Best Settings to Run Modern Warfare 2 MW2 on PC or PS5

Updated:

Maximize your FPS and optimize performance for a truly immersive and competitive gaming experience in Modern Warfare 2 (MW2). Whether you're battling it out on PC or dominating the lobby on PS5, fine-tuning your settings is crucial. This updated guide provides the optimal settings to boost your frame rates and enhance overall performance, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable gameplay experience.

PC Settings for Peak Performance

Your PC setup plays a significant role in your MW2 experience. From graphics drivers to in-game settings, meticulous tweaking is essential for achieving the best performance. Follow these steps to maximize MW2's performance on your PC.

Step 1: Essential System Updates

Before diving into the game's settings, ensure your system is primed for optimal performance.

• NVIDIA/AMD Graphics Drivers: Download the latest drivers directly from NVIDIA's or AMD's official websites. Use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) for a clean driver installation when troubleshooting performance issues. This ensures no conflicting files remain from previous installations.
• Windows Updates: Keep your Windows operating system up-to-date. While Windows 10's Game Mode can be helpful, its impact varies.

Step 2: Optimizing In-Game Settings for Maximum FPS

Here’s a breakdown of the key in-game settings to adjust for optimal performance:

Interface Settings:

• Telemetry: Enable only the essential metrics: FPS, GPU Usage, CPU Usage, and Latency. Overloading telemetry can impact performance.

Graphics Settings:

• Display Mode: Fullscreen Exclusive typically offers the best performance by granting the game exclusive access to your GPU. Borderless Windowed provides convenience for multi-monitor setups but may introduce slight performance overhead.
• Refresh Rate: Match your in-game refresh rate to your monitor's native refresh rate (e.g., 60Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz). If you have a G-Sync or FreeSync monitor, enable it in the NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Software.
• Resolution: Set this to your monitor's native resolution for the sharpest image. Lowering the resolution can significantly boost FPS but will reduce visual clarity.
• Dynamic Resolution: Disable this. It can cause jarring resolution changes and inconsistent performance.
• V-Sync: Disable V-Sync to minimize input lag. Only enable it if you experience severe screen tearing and other solutions (like G-Sync/FreeSync) are unavailable. Be aware that V-Sync introduces input lag.
• Custom FPS Limit:
  • Menu FPS Limit: Set this to 60 FPS to reduce GPU load in menus.
  • Gameplay FPS Limit: This is crucial for smooth gameplay. Don't simply set it to an arbitrarily high number like 250. Instead, find your average FPS in-game and set the limit slightly below that value (e.g., if you average 100 FPS, set the limit to 90-95). This improves frame pacing and reduces stutter.
• HDR: Disable unless you have a properly calibrated HDR monitor and prefer the visual enhancements. HDR can impact performance.

Detailed Graphics Settings:

• Texture Quality: This is heavily dependent on your GPU's VRAM. If you have 8GB or more, you can likely use High or Normal. Lower this setting if you experience stuttering or low FPS.
• Texture Filter Anisotropic: Set to Normal. Higher settings have minimal visual impact but can slightly decrease performance.
• Particle Quality: This setting significantly impacts performance during intense action. Start with Normal and lower it if needed.
• Impact Marks: These can also impact performance, especially in high-intensity situations. Consider lowering this setting.
• Shader Quality: This has a large impact on performance. Start with Low or Medium and adjust based on your system.
• Shadow Quality: This is a major performance hog. Start with Low or Normal.
• Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO): This adds depth to scenes. Start with Normal and lower it for a performance boost.
• Anti-Aliasing: Filmic SMAA T2X offers a good balance of visual quality and performance.
• Motion Blur (World and Weapon): Turn both OFF. Motion blur reduces visual clarity, especially in fast-paced action.
• Depth of Field: Turn OFF.
• Film Grain: Set to 0.

Additional PC Performance Tips:

• Upscaling Technologies: If you have an NVIDIA RTX GPU, enable DLSS and experiment with the different modes (Quality, Balanced, Performance, Ultra Performance). AMD users can utilize FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), and Intel users can explore XeSS (Xe Super Sampling). These technologies can significantly boost FPS with minimal visual impact.

PS5 Settings for Enhanced Performance

The PS5 offers a great MW2 experience out of the box, but these tweaks will further enhance performance and visuals.

Step 1: Prioritize Performance

• Performance Mode: Go to Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Game Presets > Performance Mode. This prioritizes frame rate over resolution for smoother gameplay.

Step 2: Visual Settings

• On-Demand Texture Streaming: While this can improve texture quality, it can also cause stuttering for some players. Experiment with this setting and turn it OFF if you experience issues.
• Motion Blur (World and Weapon): Turn both OFF.
• Film Grain: Set to 0.
• Depth of Field: Turn OFF.
• FidelityFX CAS: Turn ON. A strength of 50 is a good starting point, but adjust to your preference.
• Field of View: 104 is a good starting point. Be aware that increasing the FOV can slightly impact performance.
• Telemetry: Enable FPS and Latency to monitor performance.

Additional Tips for PS5:

• Ensure your TV or monitor supports HDMI 2.1 for 4K 120Hz.
• Keep your PS5 system software updated.

By carefully adjusting these settings on both PC and PS5, you can significantly improve your MW2 experience. Remember that finding the perfect balance between visuals and performance is subjective and depends on your specific hardware. Experiment with the settings to find what works best for you. Share your own tips and experiences in the comments below!