Introduction
Code Vein II, released on January 29 2026, pushes the limits of Unreal Engine 5 with its open‑world design and high‑octane combat. Even on high‑end rigs, default graphics presets often sacrifice performance or visual fidelity. This guide breaks down each graphics option, shows the impact on FPS and VRAM, and provides a ready‑to‑use optimized settings table.
Why You Need to Tweak Settings
The game is GPU‑bound at 1440p with Temporal Super Resolution (TSR) enabled. Default “max” presets can drop framerates below the target, especially in dense combat or open‑world scenes. Fine‑tuning the GPU‑intensive options restores a smoother experience without dramatically lowering visual quality.
Recommended Optimized Settings Overview
- Draw Distance: Farthest
- Anti‑Aliasing / Render Scaling: Use your vendor’s preferred upscaler (DLSS for NVIDIA, TSR for AMD/Intel) at 100 % render scale.
- Post‑Processing: Choose the level you prefer; performance impact is minimal.
- TSR Quality: Medium
- Shadow Quality: Medium (bump to High if you see flickering)
- Texture Quality: Keep at default; ensure ≥8 GB VRAM.
- Effects Quality: Medium
- Material Quality: Medium
- Depth of Field: Personal preference (affects only cutscenes).
- Global Illumination: Medium
- Character Model: High
Detailed Setting Breakdown
- Draw Distance – Controls how far assets appear. Low levels cause pop‑in; performance difference is negligible. Use “Farthest”.
- Anti‑Aliasing & Render Scaling – Determines upscaling method. NVIDIA users should enable DLSS Super Resolution; AMD/Intel users get the best results with UE5’s native TSR. Avoid FSR 3.1 due to softness.
- Post‑Processing – Includes bloom, depth of field, lens flare, chromatic aberration. Visual impact varies by taste; performance impact is small.
- TSR Quality – Affects the quality of UE5’s temporal upscaling. “Medium” offers a solid balance.
- Shadow Quality – “Medium” gives the best performance/visual ratio. Switch to “High” only if you notice flickering; “Highest” is overkill for most rigs.
- Texture Quality – No noticeable change across levels; VRAM usage stays ~8 GB at 1440p on RTX 4090. GPUs with <8 GB VRAM may suffer stutter.
- Effects Quality – Controls particle and transparency fidelity. “Medium” is sufficient for most players.
- Material Quality – Influences specular highlights and reflections. “Low” is fastest but looks washed out in rain; “Medium” balances quality and cost.
- Depth of Field – Only affects cutscenes (locked at 30 FPS). Choose based on personal preference.
- Global Illumination (GI) – UE5 Lumen’s indirect lighting. “Medium” provides good lighting without the heavy cost of the highest settings.
- Character Model – No measurable performance impact; set to “High” for best character detail.
How to Apply the Settings
Open the graphics menu, navigate to each subsection, and select the recommended level listed above. Save the preset and restart the game to ensure all changes take effect.
Performance Gains
Using the optimized preset versus the default max settings yields roughly a 34 % increase in average FPS and a 19 % boost in 1 % low FPS, while preserving most visual fidelity.
Additional Tips
- Combine the preset with a lower input resolution and TSR to push framerates even higher.
- Stable GPU overclocking can further improve consistency.
- If you need extra smoothness, consider third‑party frame‑generation mods (FSR Frame Generation, XeSS Frame Generation via OptiScaler, or driver‑based solutions like NVIDIA Smooth Motion or AMD AFMF 2.1).
Conclusion
Code Vein II’s default graphics settings favor visual spectacle over performance, but with the adjustments above you can enjoy a fluid experience on a wide range of hardware. While the game still lacks native XeSS and frame‑generation support, smart tweaking of individual settings and temporal upscaling bridges the gap and delivers a satisfying balance between fidelity and smoothness.