Deep Rock Galactic: Best GameUserSettings.ini for Swarm FPS

By default, the Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) settings in DRG keep “Dead Body” physics and explosion debris active for too long. In our 2026 “Swarm Optimized” setup, we force these entities to cull almost instantly, freeing up the CPU’s main thread for actual gameplay logic.

File Path

The main settings are stored in your local AppData. If you use the Steam version, look for the FSD (Fallen Social Dwarves) folder:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\FSD\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor\GameUserSettings.ini

Technical Note: To truly fix swarm lag, you should also add -disablemodding to your Steam Launch Options. Even if you have no mods installed, the game’s internal mod-checking hook causes a measurable 5-10% CPU overhead during entity spawning.

Optimized “Swarm Defense” Configuration Block

Search for the [ScalabilityGroups] and [/Script/FSD.FSDGameUserSettings] sections. If they don’t exist, you can add these specific overrides.

Parameter	Recommended Value	Technical Purpose
sg.EffectsQuality	1	Reduces particle count; critical for Driller’s CRISPR and EPC explosions.
sg.FoliageQuality	0	Removes non-interactive cave clutter that eats draw calls in Azure Weald.
bDisableMasterEQ	True	Disables the Master Equalizer to save CPU cycles during loud gunfights.
r.ViewDistanceScale	0.6	Slightly reduces the distance at which small rocks/debris render.
r.MaxAnisotropy	2	Lowers texture filtering to 2x to reduce memory bus pressure during swarms.

[ScalabilityGroups]
sg.ResolutionQuality=100.000000
sg.ViewDistanceQuality=1
sg.AntiAliasingQuality=1
sg.ShadowQuality=1
sg.PostProcessQuality=1
sg.TextureQuality=2
sg.EffectsQuality=1
sg.FoliageQuality=0
sg.ShadingQuality=1

[/Script/FSD.FSDGameUserSettings]
bDisableMasterEQ=True
bShowFPS=True
bUseVSync=False
FrameRateLimit=144.000000
GraphicsDX12=True ; Set to True for modern CPUs to improve multithreading

HowTo: Engineering the Ultimate Mining Stability

Follow these GameEngineer.net steps to eliminate the “Stutter” during extraction:

1. The DX12 Multithreading Fix: In 2026, DirectX 12 is the superior choice for DRG if you have a multi-core CPU (Ryzen 3000+ or Intel 10th Gen+). It distributes the “Draw Call” load of a swarm across all cores rather than hammering Core 0. If you experience crashes, revert to DX11 via launch options (-dx11).
2. Ragdoll Pruning: UE4 ragdolls are physics-heavy. While there isn’t a direct .ini toggle for “count,” setting sg.EffectsQuality=1 shortens the duration that enemy corpses remain interactive.
3. Resolution Scaling: If your FPS still dips below 60 during swarms, set AMD FSR or NVIDIA DLSS to “Balanced.” This allows the game to render at a lower resolution and upscale, which is significantly faster than native rendering when the screen is filled with green bug blood.
4. Audio Latency: High-quality audio can actually lag an RTS/Horde-shooter. In the in-game audio menu, ensure Master EQ is disabled. This stops the game from applying real-time filters to every sound, which can save 2-3ms of frame-time.
5. Steam Overlay & Recording: Disable the Steam Overlay and “Background Recording” in Windows. DRG’s engine is sensitive to background hooks; disabling these can prevent the “micro-stutters” that occur right as a swarm music track starts.

Technical Explanation: Draw Calls and Entity Density

In Deep Rock Galactic, every “Swarm” increases the number of Draw Calls—instructions sent from the CPU to the GPU. When 100 Glyphs appear, the CPU must calculate their pathfinding, their animations, and their collision boxes.

By setting sg.FoliageQuality=0 and sg.EffectsQuality=1, we reduce the total number of objects the CPU has to manage. This lowers the CPU-Frame-Time ($T_{cpu}$). As long as $T_{cpu} < T_{gpu}$, your game will feel smooth. In a heavy swarm, $T_{cpu}$ usually spikes; our tweaks focus on keeping that value as low as possible so your inputs (shooting/moving) aren’t queued behind a pile of dead Glyphid bodies.