


Similar settings, like Depth of Field, Film Grain, Lens Flare, Bloom, and Chromatic Aberration might also be worth looking at trying on and off.Īnti-aliasing is another one of those settings that isn't quite so cut-and-dried. Other people don't take as much issue, so I recommend trying it both on and off to see which you prefer. It has a lot of detractors, however, with some people hating it so much that they turn it off in every single game, no matter what. In old games, this would add a smeary effect that made everything look awful, but many modern games implement it a bit better, blurring the scenery or certain objects to mimic how that motion might look in a movie. A few settings, though, aim to make games feel more "cinematic," and these changes are a bit more … controversial. These are, usually, objectively positive improvements. They add more realistic shadows, give more definition to surfaces, or add more stuff to make the world feel lived in. Most graphical settings, when turned on or turned up, make your games look better.

If you have a few minutes, it's worth looking at these and judging them for yourself, so you can get into the game without distracting visual annoyances. Some people love them turned on, some people hate them with a burning passion … and some may vary in quality from game to game. There are, however, a few settings that are a bit less about quality and a bit more about personal preference. You'll get the perfect balance of performance and graphical quality for your system, without much work. Simple presets like Medium or High will do a decent job of dialing things in, and some automated tools can more precisely tune a game to your hardware in one click. But as numerous and complex as graphics options have gotten, you don't have to do a ton of work to get a good experience. After all, what's the point of those amazing graphics if you have to spend a bunch of time tinkering with settings first?Īt least, that's the prevailing thought among non-PC gamers.

PC gaming can be a double-edged sword: Sure, you get better graphics and unparalleled customizability, but most people are hesitant to jump in.
