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AMD Radeon cards cannot use native NVIDIA DLSS in Cyberpunk 2077. On an AMD GPU, select AMD FSR Upscaling; Patch 2.13 added AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 with Frame Generation. Choose a frame-rate target first, then balance FSR mode, ray tracing and frame generation around that target.
The settings below are starting points, not universal benchmarks. Your Radeon model, monitor resolution, game patch, driver and chosen target (60, 90 or 120 fps) determine the final combination.
What AMD users should select instead of DLSS
DLSS is NVIDIA’s reconstruction and frame-generation technology for supported GeForce RTX hardware. A Radeon card does not gain a working DLSS mode by installing a different driver or changing a hidden configuration file. If Cyberpunk 2077 shows DLSS controls, those controls are for compatible NVIDIA hardware.
Use the game’s AMD FSR Upscaling option instead. Cyberpunk 2077 Patch 2.13 introduced AMD FSR 3 with Frame Generation. AMD lists Cyberpunk 2077 among the supported FSR games and identifies FSR upscaling support for Radeon RX 7000 and RX 9000 series cards. Frame-generation availability is generation-dependent, so check AMD’s current support matrix for your exact Radeon model before planning around it.
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FSR changes the resolution at which the game renders and reconstructs the image to your monitor resolution. Frame generation inserts additional displayed frames between traditionally rendered frames. They solve different problems: FSR reduces the work required for each base frame, while frame generation increases displayed smoothness after a usable base frame already exists.
Set a target before touching individual options
Start with the output resolution selected in Settings > Video and a realistic target. A 60-fps target prioritizes image quality and allows more ray tracing than a 120-fps target. A 120-fps target demands substantially more headroom and usually requires reduced ray tracing, a more aggressive FSR mode, or both.
| Target | Best starting priority | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|
| 60 fps | FSR Quality, High or Ultra raster settings, then selective ray tracing | 4K or 1440p play where image detail matters more than maximum refresh |
| 90 fps | FSR Quality or Balanced, tuned raster settings, limited ray tracing | 1440p high-refresh monitors and cards with moderate headroom |
| 120 fps | FSR Balanced or Performance when necessary, ray tracing reduced or off | High-refresh play where consistency and latency matter most |
These are decision points, not promises that a particular Radeon will sustain the number. Measure the base frame rate in a repeatable busy scene, such as a crowded district or a combat encounter, rather than relying only on an empty interior.
A reliable baseline for rasterized play
1. Choose FSR before lowering image-quality settings
- Open Settings > Graphics.
- Find the upscaling or resolution-scaling section and select AMD FSR Upscaling.
- Start with Quality if the native render already approaches your target.
- Use Balanced when Quality cannot maintain the target, and use Performance only when the GPU still needs substantial headroom.
Quality preserves more fine detail because it renders closer to the monitor’s native resolution. Balanced trades some reconstruction detail for additional performance. Performance lowers the internal render resolution further; it can be appropriate for a demanding 4K target, but inspect distant signage, hair, foliage and moving objects for reconstruction artifacts.
2. Start at High or Ultra for non-ray-traced settings
With FSR selected, begin with the game’s High or Ultra raster preset. This establishes an image-quality baseline before you remove individual settings. Do not immediately set every option to Low: that can make the image look worse without addressing the setting that is limiting your frame rate.
3. Tune the expensive options in a controlled order
Change one setting at a time, replay the same route and record the effect. The following options are sensible places to look when the base rate misses your target:
- Crowd density: Lowering it reduces the number of pedestrians and simulation work in dense areas. It is especially useful when dips occur in busy streets rather than in quiet interiors.
- Volumetric effects: Fog, smoke and atmospheric lighting can be expensive. Reduce this one step if GPU usage is high during weather or large light shafts.
- Screen-space reflections: Lowering reflections can help in wet streets and interiors with many reflective surfaces, with a visible reduction in reflected detail.
- Contact shadows: Reducing them saves some cost while keeping the main lighting model intact, although small object-to-ground shadows become less pronounced.
Use these as starting adjustments, not fixed values for every Radeon. If the frame rate is already stable, keep the higher setting and spend your performance budget on image quality elsewhere.
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Recommended AMD configurations by visual goal
| Goal | Upscaling | Raster preset | Ray tracing | Frame generation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean 60-fps image | FSR Quality | High or Ultra, then trim only settings that cause dips | Off initially; add selected effects after testing | Off while establishing the base rate; optional afterward |
| High-refresh raster | FSR Quality, then Balanced if required | High with crowd and volumetric settings tuned | Off on lower or mid-range Radeon cards | Optional after a stable base rate |
| Balanced 1440p ray tracing | FSR Quality or Balanced | High | Test reflections or lighting selectively | Optional once camera motion is responsive |
| 4K enthusiast experiment | FSR Balanced or Performance if necessary | High, with expensive options measured individually | Selective RT first; Overdrive only as an experiment | Use only after the non-generated result is stable |
The table describes the order in which to test settings. It does not imply that every Radeon reaches the listed target or that an upscaler mode has the same visual result at every output resolution.
How to add ray tracing without losing control of performance
Lower and mid-range Radeon cards
If a high-refresh target matters, leave ray tracing disabled initially. Establish a consistent rasterized frame rate, then test one ray-tracing group at a time. Ray tracing adds GPU work on top of the base render, so a setting that appears acceptable in a quiet scene can cause large drops in a crowded market or during combat.
Stronger Radeon cards
On a higher-end card, enable selected ray-traced reflections or lighting rather than switching on every option at once. Compare the same scene with RT off and on, and keep the option only if its visual improvement is worth the frame-time cost at your chosen target. FSR Quality is the sensible first upscaling mode; move to Balanced only when the measured base rate requires it.
Path tracing and Overdrive
Cyberpunk 2077’s path-traced Overdrive mode is an enthusiast experiment on AMD, not a default recommendation. CD PROJEKT RED’s own Overdrive guidance is aimed at GeForce RTX 40 Series 4070 Ti and higher hardware, which illustrates how demanding the mode is. Lower output resolution, a stronger FSR mode, reduced raster settings or all three may be necessary on a Radeon.
CD PROJEKT RED’s published requirements table separates rasterized and ray-traced tiers for Update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty. Its Overdrive measurement used DLSS Frame Generation, so that particular measurement must not be treated as an AMD benchmark. Driver and game updates can also change path-tracing performance and image quality; recheck the result after a major update.
Frame generation: when to turn it on
Build a responsive base first
Run with frame generation disabled while you tune FSR, ray tracing and raster settings. Move the camera, drive through a busy area and fight a group of enemies. If the controls feel delayed or the base frame rate fluctuates badly, frame generation will not fix the underlying responsiveness.
Enable AMD FSR Frame Generation
- Keep the selected FSR mode and your tested graphics settings.
- In Settings > Graphics, enable AMD FSR Frame Generation if the option is available for your hardware and current patch.
- Repeat the same route and compare camera pans, fast driving and HUD elements.
- Keep it enabled only when the smoother displayed motion is worth any artifacting or latency trade-off.
Generated frames raise the displayed frame count but do not replace the responsiveness of a strong base frame. Treat the generated result as a presentation layer over the measured base rate, not as permission to run a severely underpowered configuration.
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Choosing settings for common Radeon hardware tiers
Entry-level or older supported Radeon
Prioritize a stable 60-fps target at 1080p or 1440p. Use FSR Quality first, then Balanced if busy scenes miss the target. Keep ray tracing off while tuning. Lower crowd density and volumetric effects before cutting the entire preset, and use Performance only when those changes are insufficient.
Mid-range Radeon RX 7000
At 1440p, begin with FSR Quality and High raster settings. Test a single ray-traced reflection or lighting option only after raster performance is consistent. A 90-fps goal may require Balanced upscaling and reduced volumetrics or reflections. Frame generation is a later choice, not the first adjustment.
High-end Radeon, including the Radeon RX 9070 XT
A high-end card gives you more room to test 4K, selective ray tracing and FSR Quality. AMD’s specifications for the Radeon RX 9070 XT list AMD Fluid Motion Frames and AMD FSR technologies among its platform features. That makes it a suitable example of hardware for testing the full feature set, but it does not guarantee a particular frame rate in every scene.
AMD reports a 4.7x FPS increase over native rendering for Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K on a Radeon RX 9070 XT with FSR Frame Generation. This is AMD’s 2026 test result under its stated test conditions, not an independent benchmark or a universal promise for every driver, patch, preset or Radeon model.
Native, FSR modes and frame generation: the trade-offs
| Configuration | Image detail | Performance headroom | Responsiveness | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native resolution, no FG | Highest direct render detail | Lowest | Most representative of the base frame rate | Quality comparison and troubleshooting |
| FSR Quality, no FG | High reconstruction quality with some loss versus native | Moderate | Responsive if the base rate is strong | Default starting point |
| FSR Balanced, no FG | More visible reconstruction trade-offs | Higher | Still based on real rendered frames | When Quality misses the target |
| FSR Performance, no FG | Lowest detail of the three FSR modes | Highest upscaling gain | Depends heavily on the resulting base rate | Demanding 4K or hardware-constrained targets |
| Any FSR mode with FG | Can show interpolation artifacts in motion | Higher displayed frame count | Input feel still follows the base render | After the non-generated image is stable |
Monitor resolution and frame pacing checks
Set the game to the monitor’s native resolution when possible, then let FSR determine the internal render resolution. If you change from 1080p to 1440p or 4K, reassess every setting: the same FSR mode does not represent the same internal pixel count at each output.
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Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting AMD-specific problems
DLSS appears but cannot be selected
That is expected on a Radeon system. Choose AMD FSR Upscaling instead; DLSS controls are for supported GeForce RTX hardware.
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FSR Frame Generation is missing
Confirm that the game is running a patch that includes FSR 3, that your Radeon generation is listed in AMD’s current support matrix, and that the graphics driver is current. If the option still does not appear, use FSR upscaling without frame generation and tune the base rate normally.
Frame generation feels smooth but controls feel slow
Disable frame generation temporarily and test the base image. Reduce ray tracing, switch from Performance to Balanced only if image quality allows, or lower expensive raster settings until camera movement and input feel responsive. Re-enable generation only after that test passes.
Image shimmer, ghosting or unstable fine detail
Move from Performance to Balanced or Quality if performance headroom permits. Inspect foliage, signs, fences, hair and fast-moving objects while comparing the same scene. Some reconstruction artifacts are a normal trade-off of aggressive upscaling and cannot be removed with a ray-tracing toggle.
Ray tracing causes sudden drops
Return to RT off, verify the base frame rate, then add one RT effect at a time. Lower or mid-range cards should favor rasterized play for high-refresh targets. On stronger cards, retain only the RT effects that produce a visible improvement at the chosen resolution.
Version and hardware caveats
Cyberpunk 2077’s menu labels and feature behavior can change with patches. The FSR 3 and Frame Generation guidance here applies to the feature set introduced in Patch 2.13; verify the options after subsequent game updates. AMD’s support pages identify Radeon RX 7000 and RX 9000 FSR support and provide generation-specific frame-generation information, while AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 XT specifications list FSR and Fluid Motion Frames as platform technologies.
Official requirements published for Update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty distinguish rasterized, ray-traced and Overdrive tiers. Use those tiers to understand the relative demand of each mode, but do not copy a measurement that used NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation as if it were an AMD result.
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A practical order of operations
- Update the game and Radeon driver, then select the monitor’s native resolution.
- Choose a 60, 90 or 120 fps target based on the display and how much latency you can accept.
- Select AMD FSR Upscaling, starting with Quality.
- Use High or Ultra raster settings and test a repeatable busy scene.
- Lower crowd density, volumetric effects, screen-space reflections or contact shadows individually if the target is missed.
- Keep ray tracing off for high-refresh play on lower or mid-range cards; on stronger cards, test reflections or lighting selectively.
- Treat Overdrive as an enthusiast experiment and reduce resolution or increase upscaling only when you accept the image-quality trade.
- Measure the non-generated result, then enable AMD FSR Frame Generation if your hardware exposes it and the base image is responsive.
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