Season 28 Breach introduced the Hardlight mechanic, Legend reworks for Fuse, Bloodhound, and Catalyst, and new visual effects that can tank your FPS if your settings aren’t optimized. Whether you’re pushing Predator or just want smooth gameplay, here are the best Apex Legends settings for Season 28 in 2026 — tuned for maximum FPS and competitive visibility.
Video Settings (Most Impact on FPS)
These settings have the biggest performance impact. Start here.
| Setting | Competitive (Max FPS) | Balanced (Quality + FPS) |
|---|---|---|
| Display Mode | Full Screen | Full Screen |
| Resolution | Native (1920×1080 or 2560×1440) | Native |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 or 4:3 stretched | 16:9 |
| V-Sync | Off | Off |
| Adaptive Resolution FPS Target | 0 (disabled) | 0 (disabled) |
| Anti-Aliasing | Off or TSAA | TSAA |
| Texture Streaming Budget | 2-4 GB (match your VRAM) | 4-6 GB |
| Texture Filtering | Bilinear | Anisotropic 4x |
| Ambient Occlusion Quality | Disabled | Low |
| Sun Shadow Coverage | Low | Low |
| Sun Shadow Detail | Low | Medium |
| Spot Shadow Detail | Disabled | Low |
| Volumetric Lighting | Disabled | Disabled |
| Dynamic Spot Shadows | Disabled | Disabled |
| Model Detail | Low | Medium |
| Effects Detail | Low | Medium |
| Impact Marks | Disabled | Low |
| Ragdolls | Low | Medium |
Key takeaways:
– Volumetric Lighting is the biggest FPS killer — always disable it
– Dynamic Spot Shadows disabled gives 10-15% FPS improvement
– Sun Shadow Coverage/Detail on Low is enough to see player shadows without the performance hit
– Texture Streaming Budget should match your GPU VRAM — setting it higher than your VRAM causes stuttering
GPU-Specific Configurations
NVIDIA (RTX 3060 and above)
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA Reflex | Enabled + Boost |
| Max Frame Rate (NVCP) | Uncapped or monitor refresh rate |
| Power Management Mode | Prefer Maximum Performance |
| Shader Cache Size | 10 GB |
| Threaded Optimization | On |
NVIDIA Reflex is mandatory for competitive Apex. It reduces input lag by 20-30ms at higher framerates. Always set it to Enabled + Boost — “Enabled” alone doesn’t apply the GPU boost that minimizes render queue delay.
AMD (RX 6600 and above)
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Anti-Lag | Enabled |
| Radeon Boost | Enabled (set minimum resolution to 80%) |
| Surface Format Optimization | Enabled |
| Shader Cache | AMD Optimized |
| Power Tuning | Manual (max) |
AMD Anti-Lag is the AMD equivalent of NVIDIA Reflex. Enable it for reduced input latency. Radeon Boost dynamically lowers resolution during fast movement — you won’t notice the quality drop but you’ll feel the FPS gain.
Best Launch Options
Right-click Apex Legends in Steam > Properties > Launch Options. Add:
+fps_max 0 -novid -preload
+fps_max 0— Uncaps framerate (override in NVCP if needed)-novid— Skips intro video for faster launch-preload— Preloads game assets to reduce mid-match stuttering
For low-end systems, also add:
+cl_showfps 1 -malloc=system -USEALLAVAILABLECORES
Hardlight Mechanic and FPS
Season 28’s Hardlight mechanic adds destructible and repairable glowing windows on certain maps. These translucent surfaces render additional light passes that can drop FPS by 5-15% in specific areas.
Optimization for Hardlight:
– Keep Effects Detail on Low — this reduces Hardlight glow intensity and the associated rendering cost
– Volumetric Lighting Disabled prevents Hardlight from casting volumetric light rays (major FPS saver)
– The FPS impact is localized — you’ll notice it on maps with Hardlight structures, not everywhere
Display and Input Settings
| Setting | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| FOV | 104-110 | Wider vision = see more enemies. 110 is the pro standard. |
| Sprint View Shake | Minimal | Less visual noise while running |
| Mouse Sensitivity | 1.0-2.0 at 800 DPI | Most pros use 800 DPI with 1.0-1.8 in-game |
| ADS Sensitivity Multiplier | 1.0 | Consistent feel between hip-fire and ADS |
| Mouse Acceleration | Off | Always off for competitive play |
FOV at 110 is non-negotiable for competitive Apex. The peripheral vision advantage is massive in a game where third-partying is constant. If you’re playing on 90 FOV, you’re getting killed by enemies you literally can’t see.
Windows Optimizations for Apex
Beyond in-game settings, these Windows-level tweaks help:
- Game Mode — Windows Settings > Gaming > Game Mode > On
- Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling — Windows Settings > Display > Graphics > Enable HAGS
- Disable Fullscreen Optimizations — Right-click apex_client.exe > Properties > Compatibility > Check “Disable fullscreen optimizations”
- High Performance Power Plan — Control Panel > Power Options > High Performance
For a complete system-level guide, see our universal FPS optimization guide and input lag reduction guide.
Expected FPS by GPU
With the competitive settings above at 1080p:
| GPU | Expected FPS |
|---|---|
| RTX 3060 / RX 6600 XT | 144-180 |
| RTX 3070 / RX 6700 XT | 180-240 |
| RTX 4060 / RX 7600 | 200-260 |
| RTX 4070 / RX 7700 XT | 240-300+ |
| RTX 4080 / RX 7900 XT | 300+ |
| RTX 5060 / RX 9070 | 220-280 |
| RTX 5070 / RX 9070 XT | 280-360+ |
At 1440p, expect roughly 25-35% lower FPS. For CPU recommendations, check our gaming CPU tier list.
Final Thoughts
The best Apex Legends settings for Season 28 Breach prioritize framerate and input lag over visual quality. Disable Volumetric Lighting and Dynamic Spot Shadows, enable NVIDIA Reflex or AMD Anti-Lag, set FOV to 110, and keep effects low to minimize the Hardlight FPS impact. Apex is a game where seeing enemies first and reacting faster wins fights — your settings should reflect that. Looks don’t matter when you’re in the kill feed.
