How to improve FPS in Forza Horizon 6 (PC)
Forza Horizon 6 launches in great shape on PC with full DLSS 4, FSR 4 and XeSS 2.1 support, plus Ray-Traced Global Illumination (RTGI) and RT reflections. Its built-in benchmark lets you tune settings precisely, and most options scale very well. This guide compiles recommendations from Wccftech, TechSpot, DSOGaming and the official Forza support docs, mapping every setting to the FPS gain you'll see on your hardware.
This is what you'd gain with a NVIDIA RTX 4060
Calculations based on our FPS model combined with the % gain of each setting (measured in public benchmarks).
1. Quick wins (no visual loss)
Start here. Each one adds a little, but together they give +10% free FPS.
Motion Blur
Motion blur in high-speed racing can be disorienting and softens the image. Off cleans things up and saves a couple of FPS.
Film Grain
Purely aesthetic effect that adds visual noise. Off by default in technical guides.
VSync
VSync adds noticeable input latency in a racing game. Use Off with G-Sync/FreeSync if your monitor supports it, or cap FPS manually below your refresh rate.
Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration blurs edges. Most players prefer it disabled.
2. Medium impact settings
Here's where most of the FPS is. Minor visual impact, major performance impact.
Volumetric Fog Quality
Volumetric fog at Ultra eats ~10% of FPS and the visual difference vs Medium is minimal during gameplay. Best cost/benefit setting.
Shadow Quality
Shadows at Ultra cost ~15% of performance. High keeps almost all the visual quality and is indistinguishable on screen at racing speeds.
Shader Quality
Shader quality at High keeps most of the car and environment detail with lower GPU cost.
Car LOD
Detail level of distant cars. Ultra draws high-poly models at distance. High is indistinguishable except in cinematic replays.
Ray-Traced Global Illumination
RTGI is the most expensive setting in the game — can cost 25% of FPS — but also the one that improves lighting the most. If your GPU can handle it, leave it at High; if you can't hit 60 FPS, Off. Avoid Ultra unless you have an RTX 4080+.
3. Upscaling (DLSS / FSR / XeSS)
The biggest gain in the game. Compatible with almost any modern GPU.
DLSS 4 Quality (NVIDIA RTX 20-series y superior)
+30% FPSAt 1080p Quality is practically lossless and gives +25-30% FPS. DLAA recommended if your GPU has headroom and you want max visual quality.
DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation (RTX 50-series)
+120% FPSGenerates multiple intermediate frames. Can more than double apparent FPS. Requires a ≥60 FPS base for latency to be acceptable.
DLSS Frame Generation (RTX 40-series)
+75% FPSClassic Frame Generation. Nearly doubles apparent FPS but needs ~60 FPS base for latency not to interfere in racing.
FSR 4 Quality (AMD RX 7000+ y NVIDIA no-RTX)
+22% FPSFSR 4 noticeably improves upscaling quality vs FSR 2/3 and works on non-NVIDIA GPUs. Note: AMD FSR Frame Generation is NOT available in FH6 at launch.
XeSS 2.1 Quality (Intel Arc)
+22% FPSSpecific to Arc cards, gives gains similar to FSR Quality. Requires recent Intel drivers. Frame Generation not supported for Intel in FH6.
4. Tips by GPU
NVIDIA
- •Enable Shader Cache Size = Unlimited in NVIDIA Control Panel (Manage 3D Settings). Documented +15% FPS uplift tested on RTX 4070.
- •Resizable BAR (ReBAR) on by default in RTX 30-series and above; verify in GeForce Experience.
- •DLSS 4 Quality is the best upscaling option. DLAA if your GPU has headroom and you want maximum quality.
- •If you have an RTX 50-series, try DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation — it's the showcase for the new tech.
AMD
- •Use FSR 4 (not FSR 2/3) — the upscaling quality is noticeably better in FH6.
- •Enable Smart Access Memory (SAM) in BIOS if your board supports it.
- •Important: AMD FSR Frame Generation is NOT available in FH6 at launch, so don't expect that feature.
- •RX 7000/9000 cards underperform vs NVIDIA equivalents in this title — consider dropping 1 setting tier vs a generic guide.
Intel
- •XeSS 2.1 Quality is the best upscaling option for Arc — works great on A770 and B580.
- •Keep Arc drivers up to date — Intel improves FH6 performance in every release.
- •Frame Generation is not supported for Intel in FH6 at launch.
Sistema
- •Use the built-in benchmark (menu Settings → Benchmark) to tune settings to your exact hardware.
- •Install the game on NVMe SSD whenever possible — reduces stuttering from asset streaming.
- •Cap FPS below your refresh rate (e.g. 141 if you have 144 Hz) to reduce latency and power consumption.
- •Close unnecessary overlays (Discord, GeForce Experience, MSI Afterburner OSD) — they help with the CPU bottleneck.
5. Known game issues
VRAM memory leak in long sessions
The game accumulates +1.5 GB of VRAM every 45 min of continuous driving. When it fills up, it swaps to system RAM and causes severe micro-stuttering. Fix: restart the game every hour, or go to graphics menu → toggle Ray Tracing Off → Save → On to free memory.
Shader compilation stutter in first 30 min
In the first session the game compiles shaders in the background while you play, causing sporadic stutters. After ~30 min it disappears permanently.
Estado: Intentional behavior, not a bug
CPU bottleneck at 1080p even with top GPUs
At 1080p even an RTX 5090 is CPU-limited — the engine uses up to 10 cores. If you have a powerful GPU and care about latency, push resolution to 1440p to feed the GPU.
AMD-specific stuttering
Steam threads report stuttering on AMD GPUs that improves by disabling RT, updating Adrenalin drivers to the latest version and disabling global Anti-Lag.
Estado: Improved with Adrenalin 26.x+ drivers
GPU underutilization in empty scenes
In some areas GPU usage drops for no apparent reason and FPS is lower than expected. Usually background shader compilation. If it persists, verify file integrity.
6. Frequently asked questions
Can I play Forza Horizon 6 with an RTX 4060?▾
How much VRAM do I need?▾
Why does the game stutter at startup?▾
DLSS, FSR or XeSS — which do I use?▾
Should I enable Frame Generation?▾
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.
Calculate FPS for Forza Horizon 6 →Calculations based on consensus of technical sources and our own FPS model. More about our methodology →