The PC version for Final Fantasy 16 is more or less the same as the console one in terms of content, but when it comes to graphics and performance, PC users have a bit more freedom when it comes to choosing their settings. However, given how taxing the game is to one's system, it wouldn't be a surprise if some players experienced large dips in frame rates.
Before you go hunting down all the Eikons in Final Fantasy 16, taking a minute to optimize your settings can drastically affect how smoothly your game plays. Here are some of the noteworthy settings that we've found while testing the game out that should help users of low-mid-end PCs find their footing.
Final Fantasy 16: Best Ability Point (AP) Farm
This guide details how to farm AP in the early-, mid-, and late-game, and it will help players master all the abilities in Final Fantasy 16.
Optimized Graphics Settings For FF16 PC
The following is based on our experience with Final Fantasy 16 on an ASUS TUF Gaming A15 laptop with an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS 3.2GHz CPU, an NVIDIA RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, and 16GB of RAM.
On 1080p preset Ultra settings with the setup mentioned above, FF16 runs between 60–80 FPS on average while in combat. This would occasionally rise to over 120 FPS during more relaxed scenes, but the frame rate would also drop to around 44 during the most random of moments or when in towns. The fight with Garuda in FF16 never dipped below 60 FPSdespite the chaos, but the frame rate dropped back down to about 40 FPS upon returning to the Hideaway.
Additionally, it's worth noting that this FPS trend is constant throughout all graphics presets, which means that very few of the options have an actual impact on performance. However, following settings can bring significant FPS gains:
- DLSS/FSR Frame Generation: This setting alone added roughly 20 FPS to our average frame rate. DLSS 3, which is exclusive to NVIDIA RTX 40-series users, grants better picture quality. FSR 3 will make the game look slightly worse, but it works on most GPUs, and the performance is about equal to DLSS on our end.
- Upscaling: Setting this to Quality or Balanced yields better frames for FF16 compared to Performance mode.
- Dynamic Resolution Scaling: Should the above upscaling options fail to provide meaningful gains, leave Dynamic Resolution Scaling on.
- Graphical Fidelity: This setting affects overall level of detail. Medium offers a small FPS boost at minimal visual loss.
- Fullscreen: While it may be a machine-related issue, going from Borderless to Fullscreen reduced stuttering and prevented frame rates from dipping below 40 in most cases.
Other Useful Settings
Almost every other graphical setting can be enabled or turned to High, but as always, mileage will vary between systems. For lower-end GPUs, Ambient Occlusion, Screen Space Reflections, and Textures tend to have the highest impact on performance. Turn the former two off and set the latter to Low or Medium. If VRAM isn't an issue, Textures can be kept at High.
Installing mods for FF16 can yield decent results as well. A tool called FFXVIFix removes the FPS cap on cutscenes and enables ultrawide resolution support. Meanwhile, mods that increase Final Fantasy 16's CPU priority can help stabilize the game overall.
Final Fantasy 16
- Released
- June 22, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 36 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
