How to improve FPS in Marvel Rivals (PC)
Marvel Rivals is a 6v6 hero shooter built on Unreal Engine 5, with Lumen global illumination, destructible environments, and more than 40 heroes with very flashy abilities. That technical ambition comes at a cost: in competitive mode what matters is keeping FPS high and stable so you don't lose reaction duels against Spider-Man, Iron Fist, or Psylocke, so this guide prioritizes smoothness and visual clarity over graphical spectacle.
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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 +26% free FPS.
Global Illumination (Lumen)
Lumen recalculates indirect lighting in real time and is by far the most expensive setting in the game. Dropping it to SSGI Low swaps the full light bounce for a much cheaper screen-space approximation, barely noticeable in the frantic pace of a match.
Reflection Quality
Lumen-traced reflections double the cost of regular reflections. In a competitive shooter nobody's looking at puddles or the polished floor of Tokyo 2099; SSR gives an almost identical result at a fraction of the cost.
Shadow Quality
Dynamic shadows on characters and destructible scenery hit hard in scenes with a lot of broken geometry (Tokyo, Klyntar). Lowering them doesn't affect reading enemy silhouettes, which is what actually matters for aiming.
Shader Compilation Mode (launcher)
This PC launcher option limits shader recompilation to the first launch after an update, reducing pressure on RAM. Combined with waiting in the lobby until the compilation bar hits 100%, it avoids the harsh stutters of the first few minutes of a match.
Frame Generation (DLSS3/FSR3)
Frame Generation inflates the FPS counter but adds noticeable input latency, something critical in precision duels against high-mobility heroes like Spider-Man or Black Panther. Turning it off gains perceived stability.
2. Medium impact settings
Here's where most of the FPS is. Minor visual impact, major performance impact.
Post Processing
Motion blur, exaggerated bloom, and vignetting make it harder to track fast targets and cost performance without adding anything useful in combat. Lowering this setting improves both FPS and clarity for tracking characters like Wolverine on a charge.
Effects Quality
Ultimate abilities (Doctor Strange's beam, Scarlet Witch's field) generate a massive number of simultaneous particles in 6v6 fights. Lowering this setting prevents the sudden FPS drops right at the moments of highest tension.
Environment Destructibility / Environment Detail
Destructible environments (Tokyo buildings, Yggsgard structures) generate expensive fragment physics. Lowering environment detail doesn't remove gameplay destructibility, it just simplifies the visual simulation of the debris.
View Distance / Detail Distance
Lowering detail distance reduces the cost of rendering distant objects on large maps like Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, without affecting visibility of enemies within relevant combat range.
Anti-Aliasing (TSR/AA)
Unreal Engine 5's TSR is more expensive than traditional TAA. If you're already using DLSS/FSR/XeSS you can let the upscaler handle anti-aliasing and lower this setting without losing much sharpness.
3. Upscaling (DLSS / FSR / XeSS)
The biggest gain in the game. Compatible with almost any modern GPU.
DLSS (NVIDIA)
+30% FPSMarvel Rivals natively supports DLSS Super Resolution. In 'Balanced' or 'Performance' mode it noticeably improves framerate on RTX 20/30/40, with Ray Reconstruction available on RTX 40 to smooth out Lumen noise. Bump sharpening to ~80 to compensate for the loss of clarity.
FSR 3 (AMD)
+25% FPSFSR 3 works on any GPU (including NVIDIA and Intel) and offers a resolution-based performance jump similar to DLSS, though with a bit more noise on fine edges like hair or webs. Keep FSR3 Frame Generation off in competitive because of the input lag.
XeSS (Intel)
+22% FPSAn AI upscaling alternative for Intel Arc GPUs, also compatible with other brands. Performs slightly below DLSS in image quality at the same resolution percentage, but is still a better option than manually lowering native resolution.
Dynamic Resolution
+15% FPSAdjusts internal resolution in real time to keep a target framerate stable. Useful as a safety net in fights with 6 simultaneous ultimates where the engine suffers unpredictable load spikes.
4. Tips by GPU
NVIDIA
- •Enable Reflex in-game to reduce input latency, especially if you're using DLSS or Frame Generation.
- •Use the newest DLSS compatibility mode via DLSS Override in the NVIDIA App if the game's preset falls behind after a patch.
- •Enable Resizable BAR and Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling in Windows: both help in scenes with a lot of destructible geometry.
AMD
- •Update to the latest Adrenalin drivers: Marvel Rivals gets AMD-specific optimizations in nearly every season because of its heavy use of Lumen.
- •Enable Anti-Lag+ (or Anti-Lag 2 depending on GPU generation) to offset latency if you're using Frame Generation in casual mode.
- •On RDNA2/RDNA3 cards with tight VRAM (8GB), lower Effects Quality before Texture Quality to free up memory without losing texture sharpness.
Sistema
- •Close overlays from Discord, Steam, GeForce Experience, and screen recorders: they interrupt CPU threads right during shader compilation spikes.
- •With 16GB of RAM or less, enable the launcher's 'Switch Shader Compilation Mode' to avoid the memory-pressure freezes reported by a good chunk of the Steam community.
- •Install the game on an SSD (ideally NVMe): shader loading and texture streaming of destructible scenery hits hard on an HDD.
5. Known game issues
Shader compilation stutter at launch or after patches
As with most Unreal Engine 5 games, the first time certain effects or maps load after an update, noticeable micro-stutters occur. The launcher's 'Switch Shader Compilation Mode' and waiting for the precompilation bar to hit 100% in the lobby mitigate much of the problem, though it doesn't remove it entirely.
FPS drops at 4K on high settings due to Lumen's cost
In independent testing, even high-end GPUs (RTX 4080) drop to 40 FPS at native 4K with everything maxed out due to the combined cost of Lumen GI and reflections. Lowering Global Illumination and Reflection Quality fixes most of the drop.
VRAM and RAM usage spikes with high textures
On systems with 16GB of RAM or less, and GPUs with 8GB of VRAM, occasional freezes have been reported, attributed to memory pressure during shader recompilation. Lowering Texture Quality to High (not Ultra) and enabling the launcher's limited compilation mode reduces how often these freezes occur.
6. Frequently asked questions
Is it worth enabling Lumen in Marvel Rivals for competitive play?▾
Why does the game freeze for a few seconds right after updating Marvel Rivals?▾
Do DLSS or FSR Frame Generation give a real advantage in Marvel Rivals?▾
What setting should I lower first if my PC is struggling for FPS in Marvel Rivals?▾
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Calculate FPS for Marvel Rivals →Calculations based on consensus of technical sources and our own FPS model. More about our methodology →