GTA V low FPS, lag or stuttering on PC: how to fix it
Since March 2025, GTA V has two versions on PC: Legacy, the original one, and Enhanced, with ray tracing, DLSS and FSR. They ask for very different PCs. Start by figuring out which one you play.
Rise TeamGuide written by the Rise team. The steps work with or without Rise; the facts about the game come from the sources at the end of the page, with the date we checked them.
Short answer
In GTA V, the most expensive settings are extended distance, grass, high resolution shadows and MSAA, according to NVIDIA’s performance guide. In Enhanced, ray tracing is for PCs with performance to spare: if FPS is tight, turn it off and use DLSS or FSR. Also check that your PC meets the requirements for the version you play.
First, find out what is holding you back
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| FPS drops in the city and in traffic | Distance, population and grass weigh more where there’s a lot on screen[3] | Lower Extended Distance Scaling, Population Density and Grass Quality (Settings section)[3] |
| Blurry textures or video memory at the limit | Texture Quality and MSAA use video memory[3] | Texture Quality on Normal and MSAA off[3] |
| Low FPS in Enhanced even on a good PC | Ray tracing turned on[4] | Turn off ray tracing and use DLSS or FSR (Enhanced section)[1] |
| Slow loading and stutter while moving in Enhanced | Game installed on an HDD; Enhanced requires an SSD[1] | Move the game to an SSD[1] |
| Laptop with a dedicated card, but integrated graphics FPS | Windows is running the game on the integrated graphics[5] | Set GTA V to High performance in the Windows Graphics settings[5] |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Legacy or Enhanced: which one you play
GTA V Enhanced adds ray tracing (shadows, reflections, ambient occlusion and global illumination), DLSS, FSR and NVIDIA Reflex, and it loads faster on an SSD with DirectStorage. Story Mode and GTA Online progress can be migrated once from Legacy to Enhanced. Legacy is still around and asks much less of your PC.
| Version | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| GTA V Legacy | 64-bit Windows 10, Core 2 Quad Q6600 or Phenom 9850, 4 GB of RAM, 1 GB card like the 9800 GT or HD 4870[2] | Core i5-3470 or FX-8350, 8 GB of RAM, GeForce GTX 660 or Radeon HD 7870 with 2 GB[2] |
| GTA V Enhanced | Windows 10, Core i7-4770 or FX-9590, 8 GB of RAM, GeForce GTX 1630 or Radeon RX 6400 with 4 GB, SSD required[1] | Windows 11, Core i5-9600K or Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB of RAM, GeForce RTX 3060 or Radeon RX 6600 XT with 8 GB, SSD with DirectStorage[1] |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
On a PC near Enhanced’s minimum, Legacy is usually the lighter choice. The minimum requirement gets the game to open, not to run smoothly downtown.
How to see your FPS in GTA V
GTA V doesn’t show FPS in its menu. On Steam, turn on the counter under Steam › Settings › In Game › In-game FPS counter. If you play through Rockstar or Epic, you can use the counter in your graphics card’s app. Always measure at the same spot, ideally in the city, where the game is heaviest.
The settings that weigh the most
NVIDIA’s GTA V performance guide measured the cost of each setting in the Graphics and Advanced Graphics menus. The ones that weigh the most:
| Setting | Suggestion for FPS | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Extended Distance Scaling | All the way down | Very expensive; recommended only for the most powerful PCs[3] |
| Grass Quality | Normal | Very heavy in areas with vegetation; at the higher levels, grass gets shadows[3] |
| Population Density and Distance Scaling | Lower | The cost of distance drops when there’s less population[3] |
| High Resolution Shadows | Off | Relatively high cost[3] |
| High Detail Streaming While Flying | Off | Costs more in the city than in the game’s benchmark[3] |
| MSAA and Reflection MSAA | Off | They use video memory; the reflection one barely changes the image[3] |
| Texture Quality | Normal, if you’re short on video memory | Heavy on video memory, light on FPS[3] |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Lower one setting at a time and compare at the same spot. The video memory bar in the Graphics menu shows how much the settings you picked ask of your card.
In Enhanced: ray tracing, DLSS and FSR
According to NVIDIA, ray tracing in Enhanced is for PCs with performance to spare. If FPS is tight:
- Turn off the ray tracing settings first.
- With an NVIDIA RTX card, turn on DLSS; on other cards, FSR. Both render the game at a lower resolution and rebuild the image at your screen’s resolution.
- With an NVIDIA card, also turn on Reflex, which came to Enhanced along with DLSS.
- Install the game on an SSD: Rockstar requires an SSD for Enhanced and recommends one with DirectStorage.
GTA Online, mods and BattlEye
What Rise does in GTA V
Everything here shows what changes before you apply it.
- GTA V video presetWrites settings.xml, the video menu file, on both Legacy and Enhanced, with values the menu itself accepts. Texture quality follows your card’s video memory, and on a weaker PC shadows, reflections and grass come down too. Saves your previous settings and goes back in one click.Games › GTA V · Rise Premium
- Where to turn on ReflexIn Enhanced, Reflex lives in the game menu. Rise shows you where to turn it on instead of writing the setting.Inside the preset
- Windows, graphics card and networkWhat matters in any game: power plan, background programs and your PC’s Windows, graphics card and network settings. Each optimization shows what changes before you apply it.Optimizations · Rise Basic and Premium
- Before-and-after BenchmarkRuns the same 3D scene before and after your tweaks and compares average FPS, 1% low and stutters on your PC.Benchmark · Rise Basic and Premium
What Rise does not do in GTA V
- Doesn’t touch BattlEye or commandline.txt and doesn’t inject anything into the game.
- Doesn’t install mods, trainers or ReShade.
- Doesn’t turn ray tracing on or off in Enhanced: that choice is yours, in the menu.
- Doesn’t improve your internet’s route to the GTA Online server.
- Doesn’t promise an FPS number: measure before and after on your PC.
Frequently asked questions
How do I increase FPS in GTA V?
Measure in the city with the Steam counter or your graphics card’s counter. Then set Extended Distance Scaling all the way down, grass to Normal and population lower, and turn off High Resolution Shadows and MSAA. In Enhanced, turn off ray tracing and use DLSS or FSR.
GTA V Legacy or Enhanced: which runs better on a low-end PC?
Legacy asks for much less: its minimum is a 1 GB card and 4 GB of RAM, while Enhanced asks for a 4 GB card, 8 GB of RAM and an SSD. On a PC near the minimum, Legacy is usually the lighter one.
Is ray tracing worth it in GTA V Enhanced?
Only if you have performance to spare, as NVIDIA says. Ray tracing improves shadows, reflections and lighting, but it asks for extra performance from your card. If FPS is already tight, leave it off.
DLSS or FSR in GTA V?
Enhanced has both. With an NVIDIA RTX card, use DLSS; with AMD or another card, FSR. Both render the game at a lower resolution and rebuild the image, which takes load off the graphics card.
How do I see my FPS in GTA V?
The game doesn’t show FPS in its menu. On Steam, turn on the counter under Steam › Settings › In Game › In-game FPS counter. Through Rockstar or Epic, use the counter in your graphics card’s app.
Why does GTA V lag in the city?
In the city, the game draws more cars, people, grass and distance at once. According to NVIDIA, extended distance, grass and population are among the settings that weigh the most; lower those first.
Can mods get you banned in GTA V?
GTA Online uses BattlEye, and Rockstar warns that violating the Terms of Service or the Code of Conduct can restrict or end access to your account. Don’t take mods or trainers into Online. Rise doesn’t inject anything or install mods: it writes the game’s own video menu file.
Sources
- Rockstar on Steam: GTA V Enhanced (requirements and features) (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- Rockstar on Steam: GTA V Legacy (requirements) (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- NVIDIA: GTA V graphics and performance guide (checked on Oct 28, 2026)
- NVIDIA: DLSS, Reflex and ray tracing in GTA V Enhanced (March 2025) (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- Microsoft: graphics card per app (Settings › Graphics) (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
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