How to improve FPS in Starfield (PC)
Starfield is actually reasonably well optimized compared to its reputation — Bethesda's Creation Engine 2 maintains stable frame rates in space and on planets. The real problem is in cities: New Atlantis, Neon, and Akila are designed so densely that they saturate any CPU in their central areas. With the right settings, the difference between 40 and 70 FPS is very real.
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). Calculate your exact FPS with your own hardware →
1. Quick wins (no visual loss)
Start here. Each one adds a little, but together they give +15% free FPS.
Motion Blur
Starfield's motion blur is aggressive, especially during quick turns in space. Off gives a sharper image and frees up GPU.
Depth of Field
Creation Engine 2's depth of field is basic. Off removes the slight blur without any real visual loss.
Lens Flare
Lens flare is particularly annoying in space due to the density of stars and light sources. Off improves visibility and frees GPU.
VSync
VSync adds input latency in Starfield. Disabling it and using the in-game FPS cap gives lower latency and more consistent frame times.
2. Medium impact settings
Here's where most of the FPS is. Minor visual impact, major performance impact.
Contact Shadows
Contact shadows in Starfield have a notable cost, particularly in cities. Off gives a consistent +8% with low visual loss.
Indirect Lighting
Indirect lighting at High/Medium is costly in cities. Low still gives good atmospheric depth to Starfield's interiors at lower overhead.
Particles
Particles during space combat and on planets can stress the GPU. Medium maintains explosion and thruster effects at lower cost.
Shadow Distance
Shadow distance in cities is one of the main contributors to the New Atlantis CPU bottleneck. Medium noticeably frees up load.
Upscaling Sharpness
FSR2 in Starfield has noticeable ghosting on fast movement. Setting sharpness to 80% mitigates the problem at no FPS cost. Critical adjustment for AMD users.
3. Upscaling (DLSS / FSR / XeSS)
The biggest gain in the game. Compatible with almost any modern GPU.
DLSS Quality (NVIDIA RTX 20-series y superior)
+28% FPSDLSS is the best upscaling option in Starfield for NVIDIA. Quality at 1080p gives a clean image and eliminates the artifacts that FSR2 produces.
FSR2 Quality (AMD) — sharpness al 80%
+22% FPSFSR2 works but has ghosting on fast camera movement. Setting sharpness to 80% in the game's upscaling settings reduces the problem. For AMD it's the only option and works well with that adjustment.
XeSS Quality (Intel Arc)
+20% FPSXeSS Quality on Arc gives good results without FSR2's ghosting. Recommended over FSR2 for Arc users.
4. Tips by GPU
NVIDIA
- •DLSS Quality is superior to FSR2 in Starfield — enable it on RTX to avoid FSR2's ghosting artifacts.
- •In cities, the CPU is the bottleneck: updating drivers and closing overlays gives more performance than lowering graphics settings.
- •With an RTX 4060 at 1080p High + DLSS Quality, expect 60-70 FPS in space and on planets, 40-50 in New Atlantis.
AMD
- •FSR2 Quality with sharpness at 80% is the recommended upscaling — it reduces the ghosting present by default.
- •Smart Access Memory (SAM) active: Starfield on Creation Engine 2 benefits from the improved data transfer.
- •In cities, the bottleneck is CPU — not GPU. Lowering graphics settings on AMD doesn't help as much as expected in New Atlantis.
Intel
- •XeSS Quality on Arc B580 delivers better results than FSR2 in Starfield — use it if available.
- •Starfield runs well with current Arc drivers. Keep drivers up to date.
- •The CPU bottleneck in cities affects Intel-based systems equally: an i5-12400 or i7-12700 is plenty for this game outside dense cities.
5. Known game issues
Severe CPU bottleneck in New Atlantis
The center of New Atlantis and commercial areas run scripts and NPC simulations that saturate any CPU. This is a design limitation of the game, not a bug. Outside cities, performance is very good.
FSR2 ghosting on fast movement
FSR2 in Starfield has noticeable ghosting artifacts during fast camera movements in space. Fix: increase Sharpness to 80% in the upscaling settings, or use DLSS if you have NVIDIA RTX.
Long loading times without NVMe SSD
Starfield has dozens of loading screens when traveling between planets. On HDD or SATA SSD, times triple. NVMe SSD is practically mandatory for a smooth experience.
No Ray Tracing support
Creation Engine 2 does not implement Ray Tracing. There are no related artifacts or issues — it simply is not an available option.
6. Frequently asked questions
How many FPS will I get with an RTX 4060 at 1080p?▾
Why do I get 30-40 FPS in cities but 60+ in space?▾
Does Starfield have Ray Tracing?▾
DLSS or FSR2 in Starfield?▾
Do I need an NVMe SSD?▾
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.
Calculations based on consensus of technical sources and our own FPS model. More about our methodology →