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Best graphics settings for Star Citizen & how to boost FPS

Which graphics settings are best for Star Citizen?

Updated: May 22, 2023 3:59 pm
Best graphics settings for Star Citizen & how to boost FPS

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Today we’re going to talk about the best graphics settings for Star Citizen on PC, while the game enjoys a short period of being free to play!

Star Citizen has been available in it’s Alpha builds for some time. For a game that has (and still is) been in development for such a long time, you may expect the best graphics settings to have evolved over time. The game definitely has improved in graphical quality over it’s long development process.

Regardless of the advancements, the in-game settings you want to target largely stay the same, with plenty of advice out there from experienced players. Let’s jump into what’s best in 2024.

Best graphics settings for Star Citizen PC

We’ve put together a list of the best graphics settings for Star Citizen below. The game is only available on Windows PC, so these settings are of course with PC in mind. We’re going to focus more on better performance, as the game is in an unoptimized state right now.

  • Resolution: 1920 x 1080 – any higher has a big impact on the game’s performance
  • Window mode: Fullscreen for minimal input lag / Borderless for quicker alt-tabbing
  • Quality: Very High / High
  • Scattered Object Distance: Low / off
  • Terrain Tessellation Distance: Low / off
  • Planet Volumetric Clouds: Off
  • Field Of View: Personal preference, lower for better performance
  • Motion Blur: Another matter of preference, but turned off is considered best
  • VSync: On / shouldn’t make a big difference as you are unlikely to reach high enough FPS
  • Sharpening: 0
  • Chromatic Aberration: 0
  • Film Grain: Off

How to get more FPS in Star Citizen

Although the game may have been originally based on an older engine, it has been heavily modified over the years. This means the system requirements have been getting tougher, but how you optimize your FPS in-game?

Getting the most FPS is about minimizing the stress on your CPU. To do this, you actually want to have your settings set higher if possible. This is especially the case if you have a sub-par graphics card and a stronger CPU. Finding the right balance is the key, so the game is utilizing your two major components an equal amount.

Best graphics settings for Star Citizen FAQs

Is Star Citizen on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S?

Star Citizen remains a Windows PC exclusive game right now, with no current plans to bring the game to another platform announced or seemingly in the works.

Is Star Citizen hard to run?

Star Citizen is in an unoptimized state at the moment and isn’t the easiest game to run if you want higher FPS. Regardless, you can customize the graphics settings to help you out.


As a Junior Staff Writer, Jack is involved in writing and maintaining a bunch of hardware guides & reviews. With an interest in PC gaming, he now focuses on writing about monitors, headsets, and more.

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