How to improve FPS in Overwatch 2 (PC)
Overwatch 2 runs on its proprietary engine inherited from the original Overwatch, one of the lightest and best-optimized shooters on the market: any entry-level GPU clears 100 FPS at 1080p on low settings. Here the conversation isn't about "making it playable," it's about squeezing out every possible FPS to lower input lag in competitive mode, where the difference between 144 and 240+ FPS shows up in every headshot and every ability dodge. This guide prioritizes the settings that affect smoothness and visual clarity for spotting enemies among the flashy effects of heroes like Genji, Sombra, or Kiriko.
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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 +18% free FPS.
Render Scale
Controls the internal render resolution relative to output resolution. Dropping it slightly below 100% improves performance without degrading sharpness too much, especially on high-resolution displays.
Texture Quality
Reduces the resolution of textures loaded into video memory. Has little performance impact except on GPUs with limited VRAM, but it frees up resources to keep framerate stable.
Local Dynamic Shadows
Disables the shadows abilities and projectiles cast in real time, one of the effects that generates the most punctual load during team fights with multiple abilities active at once.
Ambient Occlusion
Removes contact shading between objects and surfaces. It's one of the heaviest effects relative to its real visual impact in the game.
Screen Space Reflections (SSR)
Disables real-time reflections on wet surfaces, glass, and metal. A purely cosmetic effect that offers no competitive advantage.
2. Medium impact settings
Here's where most of the FPS is. Minor visual impact, major performance impact.
Antialiasing
Smooths jagged edges on models and geometry. In Overwatch 2, the High mode has a notable performance cost for a moderate visual improvement.
Effects Quality
Reduces the density of ability particles like Zarya's ultimate, Junker Queen's smoke, or Lifeweaver's effects. Lowering it helps both FPS and distinguishing enemies amid the visual chaos.
Distant Hero Models
Reduces the level of detail on character models when they're far from the camera, mainly affecting scenarios with many players visible at range like Push or Escort.
Environment Detail
Controls the density of vegetation, debris, and decorative elements in the scenery. On maps like Route 66 or Ilios it reduces geometric load without affecting gameplay.
Depth of Field
Disables the blur applied to out-of-focus elements in the game's cinematics and spectator mode. No impact on active gameplay but frees up resources during loading screens and kill cams.
3. Upscaling (DLSS / FSR / XeSS)
The biggest gain in the game. Compatible with almost any modern GPU.
NVIDIA DLSS
+15% FPSOverwatch 2 supports DLSS on RTX GPUs, though being such a lightweight game it's rarely necessary except at 4K with ray tracing enabled in spectator mode or on very low-end GPUs. Its real value in competitive play is limited since it can introduce extra micro-latency compared to native rendering.
AMD FSR
+12% FPSA universal alternative for AMD and Intel GPUs. Like DLSS, its impact is marginal on most setups because the game already runs well above 144 FPS natively even on modest hardware; it only adds value at 4K or ultra-high-resolution displays.
4. Tips by GPU
NVIDIA
- •Enable NVIDIA Reflex in the game's video menu: it directly reduces input lag at no FPS cost, critical in a precision shooter like this one.
- •Update to the latest Game Ready drivers before each competitive season, since they usually include Overwatch 2-specific optimizations.
- •On high-end GPUs (RTX 4070 and up), only unlock the FPS limit above 240 if your monitor supports it; otherwise cap the framerate to avoid unnecessary power draw.
AMD
- •Enable Radeon Anti-Lag (or Anti-Lag+ on RDNA3) from Adrenalin software to reduce input latency equivalently to Reflex.
- •Use Radeon Chill cautiously in competitive play: it can introduce unwanted FPS fluctuations during intense fights, better to disable it in Ranked mode.
- •Ryzen CPUs with lots of cache (X3D) barely make a difference in Overwatch 2 over a standard Ryzen, since the game is heavily GPU-bound except in scenarios above 300 FPS.
Sistema
- •Cap max framerate to your monitor's refresh rate (or slightly below) if you play with V-Sync disabled, to avoid tearing without sacrificing input lag.
- •Close third-party overlays (Discord, GeForce Experience, background browsers) since Overwatch 2 is so lightweight these processes can cause perceptible micro-stutter.
- •Enable the "High performance" power plan in Windows and disable GPU power saving to avoid clock drops during long matches.
5. Known game issues
Micro-stutter after season updates
Every new season tends to introduce punctual stutter tied to shader compilation the first time new maps or heroes load. It usually disappears after the first few matches of the season.
CPU spikes in spectator mode and Replays
Spectator mode and replay review consume noticeably more CPU than a normal match, which can cause FPS drops while reviewing clips on systems with older processors.
Estado: Partially mitigated in 2025 updates, still reported on official forums
6. Frequently asked questions
Do I need a powerful GPU to play Overwatch 2 at high FPS?▾
Is it worth enabling DLSS or FSR in Overwatch 2?▾
Which setting has the biggest impact on seeing enemies better?▾
Do Reflex or Anti-Lag really make a difference in Overwatch 2?▾
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 Overwatch 2 →Calculations based on consensus of technical sources and our own FPS model. More about our methodology →