Best Space Marine 2 Settings for FPS (Warhammer 40K PC Optimization)
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The best Space Marine 2 settings for FPS are Shadows Medium, Screen Space Reflections Low, Volumetrics Low, Effects Medium, and a lowered Background Swarm Size, with DLSS or FSR enabled — the game is CPU-bottlenecked even at 4K, so Swarm Size and upscaling matter more than raw resolution. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 runs its Swarm engine to render thousands of Tyranids at once, which loads the CPU hard. This guide targets that bottleneck first, then the heaviest GPU settings.
Quick optimized settings table
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling (DLSS/FSR) | Quality (1440p–4K) / DLAA (1080p) | Biggest GPU-side FPS gain |
| Background Swarm Size | Low / Medium | Key CPU lever — fewer simulated enemies |
| Shadows | Medium | One of the heaviest GPU settings |
| Screen Space Reflections | Low | Heavy; minor visual change at Low |
| Volumetrics | Low | ~5% FPS gain at Low |
| Effects | Medium | Heavy in horde combat |
| Textures | High | Nearly free with 8 GB+ VRAM |
| Texture Filtering | High (Medium on 6 GB) | Cheap unless VRAM-limited |
| Anti-Aliasing | Handled by upscaler | Use DLSS/FSR as your AA |
Beat the CPU bottleneck first
Space Marine 2 is CPU-bottlenecked even at 4K. Its Swarm engine simulates enormous numbers of Tyranids on screen simultaneously, and that AI and animation work sits on the CPU — which is why dropping resolution often does not raise your frame rate.
- Background Swarm Size → Low or Medium. This is the most effective CPU fix in the game. Reducing the number of simulated background enemies improves frame rates by about 3–5% and is strongly recommended on 6-core CPUs and older 8-core CPUs. The visual difference in the massive horde scenes is minor; the smoothness gain is not.
- Close background apps and free up CPU overhead — browsers, Discord overlays, and RGB software all steal cycles the Swarm engine wants.
- Enable XMP/EXPO so your RAM runs at rated speed; CPU-bound games are sensitive to memory bandwidth and latency.
The heaviest GPU settings
Once the CPU side is handled, these are the settings that cost the most GPU performance:
Shadows — Medium
Shadows are among the most expensive settings. Medium holds up well in the dark, industrial Warhammer environments and frees a good chunk of GPU time.
Screen Space Reflections — Low
SSR is heavy for a subtle effect on wet floors and metal. Low (or Off if you want every frame) barely changes the look in fast combat.
Volumetrics — Low
Volumetric fog and lighting are costly. Dropping Volumetrics to Low is worth roughly 5% FPS on its own with little visual impact in most scenes.
Effects — Medium
Effects load up during large fights — exactly when you need frames most. Medium keeps the spectacle while smoothing horde combat.
Textures — keep High (unless 6 GB VRAM)
Textures cost very little frame rate with enough VRAM. On 8 GB+ cards keep Texture Resolution and Filtering High. On 6 GB or lower cards, drop both to Medium to avoid VRAM-related stutter.
Upscaling: enable it
Turn on DLSS (NVIDIA RTX), FSR (AMD/older), or XeSS. Space Marine 2’s upscaling gives a large frame-rate boost with minimal visual loss and doubles as your anti-aliasing. Use Quality mode at 1440p/4K and DLAA / Native at 1080p if you have headroom. Because upscaling relieves the GPU while the game is often CPU-limited, pair it with the lower Background Swarm Size for the biggest net gain. Compare options in our DLSS vs FSR vs XeSS guide, and only use frame generation once your base FPS is above ~60.
System tweaks that help this game
- SSD install and Windows updated — the developers call an SSD a must for smooth streaming.
- Clean-install your GPU driver with DDU and keep it current.
- Disable VBS for a free CPU-bound FPS gain — directly useful in a CPU-limited game.
- High-performance power plan, Game Mode, and HAGS on.
- Cap your FPS for steadier frame times in the chaotic horde encounters.
Display and input lag
Run Fullscreen for the lowest latency (fullscreen vs borderless vs windowed). For a competitive edge in PvP Operations and Eternal War modes, cut system-level input lag with the timer resolution guide and how to minimize input delay.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Space Marine 2 settings for FPS?
The best FPS settings in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 are Shadows Medium, Screen Space Reflections Low, Volumetrics Low, Effects Medium, and Background Swarm Size lowered, with DLSS or FSR enabled. Shadows, SSR, Volumetrics, and Effects are the heaviest GPU settings, while Background Swarm Size is the key CPU lever. Because the game is CPU-bottlenecked even at 4K, the Swarm Size and upscaling changes matter most.
Why is Space Marine 2 so CPU heavy?
Space Marine 2 is CPU-bottlenecked even at 4K because its Swarm engine simulates thousands of on-screen Tyranids at once, and that AI and animation work runs on the CPU. This is why frame rates can stay flat when you lower resolution. Lowering Background Swarm Size reduces the number of simulated enemies and improves frame rates by roughly 3–5%, which is the single most effective CPU fix, especially on 6-core and older 8-core CPUs.
How much VRAM does Space Marine 2 need?
Space Marine 2 runs comfortably on 8 GB of VRAM at 1080p and 1440p with High textures. On 6 GB or lower cards you should drop Texture Resolution and Texture Filtering to Medium to avoid VRAM-related stutter. Textures otherwise cost very little frame rate, so give them as much VRAM headroom as your card allows.
Should I use DLSS or FSR in Space Marine 2?
Yes. Enable DLSS on NVIDIA RTX cards and FSR on AMD or older GPUs in Space Marine 2 — upscaling gives a large frame-rate boost with minimal visual loss. Use Quality mode at 1440p and 4K, and DLAA / Native at 1080p if you have headroom. Upscaling mainly helps GPU-bound scenes, so pair it with a lower Background Swarm Size to relieve the CPU side.
What settings should I lower first in Space Marine 2?
Lower Background Swarm Size first for CPU relief, then Volumetrics and Screen Space Reflections to Low and Shadows to Medium for GPU relief. Volumetrics alone can add about 5% FPS at Low. These four settings deliver the biggest gains; leave textures high unless you have a 6 GB card, and use upscaling on top.