Subnautica 2 - Best Settings Guide (Graphics + FPS) - 2026

If your frame rate is tanking or the game feels like a slideshow while you are exploring the ocean, you are likely hitting a bottleneck with GPU compute-heavy features. You do not need a top-tier graphics card to run this smoothly; you just need to dial back the specific settings that overwhelm your hardware.

Why this happens

Subnautica 2 uses advanced rendering features like real-time global illumination and volumetric clouds that are extremely taxing on your GPU. By shifting from high-fidelity rendering to optimized performance settings, you offload the compute stress without ruining the visual experience.

What you will need

No external software is required. Just ensure your graphics drivers are up to date and that you have the game launched to the main menu.

Steps

1. 01
   Navigate to the main menu and open the 'Settings' menu, then click on the 'Graphics' tab to access your performance options.
2. 02
   Turn off 'Motion Blur' immediately; it adds unnecessary input latency and smears textures when you turn your camera, which is especially noticeable underwater.
3. 03
   Enable 'DLSS' if you have an Nvidia RTX card, or select 'TSR' (Temporal Super Resolution) if you are using AMD or Intel hardware, then set the 'Upscale Quality' to 'Performance' for the highest frame rate gain.
4. 04
   Set 'Global Illumination', 'Reflections', 'Post Processing', and 'Clouds' to 'Low', as these are the heaviest GPU killers in the game engine.
5. 05
   Adjust 'Shadows', 'View Distance', 'Shading', 'Effects', and 'Landscape' to 'Medium' to balance visual fidelity with stable frame times.
6. 06
   Set 'Textures' to 'High' if you have at least 6GB of VRAM, as this impacts memory rather than compute power and significantly improves visual clarity.

Still not working?

If you are still experiencing significant stutters after these changes, check your GPU temperatures using a tool like MSI Afterburner to ensure your hardware isn't thermal throttling. If the game still hitches, verify your game files through your launcher and ensure your OS power plan is set to 'High Performance' to prevent the CPU from downclocking during gameplay.

Frequently asked questions

Will setting textures to high crash my game if I have low VRAM?

If you have less than 6GB of VRAM, setting textures to high can lead to stutters or crashes as the system runs out of dedicated memory. Drop this to 'Medium' or 'Low' if you experience persistent frame drops when entering new biomes.

Does using DLSS or TSR make the game look blurry?

Because Subnautica 2 features soft, organic underwater visuals, the upscaling blur is significantly less noticeable than in sharp, high-contrast shooters. 'Performance' mode is the best balance for most modern displays.

Why does my frame rate drop specifically when looking at the horizon?

This is usually caused by the 'View Distance' and 'Volumetric Clouds' settings. If the game stutters when you move, try dropping 'View Distance' to 'Low' to reduce the number of objects rendered at once.