The Tool Desk
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Start with Vulkan if it launches and plays reliably, then run Red Dead Redemption 2’s built-in benchmark. If Vulkan crashes, refuses to launch, produces ERR_GFX_STATE, or gives unstable frametimes, switch to DirectX 12 at Settings > Graphics > Advanced Settings > Unlocked > Graphics API. Keep TAA enabled, select its quality level first, and increase TAA sharpening only until foliage and distant geometry are clear without halos.
There is no universally fastest API or official sharpening percentage. The best configuration is the one that is stable on your GPU, CPU, driver, resolution and display, with acceptable average performance, worst-case dips and image quality. Benchmark after each meaningful change rather than copying a preset built for another PC.
Vulkan or DirectX 12: which should you choose?
Red Dead Redemption 2 exposes two modern graphics APIs. Vulkan is a Khronos API designed for explicit, low-level control of graphics and compute work. Direct3D 12 is Microsoft’s low-level graphics API for modern Windows GPUs. Both can render the game, but Rockstar does not publish a universal performance winner.
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| API | Use it when | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Vulkan | The game launches normally and produces stable frametimes on your system. | Launch crashes, overlay problems, graphics corruption or ERR_GFX_STATE. |
| DirectX 12 | Vulkan is unstable, will not launch, or triggers ERR_GFX_STATE. | Compare the same resolution and settings; do not assume the API alone explains every FPS change. |
Rockstar’s May 2, 2024 support guidance specifically documents changing the default graphics API to DirectX 12 when dealing with ERR_GFX_STATE. That makes DirectX 12 the practical fallback, not proof that it is faster for every computer.
How to change the graphics API
- Open Red Dead Redemption 2 and choose Settings.
- Open Graphics.
- Enter Advanced Settings.
- Change the advanced-settings lock to Unlocked if the controls are unavailable.
- Open Graphics API and select Vulkan or DirectX 12.
- Apply the change, then run Settings > Graphics > Run Benchmark Test.
Test only one API at a time under the same resolution, refresh rate and visual settings. Record whether the game reaches the menu, whether a save loads, whether overlays work, and whether the benchmark has noticeable stalls. If an API will not let you reach the settings menu, use the other API to regain a stable launch and then retest later after updating the driver.
What TAA does, and why the game can look blurry
Temporal anti-aliasing, or TAA, uses information from successive frames to smooth jagged edges and reduce shimmering. It is particularly useful in a large game with thin foliage, wires and distant geometry, but its temporal filtering can make motion look soft. A paused close-up can also hide problems that become obvious when the camera moves.
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- Choose the TAA quality level that gives stable edges and acceptable performance.
- Increase TAA sharpening gradually until distant objects and foliage regain clarity.
Sharpening is a post-process clarity adjustment. It cannot restore detail removed by a low render resolution, weak texture setting or aggressive anti-aliasing. Excessive sharpening creates bright ringing around branches, shimmering leaves, noisy textures and halos along high-contrast edges. Judge the result while walking or rotating the camera, and inspect distant geometry rather than relying on a static screenshot.
Rockstar documents TAA and sharpening as adjustable controls but does not publish a universal slider value. Your usable setting depends on output resolution, display size, viewing distance, TAA quality and personal tolerance for temporal artifacts.
A reliable tuning order
Use this sequence so that expensive settings are not adjusted to compensate for a resolution or API problem.
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- Set the target resolution and refresh rate. Choose the resolution you actually intend to play at. A setting that looks sharp at one resolution may look soft at another.
- Start with Rockstar’s quality slider. In its April 30, 2024 tuning guidance, Rockstar describes the in-game quality slider as the quickest optimization method: it analyzes the PC’s capabilities and adjusts a range of background parameters for the selected resolution and preference for performance or quality.
- Select an API. Begin with Vulkan. If it is unstable or produces ERR_GFX_STATE, use DirectX 12 and benchmark again.
- Protect texture quality when VRAM allows. Textures affect surface detail, while the most visible performance savings often come from other settings. If the game exceeds available video memory, texture choices can become a practical constraint rather than a simple quality preference.
- Reduce the first high-impact group when performance is low. Rockstar places MSAA, reflection, water, volumetric and near-volumetric settings in the first group to tune.
- Set TAA quality, then sharpening. Establish stable anti-aliasing before adding clarity. Raise sharpening in small increments and stop before halos or noisy foliage appear.
- Run the built-in benchmark. Use Settings > Graphics > Run Benchmark Test after each meaningful change.
- Change one group at a time. If you alter the API, anti-aliasing and several lighting settings together, you cannot tell which change fixed or caused a problem.
Which settings to lower first
Rockstar’s tuning article identifies a first group because these controls can have a substantial effect on the balance between image quality and performance. The article does not assign a universal FPS cost to each setting; the effect varies with system configuration.
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| Setting group | What it changes | Practical approach |
|---|---|---|
| MSAA | Additional multi-sample anti-aliasing. | Lower or disable it first if you need performance and are already using TAA. |
| Reflections | Quality and detail of reflected surfaces. | Reduce it before sacrificing resolution when reflections are not a priority. |
| Water | Water surface rendering and related detail. | Lower it when scenes containing rivers, lakes or rain cause dips. |
| Volumetric | Atmospheric effects such as fog, haze and light volumes. | Reduce it if weather, smoke or broad outdoor views are expensive. |
| Near-volumetric resolution | Resolution used for nearby volumetric effects. | Lower it with the main volumetric controls when close fog or light shafts cost too much. |
After that first group, Rockstar lists TAA, texture, lighting, shadow, ambient occlusion, anisotropic filtering, far-shadow, tessellation, FXAA, volumetric-lighting, triple-buffering, global-illumination, particle, mirror and far-volumetric settings as additional controls. Adjust them according to the artifact or scene you are trying to solve rather than moving every slider at once.
- TAA, FXAA: anti-aliasing choices that trade edge stability, softness and performance.
- Texture and anisotropic filtering: surface detail and the clarity of textures viewed at an angle.
- Lighting, shadows, ambient occlusion and global illumination: depth, contact shading and the behavior of light and shade.
- Far-shadow, mirror and far-volumetric: detail at distance or in special surfaces and atmospheric effects.
- Tessellation and particles: geometric detail and effects such as debris, dust or other scene particles.
- Triple-buffering: a presentation option whose usefulness depends on the display and synchronization setup.
Use visible symptoms to guide changes. If distant shadows are the problem, adjust far-shadow rather than lowering every lighting option. If a wet scene causes the largest dips, test water and reflections before reducing texture quality.
How to use the benchmark correctly
The benchmark is most useful as a repeatable comparison, not as a promise of a particular frame rate. Run it after the game has loaded normally and keep the test conditions consistent:
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- Use the same resolution, refresh rate and display mode.
- Keep the same save, API and graphics preset while comparing one change.
- Note the overall smoothness, not only the average number shown at the end.
- Pay attention to the worst dips, multi-second stalls, flickering, shimmering and image breakup.
- Repeat a test if a result looks anomalous; a single run is not proof that one API is universally better.
Rockstar warns that each setting’s impact depends on system configuration. CPU core count, GPU model, available VRAM, driver behavior, resolution and game updates can all change the result. The benchmark on your hardware is the deciding evidence for API and slider choices.
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Fixing ERR_GFX_STATE
ERR_GFX_STATE is a failure state, not a sign that you need more TAA sharpening. Start with the graphics stack and API:
- Install a current graphics driver for your GPU.
- Launch the game and open Settings > Graphics > Advanced Settings.
- Set the advanced controls to Unlocked.
- Choose Graphics API > DirectX 12, following Rockstar’s May 2, 2024 recovery guidance.
- Apply the change and test a normal launch before changing other quality settings.
If DirectX 12 is stable, run the benchmark and then tune quality. If the error returns, check that the driver update completed correctly and remove unnecessary launcher launch arguments before testing again. Do not judge Vulkan against DirectX 12 until both can complete a normal launch and benchmark.
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Stutter is different from a low but steady frame rate. A game can report a reasonable average while pausing for several seconds when a driver or CPU scheduling issue appears.
Rockstar’s May 2, 2024 stutter guidance identifies certain NVIDIA drivers as a cause of multi-second stalls on systems with four- and six-core CPUs. Its recommended actions are to use current drivers and remove launcher launch arguments. Apply those steps before spending time on small visual settings.
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- Update the graphics driver from the GPU manufacturer.
- Remove custom launch arguments from the Rockstar launcher or the shortcut used to start the game.
- Restart the game and reproduce the same route or benchmark scene.
- Compare Vulkan and DirectX 12 only after the driver and launch configuration are clean.
- If the stall remains, lower the first tuning group one category at a time and benchmark after each change.
Keep a distinction between API instability, driver-induced stalls and ordinary GPU overload. Crashes or ERR_GFX_STATE point toward the API or graphics stack; repeatable dips in demanding water or volumetric scenes point toward settings; periodic pauses on an otherwise capable configuration make driver and launch arguments the higher-priority checks.
Minimum PC requirements and what they do not tell you
Rockstar’s Windows PC minimum-requirements listing, published for the November 5, 2019 PC release, specifies the following baseline:
| Requirement | Minimum listing | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| System memory | 8 GB | Requirement from the 2019 listing, not a guaranteed modern performance target. |
| Graphics card | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 with 2 GB or AMD Radeon R9 280 with 3 GB | Requirement from the 2019 listing; it does not establish a Vulkan-versus-DirectX 12 FPS result. |
| Storage | 150 GB HDD space | Capacity requirement from the 2019 listing. |
| Release date | November 5, 2019 | Identifies the Windows PC release associated with those requirements. |
These figures are not benchmark scores. They do not say what frame rate to expect at 1080p, 1440p or higher resolutions, nor do they identify the best API for a particular GPU. Use them to check basic eligibility, then use the benchmark and visible image quality to tune a system that may be far above the minimum.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Choosing an API by reputation. Vulkan is a sensible starting point, but stability and frametimes on your machine matter more than a blanket claim that one API is superior.
- Using sharpening to compensate for low resolution. Sharpening can clarify edges; it cannot recreate pixels or texture detail.
- Setting sharpening once and never checking motion. A value that looks crisp in a paused image may produce halos and shimmering during play.
- Lowering textures first. When VRAM permits, preserve texture detail and test MSAA, reflections, water and volumetric options first.
- Changing many controls together. One-group testing makes cause and effect visible.
- Confusing a benchmark average with smooth play. Record worst dips and stalls as well as average feel.
- Ignoring drivers and launch arguments. They are part of the troubleshooting path for documented stutter and graphics-state failures.
A practical decision guide
| Your situation | Next action |
|---|---|
| Vulkan launches, overlays work and frametimes are stable | Keep Vulkan, tune quality and sharpening, then benchmark after each group. |
| Vulkan crashes or reports ERR_GFX_STATE | Update the driver and switch to DirectX 12 through the advanced graphics menu. |
| Both APIs launch, but one has obvious stalls | Use the API with better frametime consistency after checking drivers and removing launcher arguments. |
| The image is soft but performance is acceptable | Keep TAA enabled, verify TAA quality, then raise sharpening gradually while moving the camera. |
| Performance dips mainly in water, weather or fog | Test water, reflections, volumetric and near-volumetric settings before reducing resolution or textures. |
The dependable workflow is simple: begin with Vulkan, keep TAA for stable edges, use sharpening sparingly, move to DirectX 12 when Vulkan is unreliable, and let repeated benchmark runs on your own hardware decide the final balance.
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