For Dead by Daylight, the best PC settings are the ones that hold a steady frame rate at your monitor’s refresh rate while keeping shadows, foliage and fog readable. Start from a mid-level preset, lower shadow quality and post-processing first because they cost the most smoothness for the least visible gain, and keep texture quality as high as your video memory allows.
The game runs on Unreal Engine, and its dark, atmospheric maps make settings choices less obvious than in a bright shooter. Too much darkness hides a killer standing in grass, while too much effect work makes chases stutter. This guide explains which options generally cost the most, how to set up a low-end, mid-range and high-end PC, and how to decide for yourself. Menu names and defaults can change with patches, so confirm each option in the in-game settings.
What Matters Most in This Game
Dead by Daylight is an asymmetrical horror game where a single mistake in a chase can cost a match. Smooth frame pacing matters more than a high average, because a sudden drop during a vault or a pallet drop is more harmful than a slightly lower overall number. Visibility also matters, since survivors need to spot the killer’s red stain and scratch marks, and killers need to read movement across the map.
The game does not usually demand the heaviest hardware, but it does have a couple of traps. Older systems with limited video memory can struggle with high texture settings, and slow hard drives can lengthen loading and cause hitches when new assets stream in. Keep these two ideas in mind as you work through the settings below.
Settings Ranked by Performance Cost
Resolution and Resolution Scale
Resolution has the largest effect on graphics card load. If your frame rate is unstable, lowering the in-game resolution scale (if it is available) often gives a bigger gain than any other single change. A small drop in scale can look nearly identical on a normal monitor, especially when paired with anti-aliasing.
Shadows
Shadow quality is usually among the most expensive options in Unreal Engine games. Because the game is dark, shadows do add atmosphere, but the difference between very high and medium is often subtle during a chase. Medium is a sensible target for most mid-range systems.
Post-Processing and Effects
Post-processing covers effects such as bloom, color grading and fog-related passes. These can use real performance and also change how readable the scene is. If you find fog hard to read, lowering effects can make the map clearer while saving frame time.
Anti-Aliasing
Anti-aliasing smooths jagged edges on fences, rafters and hooks. Temporal methods look smoother but can add softness. Lighter methods keep the picture sharper at a lower cost. Choose the one that keeps thin objects clean at your resolution without making the image muddy.
View Distance and Foliage
Long maps contain a lot of grass, trees and props. Lowering view distance or foliage density reduces the work on both the processor and the graphics card, though extremely low settings can change how the environment looks, so use them carefully if you play survivor and rely on seeing the killer.
Texture Quality
Texture quality mostly consumes video memory rather than raw processing power. If your graphics card has plenty of memory, keep it high for sharper surfaces. If you see stutters when entering new areas, lower it one step. The setting rarely affects frame rate until memory runs out, and then the drop is sharp.
A Tiered Approach by PC Class
| PC class | Resolution / scale | Shadows and effects | Textures | Frame goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low-end | 1080p, reduced scale if needed | Low shadows, minimal post-processing | Medium or low, based on video memory | Stable and capped at a number you can hold |
| Mid-range | 1080p or 1440p, full scale | Medium shadows, moderate effects | High | Match monitor refresh rate |
| High-end | 1440p or 4K, full scale | High shadows, most effects on | Highest | High refresh with headroom |
Treat the table as a starting point, not a promise, because frame rates depend on your processor, memory speed, drivers and the map you load into. The goal is to find the highest setting that does not cause drops, then stop.
Frame Rate, V-Sync and Latency
Pick a frame limit you can reach consistently. A locked 60 that never wavers feels better in a chase than a variable number that jumps between high and low. If your display supports variable refresh rate, turn it on in both the monitor menu and the graphics driver, and set a cap a few frames below the refresh rate to stay in the adaptive range.
V-sync removes tearing but can add input delay. If you are sensitive to lag during vaults and pallet drops, consider leaving it off and relying on variable refresh instead. Check the game’s current options, since names and defaults can differ between patches. Some versions of the game also offer upscaler or sharpening options; if yours lists one, a quality-focused mode usually helps low-end hardware without a large loss in clarity.
Visibility and Comfort Settings
Because many matches take place in dim locations, display settings can matter as much as graphics options. Adjust brightness or gamma in the game’s own menu so that dark corners are readable without turning the image gray. Avoid forcing extreme contrast in the monitor settings, as that can make pale lights and sparks overly harsh.
Field of view, motion effects and camera shake are separate comfort options. If chases make you feel dizzy, reduce camera movement and any blur. Each player’s tolerance is different, so treat these as personal tuning rather than performance tuning.
Processor, Memory and Storage Factors
Dead by Daylight is not as processor-hungry as a large open-world game, but a weak processor can still show up as dips when the map is full of props or when the killer uses a power that spawns many objects. If lowering graphics settings barely moves your frame rate, the processor is probably the limit, and an on-screen overlay that shows per-core usage will confirm it.
Memory capacity matters too. A system with too little system memory will swap data to the drive, which feels like random freezes. Having the game on an SSD also shortens match loading and reduces hitching when assets stream in. If you can only move one thing to faster storage, make it the game folder.
Laptops and Integrated Graphics
On a laptop, confirm the game is actually using the dedicated graphics chip and not the integrated one. Windows graphics settings let you assign a preferred processor per application. Keep the laptop plugged in and set a performance power mode, since battery operation can cut clocks sharply and make a capable machine behave like a weak one.
Older Desktops
If you are on older hardware, a modest render scale, low shadows and a capped frame rate are the safest combination. Clean out dust and check temperatures, because thermal throttling can mimic a settings problem.
A Simple Tuning Workflow
- Begin with a medium preset and your monitor’s native resolution.
- Load into a practice match or a Kill Your Friends lobby so you can test settings without pressure.
- Turn on an on-screen frame counter from your graphics driver or overlay software and watch for dips during chases, not just standing still.
- Lower shadows and post-processing one step at a time until dips disappear.
- Raise textures if you have spare video memory, then confirm no new stutter appears when loading into a different map.
- Save your final choices and revisit them after major patches or driver updates.
Before You Settle Checklist
- Confirm your graphics driver is current and the game is installed on an SSD if possible.
- Close overlays and background apps that use the graphics card.
- Check that your frame limit matches what your PC can hold.
- Review brightness so dark maps stay readable.
Common Mistakes
- Running every option at maximum and then wondering why chases stutter.
- Lowering textures when the real cost comes from shadows or post-processing.
- Raising the frame limit above what the PC can hold, leading to uneven pacing.
- Boosting monitor brightness so far that the map loses all contrast.
- Installing the game on a slow hard drive and blaming the settings for loading hitches.
Related guides
- Aio Liquid Coolers For High Performance Gaming
- How To Lower Input Delay In Competitive Shooters
- Wireless Gaming Headsets Under 100 For Pc
Frequently Asked Questions
Which setting should I lower first for more frames?
Shadow quality and post-processing are usually the most effective places to start, followed by resolution scale. Textures mainly affect video memory, so lower them only if you notice stutter.
Is a high frame rate important in this game?
A stable frame rate matters more than a very high one. Aim for your monitor’s refresh rate if your PC can hold it, and otherwise choose a lower cap you can maintain.
Will lowering settings make me see the killer better?
It can help in some cases, because heavy fog and bloom effects hide detail. The exact outcome depends on the map, so adjust and compare in a practice match.
Do these settings change after updates?
Yes, menu names and defaults can change with patches. Recheck your choices after major updates and graphics driver changes.
