4:3 pick can show black bars

When you select a 4:3 resolution, your system has to fit that narrower image onto a 16:9 panel. By default it pillarboxes — centers the image and fills the sides with black bars — rather than stretching it. The component that stretches the image to fill the whole panel is your GPU, not the game. So the real fix lives in your graphics driver, not the Hunt: Showdown menu.

ResolutionAspectFeel
1440 x 10804:3Sharper 4:3, best for target ID
1280 x 9604:3Classic stretched, widest models
1728 x 1080widescreen (lower)Mild stretch, fewer pixels for FPS

1440 x 1080 is a popular Hunt pick because the sharper image helps pick out distant hunters in foliage and low light, while still cutting pixel count for FPS. If full 4:3 hurts your long-range reads, drop to 1728 x 1080 for the frame gain with less distortion.

Step 1 – Force full-panel GPU scaling

NVIDIA

  1. Open NVIDIA Control Panel → Adjust desktop size and position.
  2. Scaling mode: Full-screen.
  3. Perform scaling on: GPU.
  4. Tick Override the scaling mode set by games and programs and Apply.

AMD

  1. Open AMD Software → Settings → Display.
  2. Set GPU Scaling: On.
  3. Set Scaling Mode: Full Panel.

If your 4:3 resolution isn’t listed, create it first via Create Custom Resolution (NVIDIA) or Custom Resolutions (AMD). For a monitor-level method, see How To Get Custom Resolution / Stretch Res.

Step 2 – Set the resolution in Hunt: Showdown

  1. Launch Hunt: Showdown → Settings → Video / Display.
  2. Set Display Mode to Fullscreen — stretched will not work in windowed or borderless.
  3. Set the Resolution to your chosen value, such as 1440 x 1080.
  4. Apply and confirm the change.

If you don’t pick true Fullscreen, the GPU scaling override won’t take effect and you’ll keep the black bars. Hunt also offers a separate borderless mode that defeats stretched res — make sure you select exclusive Fullscreen.

Resolution scale vs. actual resolution

Hunt: Showdown includes a resolution scale setting that lowers the internal render target while keeping your output resolution the same. That’s a useful FPS lever, but it does not stretch the image or change your aspect ratio — it just renders fewer pixels and upscales them back to your output. For the wider-models look you need to change the actual output resolution as described above; resolution scale is a separate FPS option you can stack on top for even more frames on Hunt’s heavy engine.

Still seeing black bars?

This is the #1 stretched-res complaint, and it’s almost always the scaling step:

  • Display mode is Windowed or Borderless — it must be Fullscreen.
  • NVIDIA scaling is set to Aspect ratio instead of Full-screen, or “Override the scaling mode set by games” is unticked.
  • AMD GPU Scaling is off, or Scaling Mode isn’t Full Panel.
  • Your monitor’s own scaling (OSD) is overriding the GPU — set the monitor’s aspect/scaling option to Full.
  • A driver update reset your scaling — re-check these settings after every GPU driver update.

Hunt: Showdown is heavy enough that stretched res earns its place for both visibility and frames, but its CryEngine won’t stretch a 4:3 resolution on its own. Force full-panel GPU scaling, pick 1440 x 1080 in exclusive Fullscreen, and you’ll trade native pixels for wider models and a real FPS lift — with no black bars.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get stretched resolution in Hunt: Showdown?

Force full-panel scaling in your GPU driver first: set NVIDIA scaling to Full-screen with Perform scaling on GPU and tick Override the scaling mode set by games, or enable GPU Scaling on Full Panel in AMD Software. Then open Hunt: Showdown's Display settings, set Display Mode to Fullscreen, and pick a 4:3 resolution like 1440x1080. The GPU scaling step is what actually stretches the CryEngine image to fill your panel instead of pillarboxing it.

Does stretched resolution increase FPS in Hunt: Showdown?

Usually a lot. Hunt: Showdown runs on CryEngine and is one of the more GPU-demanding shooters around, so dropping from native 1080p to a 4:3 resolution like 1440x1080 or 1280x960 renders far fewer pixels and often gives a notable frame-rate boost. The gain is most useful in dense compound fights where Hunt's FPS dips hardest. Pair the lower resolution with reduced graphics settings to maximize it.

What resolution should I use for stretched Hunt: Showdown?

1440x1080 is a strong 4:3 choice — it keeps a sharper image than 1280x960 while still giving the wider look and the FPS benefit. 1280x960 stretches more aggressively and renders even fewer pixels. If full 4:3 distortion hurts your long-range target identification, a lower widescreen resolution like 1728x1080 trims pixels for FPS with a much milder stretch.

Is stretched resolution bannable in Hunt: Showdown?

No. Stretched resolution is a display-scaling feature in your GPU driver, not a modification of the game. You are not editing game files or injecting code, just picking a resolution and telling the GPU how to scale the output image. Using a different resolution and your driver's scaling options is standard PC behavior and is not flagged by Hunt's anti-cheat.

Why does Hunt: Showdown show black bars when I pick a 4:3 resolution?

By default the GPU centers the narrower 4:3 image inside your 16:9 panel and pillarboxes it with black bars on the sides instead of stretching it. To fill the whole panel you have to tell the GPU to perform full-panel scaling — that override removes the bars. Make sure Hunt's Display Mode is set to Fullscreen, because the override won't apply in borderless or windowed.