Rufous

Cities Skylines FPS Booster Guide

Introduction
Cities: Skylines is a beautifully designed city-building simulation game that can sometimes struggle with performance, especially on larger maps or older machines. Players often seek ways to boost their FPS (frames per second) to enjoy smooth gameplay while managing complex city systems. This article serves as a comprehensive guide to optimizing performance for Cities: Skylines, including settings adjustments and useful mods.

1. Adjusting In-Game Settings
The first step in improving FPS is to tweak the in-game graphics settings. Here are the recommended adjustments:

  • Resolution: Lowering the resolution can significantly improve performance. Try reducing it to 1920x1080 or lower.
  • V-Sync: Disable V-Sync, as it can limit frame rates. This will allow the game to run as smoothly as possible.
  • Anti-aliasing: Lower or turn off anti-aliasing to improve FPS without compromising too much on visual quality.
  • Terrain Details: Setting terrain details to low can help if you're experiencing frame rate drops during extensive landscaping.
  • Shadow Quality: Reducing shadow quality can lead to a noticeable boost in performance. Shadows take a toll on many GPUs, so setting them to low is beneficial.
  • Building Density: Lowering building density can help maintain FPS in crowded areas of your city.

In addition to these graphical tweaks, you can refer to resources like the Performance Tuning Guide for Cities Skylines here for detailed recommendations on optimizing various settings.

2. Utilize Mods for FPS Boost
Apart from in-game settings, mods can play a critical role in enhancing performance in Cities: Skylines. Consider using the following mods from the Steam Workshop:

  • FPS Booster: Designed specifically to help increase FPS by optimizing game settings and reducing unnecessary strain on your system. Check it out here.
  • Limit Building: This mod reduces the number of buildings that can be placed at once, helping manage performance better.
  • Optimized Assets: Using optimized assets can reduce the load on your graphics processing unit (GPU). You can find various packs on the Steam Workshop.

3. Additional Tips

  • Close Background Applications: Before launching the game, close any unnecessary applications that may be consuming system resources.
  • Update Drivers: Ensure that your graphics card drivers are up to date; this can greatly affect performance.
  • Allocate More RAM: If you are running out of memory while playing, consider upgrading your RAM if possible as it can help with loading larger cities.
  • Game Configuration Files: Advanced users may explore configuration files to fine-tune performance settings beyond the standard options provided in the game menu.

Conclusion
Optimizing Cities: Skylines for better FPS requires a multifaceted approach, balancing graphics settings and utilizing community-created mods. By applying these strategies, players can enhance their gaming experience and create sprawling cities without sacrificing performance. For further insights and more detailed tips, be sure to check the Best Settings to Increase Performance guide on IGN here.

With these performance tuning tips, you should be well on your way to enjoying Cities: Skylines with improved FPS.