How to improve FPS in Escape from Tarkov (PC)
Tarkov is famous for its poor performance. It's not an optimized AAA — it's an early access game since 2016 with a heavily modified Unity engine that stresses the CPU like no other shooter on the market. The good news: with the right settings you can go from 30 to 60+ FPS without changing hardware. The bad news: in Streets of Tarkov and Lighthouse, no setting will save you from CPU bottleneck if your processor is old.
This is what you'd gain with a NVIDIA RTX 3050
Calculations based on our FPS model combined with the % gain of each setting (measured in public benchmarks). Calculate your exact FPS with your own hardware →
1. Quick wins (no visual loss)
Start here. Each one adds a little, but together they give +33% free FPS.
Resampling
CRITICAL. Resampling x2 or higher kills FPS for no reason. x1 (Off) is the only sensible option. Combining it with TAA gives a sharp image at no cost.
Object LOD Quality
Don't go below 2 (affects player visibility at range, critical in PvP). Going higher adds no visual benefit.
Overall Visibility
Renders less far away. 2500 is safe for all maps. Only on Customs/Reserve might you need 3000 for very distant extraction points.
Lobby FPS Limit
Doesn't affect the raid but reduces GPU temperature/consumption while waiting. Good practice.
2. Medium impact settings
Here's where most of the FPS is. Minor visual impact, major performance impact.
Shadow Quality
Shadows in Tarkov consume CPU disproportionately. Low gives the biggest FPS jump in the game, especially on large maps. Yes it's visually noticeable but it's the best-paid sacrifice.
Shadow Visibility
Distance at which shadows are rendered. 30-40 keeps the important shadows (near you) while eliminating irrelevant ones.
HBAO
Ambient occlusion in Tarkov is barely noticeable during frantic gameplay. Off frees CPU/GPU for what matters.
SSR
Screen space reflections are useless in a tactical shooter. Off always.
LOD Bias
Small reduction in detail on distant objects. Increases performance without affecting gameplay.
Texture Quality (8 GB VRAM)
If you have 8 GB or less VRAM, Medium avoids stuttering from VRAM exhaustion. With 12+ GB you can use High.
3. Upscaling (DLSS / FSR / XeSS)
The biggest gain in the game. Compatible with almost any modern GPU.
DLSS Quality (añadido en 2024)
+22% FPSBattlestate Games added DLSS in 2024 and it works well. Quality at 1080p has barely any visual cost. Recommended on any RTX.
FSR 2 Quality
+18% FPSFor AMD and NVIDIA GTX. Gives decent gains with acceptable visual quality. Fast movement can show artifacts.
DLSS Frame Generation
+0% FPSNOT recommended in Tarkov. Adds input latency — unacceptable in a competitive PvP shooter. Better to avoid even if your RTX 40 supports it.
4. Tips by GPU
NVIDIA
- •Set 'EscapeFromTarkov.exe' to High priority in Task Manager (Details → right-click → Set priority → High).
- •In the NVIDIA panel, disable 'Low Latency Mode' for Tarkov (causes more stutter than benefit).
- •NVIDIA Reflex compatible — enable it, reduces input lag at no FPS cost.
AMD
- •Disable ULPS (Ultra Low Power State) in Radeon Adrenalin — Tarkov suffers micro-stutters with ULPS active.
- •Enable Anti-Lag+ if your GPU supports it (RDNA 3 and higher).
- •In Adrenalin, disable all 'Image Enhancement' features — they can interfere with the game's TAA.
Sistema
- •32 GB RAM gives +20% FPS in Streets of Tarkov vs 16 GB. It's the most cost-effective upgrade for Tarkov.
- •NVMe SSD is MANDATORY. The game loads assets in real time during the raid; HDD causes constant stutter.
- •Close ALL overlay software (Discord overlay, RTSS, MSI Afterburner display, GeForce Experience). They can cost 10-15% FPS.
5. Known game issues
CPU bottleneck in Streets of Tarkov and Lighthouse
These two maps have a CPU-imposed FPS ceiling. No graphics setting fixes it. If your processor is older than Ryzen 3000 / Intel 10th gen, expect 40-50 FPS maximum on these maps.
Memory leaks in long raids
Sessions of more than 40 minutes can spike RAM usage. Fix: extract and return to lobby every 2-3 raids to free memory.
Stuttering when opening inventory
It's game code (item verification). Can't be 100% fixed through settings, but NVMe + 32 GB RAM reduce it significantly.
Crashes when changing maps
Common with old GPU drivers. Make sure you have drivers from the last 30 days.
6. Frequently asked questions
Can I play Tarkov with an RTX 3050?▾
Do I really need 32 GB of RAM?▾
Why does the game stutter?▾
Is DLSS worth it in Tarkov?▾
Want to know exactly how many FPS YOUR PC will get?
Enter your GPU and CPU in our calculator and measure the real impact of each setting.
Calculations based on consensus of technical sources and our own FPS model. More about our methodology →