ARC Raiders has become one of the most popular extraction shooters on Steam in 2026, and for good reason — Embark Studios built a gorgeous game. But that visual fidelity comes at a cost. If your FPS is tanking during firefights or you can’t spot enemies through the foliage, your settings need work. Here are the best ARC Raiders PC settings for max FPS and competitive visibility.
System Requirements
ARC Raiders is GPU-hungry but surprisingly reasonable on CPU. Here’s what you need:
Minimum (1080p, Low, 60 FPS)
- CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K / AMD Ryzen 5 1600
- RAM: 12 GB
- GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti / AMD RX 580 / Intel Arc A380
- Storage: 50 GB SSD
Recommended (1440p, High, 60 FPS)
- CPU: Intel Core i5-9600K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- RAM: 16 GB
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 2070 / AMD RX 5700 XT / Intel Arc B570
- Storage: 50 GB SSD
If you’re running a budget PC build, you can absolutely play ARC Raiders — just follow the low-tier settings below and lean on DLSS or FSR.
Best Display Settings
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Window Mode | Borderless Fullscreen | Allows fast alt-tabbing without FPS penalty |
| Resolution | Native | Always run your monitor’s native res; use upscaling for FPS gains instead |
| V-Sync | Off | Adds input lag — critical to disable in extraction shooters |
| Frame Rate Limit | 2-3 below refresh rate | Example: 141 FPS on a 144Hz monitor. Prevents frame timing spikes |
| NVIDIA Reflex | On + Boost | Reduces input lag by up to 59%. AMD users: enable Anti-Lag |
| FOV | 90-100 | Higher FOV means better peripheral awareness. Go as high as comfortable |
Turning off V-Sync is non-negotiable in ARC Raiders. In extraction shooters, input lag gets you killed. For more on this topic, check our reduce input lag guide.
Best Upscaling Settings (DLSS / FSR / XeSS)
This is where you get the biggest FPS boost with the smallest visual cost. ARC Raiders supports all three major upscaling technologies.
| Setting | NVIDIA GPUs | AMD GPUs | Intel GPUs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upscaler | DLSS | FSR 3 | XeSS |
| Quality Preset | Balanced (1080p) / Quality (1440p+) | Balanced | Balanced |
| DLSS AI Model | CNN | N/A | N/A |
| Frame Generation | Off | Off | N/A |
Why Balanced over Performance? At 1080p, Performance mode drops the internal render resolution too low and you’ll notice ghosting on fast-moving targets. Balanced gives you 40-50% FPS boost with minimal visual loss.
Why Frame Generation off? It adds significant input latency. The extra “fake” frames look good on a benchmark chart but feel terrible in a firefight. Leave it off for competitive play.
For a deeper dive into how these technologies compare, read our DLSS vs FSR vs XeSS breakdown.
Best Graphics Settings
Here’s the complete settings breakdown for ARC Raiders, tested and optimized for the best balance of FPS and visual clarity.
Performance Preset (Low-End / Competitive)
For GTX 1050 Ti, RX 580, or anyone prioritizing raw FPS above all else.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Textures | Medium |
| Shadows | Low |
| Post-Processing | Low |
| Effects | Low |
| Reflections | Low |
| Foliage | Low |
| View Distance | Medium |
| Global Illumination | Low |
| Ray-Traced GI | Off |
| Motion Blur | Off |
| Depth of Field | Off |
| Lens Flares | Off |
| Film Grain | Off |
| Camera Shake | Off |
Target: 60+ FPS at 1080p with DLSS/FSR Balanced.
Balanced Preset (Mid-Range)
For RTX 3060/4060, RX 6600 XT/7600 — the sweet spot for most players.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Textures | High |
| Shadows | Low |
| Post-Processing | Low |
| Effects | Medium |
| Reflections | Low |
| Foliage | Low |
| View Distance | High |
| Global Illumination | Medium |
| Ray-Traced GI | Off |
| Motion Blur | Off |
| Depth of Field | Off |
| Lens Flares | Off |
| Film Grain | Off |
| Camera Shake | Off |
Target: 100+ FPS at 1080p, 70+ FPS at 1440p with DLSS/FSR Quality.
Quality Preset (High-End)
For RTX 4070+, RX 7800 XT+ — when you want the game to look stunning while staying above 100 FPS.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Textures | Epic |
| Shadows | Medium |
| Post-Processing | Medium |
| Effects | Medium |
| Reflections | Medium |
| Foliage | Low |
| View Distance | High |
| Global Illumination | Medium |
| Ray-Traced GI | Off |
| Motion Blur | Off |
| Depth of Field | Off |
| Lens Flares | Off |
| Film Grain | Off |
| Camera Shake | Off |
Target: 144+ FPS at 1080p, 100+ FPS at 1440p with DLSS Quality.
Why These Settings Matter
Foliage: Always Low
This is the most controversial setting in ARC Raiders. Setting Foliage to Low removes entire bushes and grass patches from the game world, giving you dramatically better visibility. In an extraction shooter where spotting enemies first wins fights, Low Foliage is mandatory for competitive play.
Ray-Traced GI: Always Off
Turning off Ray-Traced Global Illumination alone can boost your frame rate by 30-40%. It’s the single most expensive setting in the game. The visual difference between baked GI and ray-traced GI is subtle at best, and the FPS cost is enormous.
Shadows: Low Even on High-End
Shadows are the second biggest performance hog. Low shadows still look acceptable because ARC Raiders uses screen-space ambient occlusion to maintain depth. Going from Low to Epic shadows costs roughly 20% FPS.
Post-Processing: Low for Clarity
Moving Post-Processing from Low to High costs about 9% performance, but more importantly, it adds bloom, depth-of-field, and heavy visual effects that reduce screen clarity. For competitive play, Low gives you the clearest image.
Extra Performance Tips
Close Background Apps: ARC Raiders is CPU-intensive in multiplayer. Close Chrome, Discord overlay, and streaming software to free up resources.
Enable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS): Go to Windows Settings > System > Display > Graphics > Change default graphics settings. Turn on HAGS. This lets the GPU manage its own video memory, reducing latency.
Enable Resizable BAR: Check your motherboard BIOS settings. Resizable BAR lets the CPU access your entire GPU VRAM at once, improving texture streaming in ARC Raiders.
Set Windows Power Plan to High Performance: Settings > System > Power > High Performance. Prevents CPU throttling during intense firefights.
Monitor Your Bottleneck: Use MSI Afterburner to watch CPU and GPU usage during gameplay. Whichever stays at 90-100% is your bottleneck — use that info to decide whether to lower resolution (GPU bottleneck) or close programs (CPU bottleneck).
Final Thoughts
ARC Raiders is a demanding game, but with the right settings you can hit competitive frame rates on almost any modern hardware. The golden rules: disable ray tracing, keep foliage on Low, lean on DLSS or FSR for free FPS, and turn off every post-processing effect that smears your screen. Your aim will thank you, and so will your extraction loot.
