Start with the Quality preset, not resolution
Grounded exposes a single Quality preset — Low, Medium, High, Epic — that drives most of the graphical load. Medium is the usual recommendation: the cartoon art hides the difference from High, while Epic can drop frame rate hard (testing on a strong rig showed Epic averaging around 34 fps at 1080p versus much higher on Medium).
Only reach for resolution changes after Medium still stutters. Resolution is the last lever, not the first.
Window mode and VSync
Full Screen gives the best performance. Use Borderless Windowed only if you alt-tab often.
VSync is a trade-off. With a steady frame rate and a high-refresh monitor, turn it off to cut input lag. Turn it on only if you actually see screen tearing — otherwise you are paying latency for nothing.
Frame rate limit
Set the Frame Rate Limit to match your display: Unlimited when your GPU easily clears it, or 60 if you are on weaker hardware. A steady 60 feels better than a 60 that swings.
Motion blur and chromatic aberration
Motion Blur is on by default but most players turn it off for clarity (keep it on only if you are prone to motion sickness). Chromatic aberration is a personal taste setting and does not move performance much — turn it off if the edges look hazy.
FOV at insect scale
Field of View around 90 is the common sweet spot. At insect size you live among grass blades and pebbles, so a wider view helps you spot a spider before it spots you. Too low and the world closes in; too high and everything shrinks into the distance.
Gamma for dark areas
Gamma controls brightness. The often-suggested ~15% works for most daytime play, but raise it in caves, the Haze, or after dark so you are not fighting the screen as well as the bugs.
Render scale as a last resort
Render Scale shrinks the internal resolution to lift FPS, at the cost of a softer image. Drop it only after Medium still struggles — and pair it with a sharpening bump in your GPU control panel if the image gets muddy.
Controller tuning
If you play with a gamepad, set look sensitivity to comfort, decide on invert Y, and choose toggle versus hold for crouch and sprint. These are small changes that remove friction across every fight.
Fix first-launch stutter
The first launch compiles shaders, so expect hitches for the first few minutes — let it finish. Install on an SSD, close overlays (Discord, Xbox Game Bar) while playing, and update your GPU driver from the official site. None of these touch gameplay, but all of them steady the frame rate.
Related guides
- Grounded Beginner Guide — your first day in the yard.
- Grounded Tips and Tricks — small habits that compound into easy runs.
- Grounded Common Mistakes — the habits that get new players eaten.
- Grounded Combat Guide — stamina, parries and weak points.
- Grounded Survival Guide — hunger, thirst, mutations and the day-night loop.