Skip to main content

4 tips to boost your frame rate in the Overwatch 2 beta

The Overwatch 2 beta is finally live, and just like its predecessor, having a high frame rate is really important. Much has changed in the six years since the original Overwatch released, but the core game is the same.

Following best practices from the first release, we’ve identified four settings you can tweak to boost your frames per second (fps) in Overwatch 2. If you want a full breakdown, make sure to read our guide on the best settings for Overwatch 2

Recommended Videos

Turn on FSR and lower your render resolution

D.Va with cherry blossom background
Image used with permission by copyright holder

One of the most important innovations since Overwatch launched in 2016 are upsampling algorithms, which render the game at a lower resolution to boost performance. Overwatch 2 support’s AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), which works with virtually any graphics card.

While official support for FSR 1.0 only goes as far back as Nvidia’s GTX 10-series and AMD’s RX 400-series, it does work with most GPUs. Combining FSR with a decreased render resolution can net you a massive performance improvement. In our test system, which uses an Intel Core i9-10900K and RTX 3090, we were able to achieve about 70% more frames by turning FSR on and turning the render resolution down to 50%.

Overwatch 2 has its own built-in upscaler as well. However, we found that FSR is around 5% faster for a given render resolution.

Turn dynamic reflections down or off

Mercy and Winston standing side by side
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Other than resolution, we found that dynamic reflections were a really intensive graphics option. Unlike local reflections, dynamic reflections are focused on reflecting the fast-paced actions of players in the game. We improved the average frame rate by 30% when we set dynamic reflections from High to Off. The 1% low fps (which basically measures consistency — higher is better) also improved significantly, with a 24% boost in frames.

In a faced-paced shooter like Overwatch 2, frames tend to be more important than eye candy. However, there is a Low option for dynamic reflections that still performs noticeably better than the High option while offering improved visual quality (similar to the first Overwatch).

Turn down anti-aliasing

Lucio standing by a wall in Overwatch 2.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re still looking for ways to find more frames, turning down the anti-aliasing settings will give you a few. Anti-aliasing (or AA) smooths out the jagged parts of images, which is particularly useful at lower resolutions. We were able to improve frame rates by 2.5% when we switched from SMAA to FXAA, without any loss in image quality.

It’s not a huge improvement, but the visual difference between SMAA and FXAA is so minor that turning down AA is a good way to get more frames at no cost to visual quality.

Turn off the frame buffer

Gameplay settings in Overwatch 2.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This is the kind of option you save for last, not because turning this setting off can make the game look really bad, but because it might be a little self-defeating. Overwatch 2 maintains a single-frame buffer, which you can turn off with the reduce buffer setting. That’s great for input lag, but it will cost you some performance.

Turning the frame buffer option off increased our fram erate by 8%, but at the cost of higher input lag. If your PC is at a particularly low frame rate (like 27 fps), and you need to scrape together a few more frames to make Overwatch 2 playable, this is a good last resort. If you have a playable frame rate already, you might want to keep this setting on.

Matthew Connatser
Former Computing Writer
Matthew Connatser is a freelance writer who works on writing and updating PC guides at Digital Trends. He first got into PCs…
You’ll never have to use the 2K Launcher for Steam games again
BioShock promo art featuring the menacing Big Daddy in their armored suit.

As part of a growing trend among publishers, 2K Games has removed its launcher from "every game that used it" on Steam and Epic.

2K announced the change on a support page last month, and the launcher was removed on November 18. An update was pushed out on Monday to ensure it's gone, so if you want to hop into a 2K game on Steam or Epic, you'll no longer have to deal with the extra step of going through a launcher.

Read more
Understandably, Stalker 2 is a bit of a mess on PC
Key art for Stalker 2. A character in a lit-up gas mask and a gun on their back.

Stalker 2 is one of those games I never thought would actually release. Originally announced 14 years ago, the project was shelved after developer GSC Game World closed its doors, only to be reignited in 2018. Then, as the originally announced 2022 release of the game approached, Ukraine, where the developer was based, was invaded by Russia.

There are plenty of games that suffer in development hell, but they pale in comparison to the struggles Stalker 2 has gone through. The fact that the game is even here is nothing short of a miracle. Like other titles stuck in development hell, though, Stalker 2 is far from perfect, particularly when it comes to PC performance.

Read more
Your video game consoles could become much more expensive soon
A PS5 Pro sits on a table with a DualSense.

People have a lot of questions about what a second Donald Trump presidential administration will look like, and one of the big concerns surrounds proposed tariffs on foreign imports, with larger ones targeted for China. If these are passed, it could signal a big change in how video game hardware and software is manufactured and could lead to increased costs for players.

Digital Trends spoke to analysts about the potential impact that tariffs could have on tech like game consoles. As of this writing, the proposal is to implement a 10% or 20% tariff on all imports, but a specific 60% tariff on Chinese imports. Some analysts we reached out to declined to comment on the impact of the tariffs because while Trump has discussed a plan, it hasn't gone into effect and might not. Others, like Serkan Toto of Japanese games industry consulting firm Kantan, warned that consumers could be the ones paying the cost if plans go into effect.

Read more