To increase FPS in Star Citizen, start by comparing repeatable in-game tests rather than changing settings after a single dip. Use the same game version, location, activity, and settings each time; then record the FPS you see and when and where it drops.
A short reading can reflect a brief change in the scene, so it is not enough by itself to show that a tweak helped. A consistent baseline gives you a clearer way to work through possible causes and judge each change on your own setup.
Build a useful baseline
Pick a location and activity you can repeat—for example, stand in the same area and follow the same short route. Keep your settings and game version consistent between runs, and note the FPS you see at the start, during the route, and at the point where performance feels worst.
Write down where and when the drop happens. If FPS falls while you are moving through one area, compare that same stretch again; if it dips during a particular activity, repeat that activity rather than comparing it with an unrelated scene.
Make the comparison meaningful
Treat one brief reading as a clue, not a result. Repeat the same test before deciding that a change improved performance, and avoid comparing a busy scene with a quiet one or a different location with your baseline.
Once you have a repeatable comparison, work through the checks in order and change only one thing at a time. Record each change beside its before-and-after result, repeat promising tests, and restore a setting if it fails to help or creates a trade-off you do not want.
If your system is the main limitation, use the low-end PC settings guide for hardware-focused choices. If you want to compare which graphics options have the biggest impact, use the settings comparison; if the main problem is hitching rather than consistently low FPS, use the dedicated stuttering workflow. Run the checks in order and note what helps so your next step is based on your own repeatable results.
What to check before changing settings
Before changing settings, identify what your PC is doing and whether the problem is consistently low FPS or sudden hitching. That distinction helps you avoid chasing graphics options when the underlying issue may be different.
Note your current setup
Write down your PC’s main hardware, the resolution you play at, and your current game settings. Include the graphics card and processor if you know them, plus any recent hardware or software changes; for example, note that you installed a new GPU driver or changed your display resolution.
Keep the notes specific enough to compare later. “Medium settings” is less useful than listing the options you changed, and “low FPS” is less useful than describing when it happens, such as during a busy area or while flying.
Check what changed
Before troubleshooting, check whether Star Citizen or your graphics drivers updated since your last comparison. A recent update is useful context when performance has changed, but it does not by itself prove what caused the difference.
If you do not know when the last update happened, make a note of that rather than guessing. Also record any recent changes to your PC or game configuration so you can consider them when reviewing the result.
Separate low FPS from stuttering
Consistently low FPS and stuttering are different symptoms, so describe which one you are actually seeing. A generally low frame rate across play is different from brief hitches that interrupt otherwise smooth movement.
If hitching is the main problem, use a dedicated stutter troubleshooting workflow instead of treating every graphics adjustment as an FPS fix. If the frame rate stays low, continue with the checks for your game and system, using your hardware and update notes to keep the troubleshooting focused.
Run these FPS checks in order
Confirm the display resolution and graphics device. Make sure Star Citizen is using the resolution you intend to play at, and check that it is running on your dedicated graphics card if your PC has one. For example, if your system has both integrated graphics and a gaming GPU, verify the game is not assigned to the integrated device. Then run your baseline test again before moving on.
Check for a graphics driver update. Look for an available update for your graphics card, install it if appropriate, and repeat the same baseline test before changing power settings or in-game options. Keeping the driver check early makes it easier to tell whether this straightforward system change affected your result. [1]
Review power and graphics-card performance options. Check your system’s power settings for a high-performance mode, where available. If you use an Nvidia card, you can also check Nvidia Control Panel for the “Prefer Maximum Performance” power option; these settings may help FPS. [1][2] Retest after each adjustment so you can see whether it helps on your setup.
Change one in-game graphics option at a time. Pick a single option, adjust it, and run the same baseline test without changing anything else. For example, if you want to try a different quality level for one setting, leave the rest as they were for that test. Compare the result with your baseline before choosing another option.
Keep the change only if it suits you. If an adjustment does not improve your test, or the trade-off looks worse to you, restore its previous value before trying something else. Once you have finished these checks, use your recorded results to identify which individual change helped; if the issue is specifically stuttering, switch to the dedicated stuttering troubleshooting guide.
If your results point to hardware limits, the low-end PC settings guide is the better next read. For help choosing which graphics options are worth testing, use the graphics-settings comparison rather than changing several options at once.
Test every change before keeping it
Treat each FPS tweak as a small experiment: record what you changed, compare the result under the same conditions, and keep it only if the improvement holds up.
Make the comparison fair
Use the same in-game location and activity for your before-and-after test, and leave the other settings unchanged. For example, if you’re testing a graphics option, compare the same route or task rather than checking one setting in a quiet hangar and the other during a busy mission.
Write down the setting’s original value, the new value, and what you observed in each run. A simple note such as “setting A: before, 42 FPS; after, 47 FPS” makes it easier to see which adjustment deserves another look. Avoid changing anything else between those runs, or you won’t know which change affected the result.
Confirm the result, then decide
If a change looks promising, repeat the comparison before you keep it. A result that appears once but disappears on a second test may not be a dependable gain, so don’t treat a single better run as a reason to rebuild all your settings around it.
Keep the adjustment only if the repeated test still looks better and the change hasn’t introduced a trade-off you dislike. If it makes no useful difference, or the result is worse, restore the previous value and move on to the next check. This keeps your setup easy to understand instead of leaving you with a pile of untested tweaks.
At the end, review your notes and carry forward only the changes that helped in your repeatable test. If you’ve worked through the checks without a useful gain and your hardware is the limiting factor, use the low-end PC settings guide; if you want to compare which graphics options have the most impact, use the graphics settings comparison. If the problem is specifically stuttering rather than consistently low FPS, switch to the dedicated stuttering guide.
Avoid these troubleshooting mistakes
Avoid troubleshooting shortcuts that make it hard to tell what actually helped: change one thing at a time, skip unexplained registry tweaks, and treat each result as specific to your PC and location.
Make each test easy to interpret
Changing several options together can leave you guessing. If you lower a graphics option, change a system setting, and install a registry tweak before testing, a different result will not tell you which change mattered. Make one adjustment, test it, then decide whether to keep it before trying another.
Be especially cautious with registry edits. A discussion of making Star Citizen a high-priority CPU process describes opening the Windows Registry Editor and running it as administrator, but that is not a reason to apply the tweak without understanding why you need it. [3] If you cannot explain what a proposed edit changes or how to undo it, leave the registry alone and use a reversible setting instead.
Treat results as specific to your setup
Do not expect one adjustment to improve every PC or every place in the game. A change that seems helpful in one area may not have the same effect somewhere else, so use your own results rather than assuming a tip from another player will translate directly.
For example, if lowering an option appears to help while you are walking around a station, that does not prove it will help during a different activity or in another location. Keep your conclusion narrow: the adjustment helped in the situation you tested, not necessarily everywhere.
Choose the right next guide
If your PC is hardware-limited and you need settings choices aimed at lower-end systems, move to the low-end PC settings guide. If you are deciding which graphics options are most worth changing, use the settings comparison instead; it focuses on their relative performance impact and trade-offs.
If stuttering—not consistently low frame rates—is the main problem, switch to the dedicated stuttering troubleshooting guide. Once you have the right path, continue with one change at a time and keep only the adjustments that improve your own test without an unwanted trade-off.
Use your results to choose the next check
The best next check is the one your repeatable test shows is worth keeping. Work through the troubleshooting steps in order, changing one thing at a time, so you can tell whether a specific adjustment—not a different scene or a pile of edits—made the difference.
Keep a simple change log as you go. For example, note “graphics option changed” and whether the same test felt or measured better afterward; if the result is inconsistent, repeat the test before deciding. Keep a change only when it improves your result without a trade-off you do not want, and restore the previous value if it does not.
If you have worked through the checks without a useful improvement, choose the next read based on the problem: use the low-end PC guide if your hardware is the main constraint, or the graphics-settings comparison if you need help deciding which option to test next. If your main problem is stuttering rather than consistently low FPS, switch to the dedicated stuttering troubleshooting article.
For your next session, run the checks in order and write down which individual change helps. Keep only improvements you can reproduce without an unwanted trade-off; if hitching is the issue, move to the stuttering guide instead.