# How do I adjust my graphics settings for games?

> Adjust graphics in the game's own video menu first, then use Windows graphics settings and your GPU's control app to pick the GPU and fine-tune.

The most important graphics settings are inside each game: open the game's Settings or Options menu and look for a Video, Display or Graphics tab. On Windows you can also choose which GPU a game uses under Settings > System > Display > Graphics, and your graphics card's control app (NVIDIA app or AMD Software) offers driver-level options.

## 1. Start with the in-game menu

1. Set **resolution** to your monitor's native resolution and **display mode** to fullscreen or borderless.
2. Pick a **preset** (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) as a starting point.
3. Turn on **upscaling** (DLSS, FSR or XeSS) if the game supports it and you need more FPS.
4. Adjust individual settings, starting with the heaviest: shadows, volumetric effects, ray tracing, ambient occlusion and anti-aliasing.
5. Keep **texture quality** as high as your GPU's video memory allows; it costs little FPS if you have enough VRAM.

## 2. Choose the right GPU in Windows

On laptops with both integrated and dedicated graphics, games sometimes run on the weaker chip. In Windows 11, go to **Settings > System > Display > Graphics**, find the game (or add it with Browse), open its options and choose **High performance**.

## 3. Use your graphics card's app

- **NVIDIA:** the NVIDIA app (or the older NVIDIA Control Panel) lets you set global or per-game options like low-latency mode and power management.
- **AMD:** AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition has per-game profiles and features like Radeon Anti-Lag and Radeon Super Resolution.

Most players should leave driver settings at default and change things in-game; driver overrides are for specific problems.

## 4. Match settings to your monitor

Set your monitor's refresh rate in **Settings > System > Display > Advanced display**. If you have a 144 Hz monitor and it runs at 60 Hz, games will feel choppy no matter what. Turn on G-Sync or FreeSync if your monitor supports it.

## 5. Keep drivers updated

New drivers often improve performance in recent games. Download them from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel, or through their apps.

## FAQ

**What graphics settings matter most for FPS?**
Resolution, ray tracing, shadows and volumetric effects usually have the biggest impact. Textures matter mainly if you run out of VRAM.

**What resolution should I play at?**
Your monitor's native resolution looks sharpest. If FPS is too low, use upscaling instead of lowering the resolution directly.

**How do I make a game use my GPU instead of integrated graphics?**
In Windows 11, open Settings > System > Display > Graphics, select the game and set it to High performance.

**How do I reset GPU settings to default?**
Both the NVIDIA and AMD apps have a restore-defaults option for global and per-game settings.

**Why are my PC graphics so bad?**
Common causes are a non-native resolution, the game running on integrated graphics, outdated drivers, or low in-game settings and render scale.

**How do I check if my graphics card is working properly?**
Make sure it appears in Device Manager under Display adapters without a warning icon, and watch GPU usage in Task Manager while gaming.

---
https://gamevoyages.com/how-do-i-adjust-my-graphics-settings/ · Game Voyage · Checked 2026-10-30