Diagnose & fix
How to boost FPS in Valorant: real settings that work
Reviewed July 2026
Enable Raw Input Buffer and Multithreaded Rendering first — free, real gains most players skip. Then lower Shadow Detail to Low/Medium (the most expensive setting) and disable Bloom and Distortion. On Windows: Best Performance power mode and XMP/EXPO on. Neon optimizes the Windows side only — it does not inject into Valorant or touch game files.
Step by step
01 Understand why Valorant is different from other shooters
Valorant is built on Unreal Engine 4 and was designed from the ground up to run at high frame rates on modest hardware. The engine scales down well, so lowering the right settings can give real gains — unlike games that are already well-optimized at medium. The game also has significant CPU demands: the detection system, abilities, and effects are processed on the main thread. Reducing operating system background load helps directly.
02 Enable Raw Input Buffer
Under Options › Video › General, enable 'Raw Input Buffer.' This makes the game read the mouse directly from the hardware driver, bypassing Windows input stack processing. The result is lower and more consistent input lag, especially at high frame rates. It's one of the few settings in Valorant with a real, measurable effect on responsiveness — always enable it.
03 Multithreaded rendering: always on
Under Options › Video › Graphics Quality, 'Multithreaded Rendering' distributes the work of preparing render commands across multiple CPU threads. If you have 4 or more cores, enabling it is a free win. Many players miss it because it's buried in settings, but it's probably the highest-impact option for multi-core CPUs. Enable it and restart the game for it to take effect.
04 Material quality and detail: the right balance
Material Quality affects the sharpness of surfaces and textures. At Medium or Low it looks worse but frees up VRAM and gives more FPS on GPUs with less than 4 GB. Material Detail controls secondary objects — lowering it to Low is barely noticeable during combat but helps on maps with many props. Contrary to popular belief, Texture Quality at High costs very few FPS if your VRAM can handle it — don't lower it unless you have less than 4 GB.
05 Shadows: the most expensive setting in Valorant
Shadow Detail is the most FPS-hungry setting in Valorant. Setting it to Medium or Low can free up significant performance on mid-range and lower-end GPUs. At Minimum, some dynamic shadows are removed entirely, which can even affect readability — try Low first. Shadow Quality works together with Detail: both at Low give the biggest saving.
06 Bloom, Distortion and Antialiasing: turn them off
Bloom (light glow effects) is purely visual and has a non-trivial GPU cost — turn it off. Distortion (heat shimmer and warp effects) is also decorative in a competitive shooter — turn it off. For antialiasing, MSAA at x4 or x8 is very expensive. Use MSAA 1x or None if you prefer FPS over edge sharpness. FXAA is practically free but slightly softens the image.
07 Cap FPS correctly
Valorant has a built-in FPS limiter in Video › General settings. Capping FPS to a stable value — for example double your monitor refresh rate, or at your refresh rate if you use VRR — stabilizes frame times and reduces heat. Many players leave the limiter at Uncapped and experience hitches because the GPU gets momentarily saturated. A steady FPS feels better than a variable one even if the average is higher.
08 Windows: close Discord Overlay and GeForce In-Game Overlay
The Discord overlay and GeForce Experience overlay hook into Valorant's render process and can cause measurable stutter, especially on the first frame after switching windows. Disable Discord overlay in Settings › Activity Settings › In-Game Overlay. Disable the GeForce overlay in GeForce Experience › Settings (gear icon) › General. The Steam overlay can also contribute — disable it if you're not actively using it.
09 Power plan and Windows settings
Valorant particularly benefits from a CPU that doesn't drop its frequencies. In Windows 11, set the power mode to Best Performance (Settings › System › Power). On laptops, always play plugged in. XMP or EXPO in the BIOS so your RAM runs at its rated speed also helps — many systems ship with RAM running at 2133 MHz when the kit is rated for 3200 or higher. This has a real effect in CPU-limited games like Valorant.
10 What is placebo in Valorant
Setting process priority to High in Task Manager almost never changes anything in Valorant — Windows already handles priorities well for active games. 'Optimize for maximum 3D performance' in the NVIDIA panel rarely has a measurable effect in Valorant compared to normal image quality preferences. 'Tweak packs' downloaded from forums often disable services that Valorant needs to function correctly. Aim for the specific changes above, not generic packs.
11 How Neon helps on the Windows side
The in-game settings above are done by you directly — Neon does not touch Valorant's files or inject anything into the game process. What Neon does is optimize the Windows side reversibly: it manages background processes and services that compete for resources while you play, verifies your power plan is correct, and detects whether XMP/EXPO is off or Resizable BAR is available but disabled. It logs every change so you can undo it with one click, and never invents an improvement percentage.
Recommended settings at a glance
| Setting | Recommended | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Raw Input Buffer | On | Input lag |
| Multithreaded Rendering | On | FPS |
| Shadow Detail | Low | High FPS |
| Bloom | Off | Slight FPS |
| Distortion | Off | Slight FPS |
| MSAA | 1x or None | High FPS |
Where Neon helps
Neon works on the Windows side, not inside the game. It doesn't touch Valorant's files, doesn't modify its process, and never injects anything.
- Manages background processes and services that compete for CPU and RAM while you play.
- Verifies that the Windows power plan and performance mode are correctly configured for gaming.
- Detects if XMP/EXPO is off or Resizable BAR is available but not enabled — two of the most common improvements left undone.
- Logs every change and makes it reversible with one click. Never invents an FPS number.
Neon measures before/after on your own PC — see the methodology →
Also getting stutter on top of low FPS? See the guide on fixing FPS drops and stutter and the one on reducing input lag for gaming. Play other shooters too? See CS2 FPS boost and Warzone FPS boost for game-specific steps. Our optimizer comparison shows how Neon stacks up against competitors.