How to improve FPS in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PC)
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice runs on an evolution of FromSoftware's proprietary engine used across the Dark Souls series, making it a lightweight game that runs smoothly on virtually any PC from the last decade. The challenge isn't squeezing out extra FPS, it's not breaking anything: Sekiro's combat depends on a Posture system and millisecond-precise parries against the grappling hook and enemies like Genichiro Ashina or the mini-bosses of Sengoku-era Japan. Here the priority is minimizing input lag and keeping the framerate stable, not maximizing visual detail.
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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 +14% free FPS.
Motion Blur
Motion blur adds nothing to Sekiro's fast combat and adds a slight, unnecessary post-processing load.
Depth of Field
Depth of field in cutscenes and item menus consumes resources without improving combat readability.
Anti-Aliasing
The game's native TAA generates a slight blurring effect in motion and also costs more performance than FXAA, without much improvement to jaggies.
Shadow Quality
Dynamic shadows on High/Ultra have a disproportionate cost for what they add visually in forested areas and temples.
V-Sync
With the internal 60 FPS cap, V-Sync adds extra input lag with no real benefit if you're already limiting the framerate another way (NVIDIA/AMD panel or a G-Sync/FreeSync monitor).
2. Medium impact settings
Here's where most of the FPS is. Minor visual impact, major performance impact.
Texture Quality
Dropping from High to Medium frees up some VRAM on cards with little memory, but the visual impact on armor and Japanese architecture detail is noticeable.
Ambient Occlusion
Ambient occlusion on Ultra adds very subtle contact shading in forested areas; dropping it to Medium frees performance with minimal visual loss.
Reflection Quality
Reflections on ponds and wet surfaces (very present in Ashina) have a higher cost than expected for a 2019 engine.
Volumetric Effects / Fog
Dense volumetric fog in areas like the Sunken Valley or the bamboo forest has a strong visual impact, but it also costs more FPS than other similar options.
Character/Enemy Model Quality
Enemy and boss model quality has little performance impact, but it does affect the visual readability of attack animations, key for parrying.
3. Upscaling (DLSS / FSR / XeSS)
The biggest gain in the game. Compatible with almost any modern GPU.
Native resolution + GPU driver scaling
+8% FPSSekiro doesn't include DLSS, FSR, or XeSS out of the box, being a 2019 engine predating the popularization of these technologies. The only real "upscaling" route is rendering at a lower internal resolution (for example 1440p on a 4K panel) and letting the monitor's or GPU driver's scaling complete the image, or using hardware scaling from NVIDIA/AMD (Image Scaling / RSR) from the control panel.
Unofficial upscaling mods
+10% FPSCommunity mods exist (based on Special-K or similar injectors) that add DLSS/FSR unofficially, but they're unstable, can conflict with anti-cheat if playing online (not applicable in pure PvE), and aren't supported by FromSoftware. Use at your own risk and only in offline sessions.
4. Tips by GPU
NVIDIA
- •Enable Image Scaling in the NVIDIA panel to render below native resolution and gain extra FPS without losing too much sharpness, since the game doesn't come with its own DLSS.
- •Force Low Latency Mode to "Ultra" from the control panel: since there's no adjustable cap, reducing the render queue helps parry timing feel more precise.
- •GPUs from a GTX 1060 onward run the game at a locked 60 FPS in 1080p Ultra without breaking a sweat; on RTX cards there's no ray tracing to take advantage of since the game doesn't support it.
AMD
- •Enable Radeon Super Resolution (RSR) or Radeon Image Sharpening from Adrenalin to make up for the lack of native FSR in the game.
- •Use Radeon Anti-Lag to reduce input latency, especially relevant given how tight Sekiro's parry timing is.
- •With an RX 580 or higher the game reaches a stable 60 FPS at 1080p without needing to touch almost any graphics settings.
Sistema
- •Cap the framerate at exactly 60 FPS from your GPU driver or with RTSS instead of relying only on the game's internal V-Sync, to reduce input lag.
- •Disable third-party overlays (Discord, GeForce Experience, Xbox Game Bar) that could introduce micro-stutters during boss fights.
- •Install the game on an SSD: load times after dying (something very frequent in Sekiro) are drastically reduced compared to an HDD.
5. Known game issues
60 FPS cap and mods to unlock it
The game's engine ties animation physics, enemy attack timing, and certain timed events (like specific boss combos) to 60 FPS. Unofficial mods that unlock the framerate cause these events to run faster or slower than intended, breaking combat balance and parry timing. FromSoftware has never officially patched this limitation.
Stutters when loading new areas or during texture streaming
On mechanical hard drives and in some setups with outdated drivers, micro-stutters can appear when entering new map zones or during the first texture loads of an area. Installing the game on an SSD and keeping GPU drivers updated mitigates the problem almost entirely.
Estado: Not officially fixed; mitigated by the community with an SSD and updated drivers
6. Frequently asked questions
Why is Sekiro capped at 60 FPS and I can't raise it further?▾
What GPU do I need for a stable 60 FPS at 1080p?▾
Is it worth using the mod to unlock FPS above 60?▾
Does Sekiro support DLSS or FSR?▾
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Calculate FPS for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice →Calculations based on consensus of technical sources and our own FPS model. More about our methodology →