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Performance and Optimization Guide - Version 5 vs Version 6
Mar 29, 2026, 05:03 AM
Structural cleanup: convert lists to tables
Apr 4, 2026, 10:40 AM
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11Overview22inZOI runs on Unreal Engine 5 with advanced rendering technologies including Lumen global illumination, Nanite virtualized geometry, and Virtual Shadow Maps. These features produce photorealistic visuals but place heavy demands on hardware. This guide covers every graphics setting, upscaling technology, and system-level optimization to help you find the right balance between visual quality and frame rate. For minimum and recommended hardware, see the System Requirements article.44Graphics Presets Overview66inZOI offers five built-in presets. The game also includes an Auto Select button that detects your hardware and picks a starting preset. The table below shows approximate frame rates at 4K resolution with DLSS Quality upscaling on an RTX 4080.88PresetApproximate FPS (4K, DLSS Quality)NotesVery Low~135 FPSSignificant visual reduction; good for low-end hardwareLow~115 FPSReduced textures and effects; noticeable quality dropMedium~107 FPSBalanced option for mid-range GPUsHigh~86 FPSRecommended starting point for most playersUltra~73 FPSNear-maximum quality; diminishing returns vs HighUltra + Ray Tracing~68 FPSHeaviest option; hardware ray tracing enabled1111Starting from the High preset and switching to Custom mode to adjust individual settings gives the best results for most systems.1212Individual Graphics Settings1414After selecting a preset, switch to Custom to fine-tune. The settings below are listed in order of performance impact, from most to least significant.1616High-Impact Settings1818SettingWhat It DoesRecommendationDLSS / FSR / XeSSAI-based upscaling that renders at a lower internal resolution and reconstructs the image. The single biggest performance lever in the game.Quality mode for sharp visuals with a large FPS boost. Performance or Ultra Performance for struggling hardware.Ray TracingEnables hardware ray tracing for global illumination, reflections, and shadows. Costs 6-8% FPS over stock Lumen lighting. Very Low RT looks worse than stock Lumen.Off for maximum performance. High if your GPU handles it comfortably. Avoid Very Low.Ray Tracing QualityControls the precision of ray traced effects when Ray Tracing is enabled.High if RT is on. Ultra provides minimal visible improvement over High.Shadow QualityResolution and precision of dynamic shadows. One of the most impactful settings. Reducing from Ultra to Medium provides roughly a 10% frame rate boost.High. Ultra has barely noticeable improvement.Global Illumination QualityControls Lumen's indirect lighting accuracy. Switching from Ultra to Medium can grant approximately a 20% FPS improvement.High for good visual fidelity. Medium if chasing frames.Reflection QualityDetail level of screen-space and Lumen reflections on surfaces.High. Lower to Medium on mid-range GPUs.2020Medium-Impact Settings2121SettingWhat It DoesRecommendationPost-Processing QualityVolumetric lighting, fog, screen-space effects, and color grading. Ultra costs 5-15% performance over High with subtle differences.High. The visual difference from Ultra is minimal.Shader QualityControls surface shader complexity including parallax mapping, normal maps, blending, and tessellation (called Material Detail in some menus).High. Reducing to Medium gives a noticeable FPS bump.Anti-Aliasing QualityinZOI applies a temporal anti-aliasing (TAA) filter on top of DLSS/FSR. Controls the quality of edge smoothing.High with DLSS. Medium without upscaling.Background Detail QualityDraw distance and level of detail for distant buildings and terrain.High. Reducing this can improve FPS in dense city areas.Realistic ShadowsAdditional shadow detail for environmental lighting. Disabling provides 4-8% GPU headroom.Off for performance. On for visual fidelity.Shadow-Casting Lighting EffectWhether individual light sources (streetlamps, etc.) cast dynamic shadows.Off for performance. On for realism.2323Low-Impact Settings2424SettingWhat It DoesRecommendationTexture QualityResolution of surface textures. Primarily limited by VRAM rather than GPU performance. Uses up to 10 GB VRAM at Ultra with 4K and ray tracing.Ultra if you have 8 GB+ VRAM. High with 6 GB.Effects QualityDetail of particle effects including smoke, fog, smog, color effects, and emissives.High. Rarely a bottleneck.Face and HairQuality of subsurface scattering for character skin and hair rendering.High or Ultra. Affects character close-ups.Plant Density and QualityVegetation quality, density, and draw distance. Note: this setting has minimal effect in the current Early Access build.High. Currently does not significantly impact visuals or performance.Character / Object / Lighting Display DistanceHow far away characters, objects, and light sources render at full detail.High. Ultra adds minimal visible benefit.Occlusion MethodHow the game determines which objects are hidden behind others. Options: Hardware, Depth Information, or Off.Off if using Ray Tracing. Depth Information otherwise.2626Display Settings2727SettingRecommendationNotesDisplay ModeFullscreenBest performance. Windowed modes add overhead.ResolutionNative monitor resolutionLower only as a last resort.Resolution Scale100%Reducing below 100% causes blurriness. Use DLSS/FSR instead.Dynamic ResolutionOff (or On for struggling hardware)Automatically lowers resolution to maintain a target FPS.Maximum FPSMatch your monitor refresh rate, or cap at 100Capping FPS reduces temperature spikes and improves frame pacing.Vertical SyncOff (use in-game FPS cap instead)VSync adds input latency. Disable if your monitor supports variable refresh rate (G-Sync/FreeSync).Motion BlurOffReduces clarity without improving performance. Recommended off.Depth of FieldPersonal preferenceNo significant performance cost.2929Upscaling Technologies3030Upscaling renders the game at a lower internal resolution and uses AI or algorithmic reconstruction to output a higher-resolution image. This is the most effective way to gain performance in inZOI without major visual loss.3232NVIDIA DLSS3434inZOI supports DLSS 3.5 with Super Resolution and Frame Generation on RTX 20, 30, and 40 series GPUs. DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation for RTX 50 series is planned for August 2026.3636DLSS ModeInternal Resolution (at 4K output)Use CaseDLAANative (3840x2160)Best anti-aliasing quality. No upscaling. GPU-intensive.Quality2560x1440 internalRecommended for most players. Nearly identical to native at 1440p+.Balanced2227x1253 internalGood balance on mid-range GPUs.Performance1920x1080 internalSignificant FPS boost. Minor softness visible up close.Ultra Performance1280x720 internalMaximum FPS gain. Noticeable quality reduction. Last resort.3838DLSS Frame Generation is available on RTX 40 and 50 series GPUs. It generates intermediate frames between real rendered frames, providing roughly a 60% performance boost. Frame Generation works best when your base FPS is below 70. Above 80-90 FPS, disable it to avoid potential instability.3939To enable DLSS Frame Generation: go to Windows Settings, then System, then Display, then Graphics Settings, and enable Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling. Restart your computer before activating Frame Generation in the game settings.4141AMD FSR4343FSR 3 upscaling and frame generation can be enabled by editing the GameUserSettings.ini file located at: AppData\Local\BlueClient\Saved\Config\Windows\GameUserSettings.ini4545INI SettingValueEffectFSR3Value2Performance modeFSR3Value3Balanced modeFSR3Value4Quality modeFSR3Value5Native AA (highest quality)FSR3FITrueEnables FSR 3 Frame Generation4747Players report a 20+ FPS increase on minimum-spec systems when combining FSR upscaling with frame generation. FSR does not require specific GPU hardware and works on both NVIDIA and AMD cards.4848Intel XeSS5050XeSS (Xe Super Sampling) is available for Intel Arc GPUs. It functions similarly to DLSS and FSR, with Quality, Balanced, Performance, and Ultra Performance modes. XeSS also works on non-Intel GPUs as a fallback upscaler.5252Simulation and Gameplay Settings5454These settings are separate from graphics but can affect performance, especially on CPU-limited systems.5656SettingRecommendationNotesAnimation Quality3msControls how much CPU time is spent on character animations. Setting higher than 3ms is not noticeable but wastes CPU resources.Outfit SimulationOnFabric physics for clothing. Minimal performance cost.Applied Range in CityReduce if CPU-limitedControls how many Zois in the city are fully simulated. "Small Group of Zois on Screen" reduces CPU load.Queue Limit8Maximum number of queued actions per Zoi. Lower values reduce memory usage slightly.5858System-Level Optimizations5959Windows Settings6161SettingDetailsPower PlanSet Windows to High Performance mode. Open Control Panel, then Hardware and Sound, then Power Options, and select High Performance.Hardware-Accelerated GPU SchedulingEnable in Windows Settings under System, then Display, then Graphics Settings. Required for DLSS Frame Generation and generally improves GPU task management.Memory IntegrityDisabling Memory Integrity (Virtualization-Based Security) in Windows Security settings can improve FPS in some configurations.Background ApplicationsClose unnecessary programs, browser tabs, and system tray applications before playing. Each background app consumes RAM and CPU cycles.Virtual MemoryIf you experience crashes or stuttering with 16 GB RAM, increase the Windows page file size. inZOI can use significant system memory during extended play sessions.6363NVIDIA Driver and Control Panel6565SettingDetailsRTX 50 SeriesUse driver 572.83 or newer.RTX 40 SeriesDriver 566.36 is recommended. Some players report frame drops with 572.xx drivers on 40-series cards.RTX 30 Series and olderUse the latest available driver.6767In the NVIDIA Control Panel under Program Settings for inzoi.exe, set Power Management Mode to Prefer Maximum Performance, Shader Cache to On, and Texture Filtering to High Performance.6868Storage7070Installing inZOI on an SSD (ideally NVMe) significantly reduces texture streaming stutters and load times. Unreal Engine 5 relies heavily on streaming assets from disk, so mechanical hard drives can cause noticeable hitching during gameplay.7272Engine Configuration Tweaks7474Advanced users can place a custom Engine.ini file at AppData\Local\BlueClient\Saved\Config\Windows\Engine.ini to fine-tune Unreal Engine 5 parameters. Several community-made configuration files are available on NexusMods that optimize CPU and GPU multi-core rendering, shader compilation, and asset streaming. After placing an Engine.ini file, set it to Read-only in the file properties so the game does not overwrite it.7676Popular optimization mods on NexusMods include the InZOI Optimizer (reduces stuttering through asset and shader optimization) and various Engine.ini tweaks that target multi-core rendering and shader compilation. See the Modding Getting Started Guide for instructions on installing NexusMods content.7878Recommended Settings by GPU Tier8080Entry Level (RTX 2060 / RX 5600 XT / 6 GB VRAM)8282ItemDescriptionPresetLow or Very LowDLSS/FSRPerformance modeRay TracingOffResolution1080pFrame GenerationEnable if available (RTX 40+)Target30-60 FPS8484Mid-Range (RTX 3060-3070 / RX 6600-6800 XT / 8 GB VRAM)8585ItemDescriptionPresetCustom (start from High)DLSS/FSRQuality modeRay TracingOff or High (if RTX 3070+)Shadow QualityHighGlobal IlluminationHighTexture QualityHigh or UltraResolution1080p or 1440pTarget60 FPS8787High-End (RTX 4070-4080 / RX 7900 XTX / 12+ GB VRAM)8888ItemDescriptionPresetCustom (start from High or Ultra)DLSSQuality or DLAARay TracingHighAll quality settingsHigh or UltraTexture QualityUltraResolution1440p or 4KFrame GenerationOptional (enable for 4K)Target60-100 FPS9090Enthusiast (RTX 4090-5090 / 16+ GB VRAM)9191ItemDescriptionPresetUltra + Ray TracingDLSSDLAA or QualityRay TracingUltraAll settingsUltraResolution4KFrame GenerationEnable for consistent 60+ FPS at 4K Ultra + RTTarget60-90+ FPS9393Troubleshooting9494ProblemSolutionStuttering during gameplayInstall on SSD. Enable Shader Cache in NVIDIA Control Panel. Try an Engine.ini optimization mod. Increase Windows page file if RAM is at 16 GB.Low FPS despite good hardwareCheck that the game is using the correct GPU (not integrated graphics). Set Windows Power Plan to High Performance. Update GPU drivers. Close background applications.Frame Generation not workingEnable Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling in Windows. Restart your computer. Disable NVIDIA overlay and screen capture apps. Use Fullscreen display mode.VRAM usage too highLower Texture Quality from Ultra to High. Disable Ray Tracing. Reduce Resolution Scale if above 100%.Crashes after extended playIncrease Windows page file. Monitor RAM usage. Disable Ray Tracing if unstable. Verify game files through Steam.Ray Tracing artifactsUpdate GPU drivers. Switch Ray Tracing Object from Actual Mesh to Fallback Mesh if visual glitches appear. Disable RT at Very Low as it looks worse than stock Lumen.9696March 2026 Graphics Optimizations9797The March 2026 Update (Anniversary Update) introduced a set of targeted graphics optimizations that improve visual quality on lower presets and fix long-standing lighting issues on higher presets. These changes shipped ahead of the full Unreal Engine 5.6 migration, which is scheduled for the April 2026 update.9999Shadow Improvements101101Shadow rendering received preset-specific upgrades to improve visual fidelity at every quality level:103103PresetChangeVery LowApplied Virtual Shadow Maps (VSM) to buildings, replacing the previous simplified shadow systemVery LowApplied blob shadows to Zois, giving characters basic ground shadows even at the lowest settingsHigh / UltraAdded shadows to city maps, improving shadow coverage in outdoor urban environmentsAll PresetsApplied fake shadows to furniture, providing ambient shadow detail to indoor objects across every quality tier105105The VSM addition on Very Low is notable because Virtual Shadow Maps are normally a feature associated with higher presets. Applying them selectively to buildings ensures that even players on low-end hardware see proper architectural shadows instead of flat, shadow-free structures.106106Texture and Material Improvements108108The Very Low preset received improved Zoi materials, which raises the baseline visual quality of character models on the lowest settings. Previously, Zoi skin and clothing materials on Very Low appeared noticeably flat compared to Low and above. The updated materials apply better surface detail without significant performance cost.110110Global Illumination Changes112112Screen Space Global Illumination (SSGI) was expanded across lower presets to improve indirect lighting:114114Low and Medium presets: SSGI is now applied as a default setting across all instances (previously disabled or limited).Very Low preset: SSGI is applied in lobby areas only, keeping the performance impact minimal on the weakest hardware.116116SSGI calculates approximate light bounces using screen-space data. While less accurate than Lumen's full global illumination, it adds subtle fill lighting and color bleed that makes indoor and shaded areas look more natural on presets that previously relied solely on direct lighting.118118Ambient Occlusion120120The Very Low preset received improved Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO). Ambient occlusion darkens creases, corners, and contact points between objects to simulate soft shadows from indirect light. The improvement produces deeper, more accurate occlusion on Very Low, reducing the flat appearance that low-end players previously experienced.122122Lighting Fixes124124Two lighting issues were addressed in this update:126126Yellowish indoor tone (High and Ultra): A bug caused indoor environments to appear with an unnatural yellow color cast when playing on High or Ultra presets. This has been fixed, restoring accurate indoor color temperature.Nighttime indoor lighting (All presets): Indoor lighting during nighttime hours has been improved across all quality levels, producing more realistic and visually consistent results when Zois are inside their homes after dark.128128Memory Optimization130130The March 2026 Update introduced three memory optimization features that reduce stuttering and improve stability during long play sessions:132132FeatureDescriptionPSO PartitioningPipeline State Object compilation is now partitioned across multiple frames instead of compiling all at once. This reduces the shader compilation stutters that previously caused brief freezes when encountering new materials or effects for the first time.Memory PreallocationThe game now preallocates memory pools at startup for frequently used resources. This reduces mid-session memory allocation spikes that could cause frame drops, particularly when loading new city districts or transitioning between areas.Other Optimization FixesAdditional internal memory management improvements that reduce overall RAM usage and improve garbage collection timing.134134These memory optimizations are separate from the deeper engine-level memory improvements that will arrive with the UE 5.6 migration in April 2026. Together, they represent a two-phase approach: the March update addresses the most impactful memory issues within the current UE 5.4 framework, while the April update brings fundamental engine changes that further reduce resource usage.135135Screenshot Cheat Command137137The March update also added the hidefx [true/false] cheat command, which removes all special effects (post-processing, particles, bloom) from the screen. This is useful for capturing clean screenshots without visual noise, especially for content creators building tutorials or gallery images.139139Tips141141Stable frame times matter more than peak frame rates. Capping at 100 FPS with consistent delivery feels smoother than fluctuating between 80 and 140.DLSS Quality mode is the single best performance upgrade for NVIDIA users. It nearly matches native resolution quality while rendering at a lower internal resolution.Avoid setting Resolution Scale below 100%. Use DLSS, FSR, or XeSS instead for a much cleaner result.Shadow Quality and Global Illumination are the two settings where lowering from Ultra to High gives the biggest FPS return for the smallest visual loss.RAM usage of 70-85% is normal for inZOI due to Unreal Engine 5's asset caching. This only becomes a problem if you experience freezing or constant stuttering.After any game update, check that your graphics settings have not been reset to defaults. Major patches occasionally overwrite custom configurations.
