How to improve FPS in Genshin Impact (PC)
Genshin Impact is HoYoverse's gacha open world, combining elemental combat with constant exploration across increasingly larger regions: Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, and whatever arrives with each new update. Since it was designed from the ground up for mobile and console, the PC client carried limitations for years that had nothing to do with hardware power and everything to do with options-menu design choices. Here we go over which settings really move the needle on framerate, what the community does to unlock the 60fps cap, and how to get the most out of your GPU without sacrificing readability of the cel-shaded art style.
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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 +32% free FPS.
FPS Unlocker (community tool)
Although it isn't a setting inside the game itself, this is the most important step for any PC player: the "Genshin Impact FPS Unlocker" is an open-source utility that removes the official client's artificial 60fps cap.
Shadow Quality
Dynamic shadows in Genshin constantly recalculate with the movement of the sun, vegetation, and characters, and they're one of the biggest performance drains in the game's modified Unity engine.
Volumetric Fog
Volumetric fog stands out especially in areas like Sumeru's swamps or Fontaine's caves, where the engine calculates light scattering in real time.
Reflection Quality
With the arrival of Fontaine and its extensive water areas, calculating water reflections went from a cosmetic detail to a real performance cost.
Anti-Aliasing
Edge smoothing in Genshin is relatively light compared to other engines, but at low resolutions or with the FPS Unlocker active, the accumulated cost can become noticeable.
2. Medium impact settings
Here's where most of the FPS is. Minor visual impact, major performance impact.
Environment/Grass Density
Vegetation density is responsible for a good chunk of the stutters when entering new zones, especially in Sumeru's forest.
Character Quality
This setting controls the detail of character meshes and textures, something especially relevant in team fights or the Spiral Abyss.
Render Resolution
Lowering the internal render percentage relative to output resolution directly reduces GPU load, making it one of the highest-impact FPS settings in the whole game.
Particle Effects
Elemental reactions generate particles that multiply exponentially when several characters use their ultimates at once, something common in the Spiral Abyss.
3. Upscaling (DLSS / FSR / XeSS)
The biggest gain in the game. Compatible with almost any modern GPU.
AMD FSR
+20% FPSHoYoverse added native AMD FSR support to the PC client in updates after launch, allowing you to render at a lower internal resolution and upscale while preserving the edges of the cel-shaded style reasonably well. As of now there's no confirmed native support for NVIDIA DLSS or Intel XeSS in the official PC client.
4. Tips by GPU
NVIDIA
- •Enable low-power/optimal-performance mode in the NVIDIA control panel for Genshin Impact, since the game doesn't stress modern cards.
- •If you're running the FPS Unlocker above 120fps, enable V-Sync at the driver level instead of in-game to avoid tearing without reintroducing the 60fps cap.
- •GPUs with at least 6GB of VRAM won't have texture streaming issues when crossing between regions like Sumeru and Fontaine.
AMD
- •Enable Radeon Image Sharpening together with the game's native FSR to recover some sharpness in character outlines.
- •On AMD APUs and laptops, prioritize lowering Environment/Grass Density before Render Resolution.
- •Check that Radeon Chill isn't capping your framerate below the FPS Unlocker's target.
Sistema
- •Install the game on an SSD if possible: loading new regions depends more on disk read speed than on CPU or GPU power.
- •Close the HoYoPlay launcher and third-party overlays before playing.
- •If you use the FPS Unlocker, always run it as administrator and verify your antivirus isn't blocking it.
5. Known game issues
60fps cap and lack of native resolution scaling
For years, the official PC client offered neither an FPS unlock nor a real render-resolution slider.
Estado: Recent updates have gradually added native scaling options, though the community unlocker is still needed on many configurations.
FPS drops in the Spiral Abyss with multiple ultimates
When several characters activate their ultimate abilities nearly at the same time, the buildup of elemental reaction particles can cause sharp framerate drops.
Stutters when loading new regions
When entering new zones like Sumeru's forest or Fontaine's underwater areas, the engine has to load and decompress large amounts of assets on the fly.
6. Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to use the Genshin FPS Unlocker?▾
Why doesn't Genshin Impact have DLSS if it uses Unity?▾
Which setting should I lower first if my PC can't hit a stable 60fps?▾
Why does my game stutter only when entering Sumeru or Fontaine?▾
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 Genshin Impact →Calculations based on consensus of technical sources and our own FPS model. More about our methodology →