Should I use Vulkan or DirectX 12 in Red Dead Redemption 2?

Rockstar gives you a choice between Vulkan and DirectX 12 in the graphics API settings. In practice, Vulkan tends to produce smoother frame times on AMD GPUs, while DirectX 12 is marginally more stable on older NVIDIA cards. If you experience shader-compilation stutters on first-run — which is common on both APIs — letting the game fully pre-compile its shader cache on the title screen before starting a session eliminates most of them. Driver-level shader pre-compilation (available via GeForce Experience or Adrenalin) can further reduce hitches on subsequent launches.

Which graphics settings cause the biggest FPS drops in Red Dead Redemption 2?

Grass Quality is the single most expensive setting in Red Dead Redemption 2. Lowering it from Ultra to High alone can recover 15–20 FPS on mid-range hardware, with minimal visible difference at normal riding speeds. Reflection Quality and Water Physics Quality are the next highest-impact settings. The game also features a global Texture Quality slider — keeping it at Medium vs Ultra has a larger VRAM impact than a raw FPS impact, but cards with less than 8 GB VRAM will stutter noticeably on Ultra textures when riding through Saint Denis.

Can I Run Red Dead Redemption 2 on RTX 4090?

Red Dead Redemption 2 FPS Benchmark and Performance Analysis

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090Game: Red Dead Redemption 2Updated: Mar 30, 2026

Yes, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 can run Red Dead Redemption 2. Expect roughly 90 FPS at 1080p high — smooth for most players. If you're planning to play Red Dead Redemption 2 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, this page gives a practical FPS estimate at 1080p high, plus what to expect at 1440p.

Red Dead Redemption 2 FPS Benchmarks on RTX 4090

Resolution	Settings Preset	Avg FPS	1% Low FPS	Verdict
1080p	Competitive (Low)	113 FPS	75 FPS	Very Good
1080p	High	90 FPS	60 FPS	Good
1440p	High	67 FPS	43 FPS	Playable
1440p	Ultra	50 FPS	32 FPS	Playable
4K	High	42 FPS	25 FPS	Low

Benchmarks are estimated by our performance engine. Actual results may vary.

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Best Settings for Red Dead Redemption 2 on RTX 4090

90+FPS1080p Competitive

Display Mode: Fullscreen
Resolution: 1920×1080
V-Sync: Disabled
Texture Quality: High
Shadow Quality: Medium
Anti-Aliasing: TAA
Effects Quality: High
Post-Processing: Medium
Ambient Occlusion: Enabled

Performance Analysis

Our projection for Red Dead Redemption 2 on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is about 90 FPS at 1080p high. At 1440p, that typically translates to around 67 FPS with similar quality targets. This places the card in the enthusiast tier for this title, with a smooth experience profile. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 provides smooth gameplay in Red Dead Redemption 2, with enough headroom for visual tweaks.

Red Dead Redemption 2 offers a breathtakingly detailed open world set in the fading days of the Wild West, requiring solid hardware to render its vast landscapes. To meet the minimum system demands, your PC should have a Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2GB / AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB. For optimal performance and smooth rendering, it’s recommended to play with a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 480 4GB.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 supports DLSS 3 with Frame Generation in compatible titles. In games like Red Dead Redemption 2 that support it, Frame Generation can push perceived frame rates well beyond the base estimate above — particularly useful at 1440p where the GPU is more heavily loaded.

Lower shadows and volumetrics one step before reducing texture quality.
Ray tracing can be enabled with quality upscaling for a good visual/performance balance.
1080p: High settings with shadows one step down
1440p: Medium/High mix with Quality upscaling

To summarize: expect a smooth experience pairing NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 with Red Dead Redemption 2, with meaningful gains available through the settings guide above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use Vulkan or DirectX 12 in Red Dead Redemption 2?: Rockstar gives you a choice between Vulkan and DirectX 12 in the graphics API settings. In practice, Vulkan tends to produce smoother frame times on AMD GPUs, while DirectX 12 is marginally more stable on older NVIDIA cards. If you experience shader-compilation stutters on first-run — which is common on both APIs — letting the game fully pre-compile its shader cache on the title screen before starting a session eliminates most of them. Driver-level shader pre-compilation (available via GeForce Experience or Adrenalin) can further reduce hitches on subsequent launches.
Which graphics settings cause the biggest FPS drops in Red Dead Redemption 2?: Grass Quality is the single most expensive setting in Red Dead Redemption 2. Lowering it from Ultra to High alone can recover 15–20 FPS on mid-range hardware, with minimal visible difference at normal riding speeds. Reflection Quality and Water Physics Quality are the next highest-impact settings. The game also features a global Texture Quality slider — keeping it at Medium vs Ultra has a larger VRAM impact than a raw FPS impact, but cards with less than 8 GB VRAM will stutter noticeably on Ultra textures when riding through Saint Denis.