How To Adjust SnowRunner Graphics for Slow PC

How to adjust the graphics in the game to get 60 FPS without harm to the picture

Many were frustrated by the technical problems and poor performance of the highly anticipated SnowRunner off-road driving simulator . We have already released a collection of solutions to technical problems , and this time we will try to optimize the game for a computer with weak hardware.

Table of Contents

What computer do you need for SnowRunner

According to the official system requirements of the game, you can see that recommendations for processors are noticeably higher than recommendations for video cards . We tested the game on a more “balanced” configuration – a GeForce GTX 1060 paired with a Core i5-7400 – and saw it for ourselves. In Full HD resolution, such a video card (approximately equal to the recommended GTX 970) is far from always capable of delivering 60 FPS at maximum quality settings, if it does not have a powerful processor as an assistant.

Overall, the official system requirements are very close to the truth , but they lack recommendations for playing at 1440p and 4K – we added them based on the tests we studied.

Official minimum system requirements (1080p @ 30 FPS):

Operating system:Windows 7 (64-bit only).
Processor:Intel Core i3-4130 / AMD Ryzen 3 2200U.
Video card:Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 / AMD Radeon R9 270.
RAM:8 gigabytes.

Official Recommended System Requirements (1080p @ 60 FPS):

Operating system:Windows 10 x64.
Processor:Intel Core i7-8700 / AMD Ryzen 7 2700.
Video card:Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 / AMD Radeon RX 580.
RAM:16 gigabytes.

To play at 1440p @ 30 FPS (according to tests):

Operating system:Windows 10 x64.
Processor:Intel Core i5-8600K / AMD Ryzen 7 2700X.
Video card:Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB / Radeon RX 590
RAM:16 gigabytes.

To play at 1440p @ 60 FPS (according to tests):

Operating system:Windows 10 x64.
Processor:Intel Core i5-8600K / AMD Ryzen 7 2700X.
Video card:Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 / Radeon RX 5700
RAM:16 gigabytes.

For 4K @ 30 FPS (benchmarked):

Operating system:Windows 10 x64.
Processor:Intel Core i5-9600K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X.
Video card:Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 / Radeon RX 5700
RAM:16 gigabytes.

For 4K @ 60 FPS (benchmarked):

Operating system:Windows 10 x64.
Processor:Intel Core i7-9700K / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X.
Video card:Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
RAM:16 gigabytes.

SnowRunner Optimization Tips

Detailed comparison of graphics quality from minimum to maximum

The game has about 15 settings that directly affect performance. There are ready-made presets: from low quality to ultra. Overall, SnowRunner looks good even on the lowest settings, let alone medium. For most PC users, we would recommend a medium quality preset slightly better than the minimum system requirements. And for the more meticulous, as always, we will analyze each setting further.

Display mode. Select “Full Screen” here so that the system can allocate maximum resources to the game.
It is best to set the native screen resolution. In most cases, this is 1920×1080. For the increasingly popular Quad HD monitors, it will be 2560×1440, and for trendy 4K panels – 3840×2160.
Vertical sync. For more stability and a smootherimage in a leisurely game like SnowRunner, you can turn it on. But on a very weak or outdated PC, it is better to turn it off.
The game uses some of the most balanced anti-aliasing methods in terms of quality and performance. True, with MSAA and even TAA, older video cards may have problems. Therefore, try to put TAA, and if the performance drops, turn it off, or turn on the next item.
Good old low-cost technology that does a good job with most ladders, but slightly blurry textures. The latter can be compensated for by the following point. Therefore, we recommend enabling most users.
If your system has the ability to enable FidelityFX – feel free to enable it. It will practically not affect FPS, and the picture will become clearer.
This is a purely cosmetic post-processing effect that makes the image more cinematic. It does not affect FPS, so you can turn it on to your taste.
First person FOV. The angle of view is usually left standard or enlarged to obtain more information from each camera angle. However, increasing it always leads to a decrease in performance, as the system has to draw more details and objects in the scene. Therefore, it is better to leave it as it is or even try to lower it (but this can make the image look strange)
FOV from the third person. Similar to the previous point.
Old school camera. Includes a third-person view from past games in the series, where the rear-mounted camera itself rotated, rather than circling the car.
Distance to draw the landscape. This setting simultaneously loads the processor and the video card, so for weak PCs it is better to reduce it to at least medium quality. During the game, the difference will rarely be noticeable.
The density of the grass. Almost the same as the previous point. Dense grass puts a noticeable load on the system, but a low amount is noticeably more.
The quality of the objects. This means, first of all, the detailing of remote objects. On standard monitors with a diagonal of up to 27 inches, the reduced detail is not very noticeable – reduce it.
Simulation quality. A processor-dependent setting responsible for the detailed physical model and the visual believability of the respective mechanics. If your processor has less than four cores and / or low frequencies, it is better to lower it.
Shadow quality. Classic “heavy” setting. Usually responsible for the quality of the rendering of shadows and their quantity. Medium quality will be optimal for most systems.
The quality of the textures. Depends on the amount of video memory on your video card. However, for maximum quality, 3 gigabytes is sufficient. If you have less, reduce to medium.
Filtering textures. Downgrading the filtering quality is currently only relevant for integrated graphics. The rest of at least some modern discrete video cards, even 16x, simply do not notice. Set the maximum to correct for blurred surfaces at an angle (a technical feature of drawing graphics).
Diffuse shading. Adds believability to the scene by adding shadows at the joints and in the recesses. Unfortunately, many will have to turn it off, since the game has a rather “gluttonous” diffused shading.
Water quality. The difference between high and low quality is actually not so noticeable, and productivity near water suffers – reduce it.
Volumetric fog. It impairs the view, and even consumes a lot of resources. Even many owners of powerful PCs will disable this.
Sun rays. Beautiful rays that make their way through the foliage, which are also called light shafts. It’s better to turn it off so that less FPS sags during sunsets and sunrises.
Even fake reflections (there is no ray tracing in the game) eat up a lot of FPS. Disconnect.

That’s all. Write in the comments if you still have questions about setting up graphics in SnowRunner or if you have technical problems with the game – we will try to help you!