Best Helldivers 2 Settings for FPS and Performance
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Helldivers 2 looks incredible and runs hard, especially when the screen fills with enemies, stratagems, and explosions. These settings keep your frame rate stable through the chaos so the action stays readable and responsive.
The biggest FPS killers in Helldivers 2 are render scale and the heavy lighting/cloud effects. Tame those and your frames stabilize.
Best Helldivers 2 video settings
Set these in Options → Display and Graphics:
| Setting | Recommended value |
|---|---|
| Display Mode | Fullscreen |
| Resolution | Native |
| V-Sync | Off |
| Render Scale | Native (or use upscaling, below) |
| Quality Preset | Custom |
| Texture Quality | High (if VRAM allows) |
| Object Detail Quality | Medium |
| Render Distance | Medium |
| Shadow Quality | Low |
| Particle Quality | Medium |
| Lighting Quality | Low–Medium |
| Ambient Occlusion | Off |
| Screen-Space Global Illumination | Off |
| Volumetric Fog / Clouds | Low |
| Bloom | Low |
| Sharpness | raise slightly |
Use upscaling for a big boost
Helldivers 2 supports upscaling that gives a large FPS gain with minor clarity loss:
- Set Render Scale to a Quality upscaling preset (DLSS/FSR equivalent) if you’re GPU-limited.
- Add a touch of Sharpness to recover detail.
- This is the single most effective FPS lever on most GPUs.
Keep the action readable
- Volumetric Clouds/Fog: Low so you can see enemies through effects.
- Bloom: Low to stop explosions from washing out the screen.
- Screen-Space GI: Off for a big frame gain with little visual loss in combat.
Windows & system checks
- Set Windows to a high-performance power mode.
- Close overlays, browsers, and capture tools.
- Install Helldivers 2 on an SSD.
- Keep GPU drivers current and let shaders finish after a patch.
- Enable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling and test it.
- Consider disabling VBS for extra CPU headroom.
Pair this with How to Minimize Input Delay for Competitive Gaming and The Ultimate Guide to Timer Resolution for Gaming (then grab Tier1Timer).
Related guides
- Helldivers 2 Stuttering Fix
- How to Undervolt Your GPU
- How to Minimize Input Delay for Competitive Gaming
- The Ultimate Guide to Timer Resolution for Gaming
The best Helldivers 2 settings lean on Quality upscaling, drop screen-space GI and heavy fog, and keep textures high. That holds a stable frame rate even when a bug breach goes sideways.
If a setting label changes after a patch, apply the same logic: lower GI, fog, and shadows first, use upscaling for headroom, and keep the image sharp.
Frequently asked questions
What settings matter most for FPS in Helldivers 2?
Render scale, anti-aliasing and volumetric effects are the biggest levers. Heavy particle fights are where frames drop, so tune for the worst case, not the ship.
Should I cap my frame rate in Helldivers 2?
Yes. Big bug breaches and orbital barrages cause FPS swings, and a stable cap below your refresh keeps the chaos playable.
Is Helldivers 2 CPU or GPU bound?
Both depending on the moment: large enemy waves hit the CPU, while effects and resolution hit the GPU. Check usage during a heavy fight to see which one is maxed.
Does upscaling like DLSS or FSR help in Helldivers 2?
Yes, render-scale upscaling recovers a lot of GPU headroom with minor visual cost, especially at 1440p and above.