The core of this fix is r.ScreenPercentage. Setting this to 200 on a 1080p monitor results in 4K internal rendering. On a native 4K monitor, setting this to 125 or 150 provides an incredibly sharp “Downsampled” look that removes nearly all jagged edges on character outlines.
File Path
The Engine.ini file is located in the local AppData folder. Ensure you have launched the game at least once before looking for it.
%LOCALAPPDATA%\GGST\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor\Engine.ini
Technical Note: Arc System Works is aware of a 4K performance bug during Counter Hits where the game may slow down for 1-2 seconds. If you experience this, lower the r.ScreenPercentage value incrementally (e.g., from 200 to 175) until the slowdown vanishes.
Optimized “UHD Cel-Shaded” Configuration Block
Add this block to the very bottom of your Engine.ini file. This forces the engine to bypass standard UI-limited scaling and sharpens the 3D models.
| Parameter | Recommended Value | Technical Purpose |
r.ScreenPercentage | 200 | The Master Tweak. Renders at 2x native res. Use 150 for 1440p screens. |
r.MaxAnisotropy | 16 | Ensures stage textures (floors/walls) stay sharp at steep angles. |
r.PostProcessAAQuality | 4 | High-quality AA pass that works in tandem with supersampling. |
r.Tonemapper.Sharpen | 0.5 | Adds a slight “ink-line” sharpness to character silhouettes. |
[ConsoleVariables]
r.ScreenPercentage=200
r.MaxAnisotropy=16
r.Tonemapper.Sharpen=0.5
r.SceneColorFringeQuality=0
r.DefaultFeature.Bloom=0 ; Removes the 'hazy' look from character modelsHowTo: Engineering the Cleanest Anime Aesthetic
Follow these GameEngineer.net technical steps to ensure your visuals remain “clean” and consistent:
- The F11 “Bloom” Hack: If the game still looks “fuzzy” despite the
.iniedits, press F11 to switch to Windowed mode, then press it again to return to Fullscreen. This resets a known RE/UE4 buffer bug in Strive that applies an unwanted bloom layer over the entire screen. - Anti-Aliasing Choice: In the in-game menu, set Anti-Aliasing to “Best” and use Temporal AA. While TAA is usually blurry, when combined with
r.ScreenPercentage=200, it provides the most stable “shimmer-free” image for the game’s stylized line art. - Read-Only Lock: Once you save your
Engine.ini, right-click it, select Properties, and check Read-only. This prevents the game from resetting yourScreenPercentageif you accidentally touch the resolution slider in-game. - Ambient Occlusion: Ensure Ambient Occlusion is turned ON in the game settings. In Strive, this doesn’t just add shadows; it helps define the “depth” of the cel-shading, making characters pop more against the 3D backgrounds.
- V-Sync Management: For the most responsive anime fighter experience, disable V-Sync in the
.inior menu and use your GPU driver (NVIDIA/AMD) to lock the framerate to 60 FPS exactly. This minimizes input lag while preventing screen tearing.
Technical Explanation: Screen Percentage and Edge Definition
In a cel-shaded game like Guilty Gear Strive, the “ink lines” are actually inverted hull meshes or post-process edge detections. When rendering at 1080p, the sub-pixel data isn’t sufficient to draw a perfectly smooth $1\text{px}$ line, leading to “stair-stepping” (aliasing).
By increasing r.ScreenPercentage to 200, the engine calculates the frame at $4 \times$ the pixel density ($2 \times$ width, $2 \times$ height). When this is downscaled to your 1080p or 1440p monitor, the “ink lines” are averaged out, resulting in a perfectly smooth, continuous line that looks like a high-budget 4K anime production ($F_{final} = \int F_{supersampled}$). This effectively replaces the need for aggressive, blurry post-process filters.