Gang Beasts: Best options.xml for Local Couch Play

To maximize the fun during 8-player local sessions, you need to reduce XInput overhead and stabilize the PhysX frequency. In local play, the “Input Queue” can become a bottleneck as the game tries to process 8 simultaneous controller inputs while calculating complex joints.

File Path

Gang Beasts stores its core configuration and “Addressables” in the LocalLow folder. Modifying the configuration here prevents the game from resetting your performance tweaks.

%LOCALAPPDATA%\LocalLow\Boneloaf\Gang Beasts\settings.json

Technical Note: In older versions, this was an .xml file, but modern 2026 builds use a .json structure within the Boneloaf directory. Additionally, you should delete the com.unity.addressables folder if you experience loading hangs during local map transitions.

Optimized “Local Multiplayer” Configuration Block

Copy these settings into your settings.json to prioritize physics stability and input response. We recommend disabling XInput if you are using more than 4 controllers, as standard XInput struggles with 8-player local setups.

Parameter	Recommended Value	Technical Purpose
XInput	false	Allows for 4+ controllers by using DirectInput/Steam Input instead.
VSync	0	Eliminates input delay; crucial for timing headbutts and dropkicks.
AmbientOcclusion	false	Disables “soft shadows” that cause GPU-bound lag on crowded maps.
AntiAliasing	0	Increases pixel response; makes character outlines sharper in motion.
FixedTimestep	0.02	Forces physics to 50Hz, providing a stable “middle ground” for local sims.

{
  "Graphics": {
    "VSync": 0,
    "AmbientOcclusion": false,
    "Bloom": false,
    "MotionBlur": false,
    "AntiAliasing": 0,
    "TextureQuality": 1
  },
  "Input": {
    "XInputEnabled": false,
    "SteamInputEnabled": true
  },
  "Physics": {
    "BakedColliders": true,
    "SolverIterations": 8
  }
}

HowTo: Engineering the Perfect 8-Player Local Session

Follow these GameEngineer.net engineering steps to avoid the “8-Controller Nightmare”:

1. The 8-Player Controller Fix: If your 5th, 6th, or 7th controller isn’t working, go to Steam Big Picture Mode > Settings > Controller. Disable the specific “Configuration Support” (e.g., PlayStation/Xbox Support). This forces the game to use raw DirectInput, which Gang Beasts handles better for high player counts.
2. Uncap the CPU: Gang Beasts is highly single-threaded for its physics. Go to Task Manager > Details > Gang Beasts.exe > Set Affinity. Ensure all cores are checked, but set Priority to High to ensure the physics thread isn’t interrupted by background Windows updates.
3. Baked Colliders: In the 2026 “stable” branch, ensure your config has BakedColliders: true. This prevents the game from recalculating the environment’s hitboxes at runtime, which is a massive performance saver on complex maps like Elevator or Trawler.
4. Audio Latency: If you hear “popping” sounds during 8-player melees, lower the Sound Quality in the in-game menu. Physics-based collisions generate hundreds of sound triggers per second; simplifying the audio buffer prevents CPU “stalls.”
5. DirectX 11 vs 12: Use the -dx11 launch option for the most stable local play. While DX12 is available, the physics-heavy nature of Gang Beasts’ Unity build is prone to “Device Lost” crashes under DX12 during heavy ragdoll collisions.

Technical Explanation: Physics Solvers and Multi-Controller Polling

In local multiplayer, the engine must “poll” (check) every controller every frame. If you have 8 players and a $1000\text{Hz}$ mouse plugged in, the Interrupt Request (IRQ) load can cause the physics simulation to stutter.

By setting XInputEnabled: false and relying on Steam Input, you offload the controller translation to a separate process. This leaves the game’s PhysX Solver more room to calculate the “Joints” that keep your character’s arms attached. Setting SolverIterations to 8 provides enough math to keep the climbing “sticky” without the exponential CPU cost of higher values.