Honkai: Star Rail: Best LocalSettings.xml for Cinematic FPS Fix

The objective is to eliminate “micro-stuttering” during transition scenes and maximize the Sub-pixel Morphological Anti-Aliasing (SMAA) efficiency to keep character models crisp.

File Path & Access

File Path: %LOCALAPPDATA%Low\Cognosphere\Star Rail\

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Press Win + R on your keyboard, paste the path above, and press Enter.
2. Locate the file named LocalSettings.xml. (Always create a backup named LocalSettings_Backup.xml before editing).
3. Right-click the file and select Open With > Notepad.
4. Modify the parameters as shown in the configuration block below.
5. Note: Many advanced settings in 2026 are also controlled via the Windows Registry (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cognosphere\Star Rail).

Optimized “Cinematic-Flow” Configuration Block

<GraphicsSettings>
    <TextureQuality>3</TextureQuality>
    <ShadowQuality>2</ShadowQuality>
    <ReflectionQuality>2</ReflectionQuality>
    <CharacterQuality>3</CharacterQuality>
    <EnvironmentQuality>3</EnvironmentQuality>
    <BloomQuality>1</BloomQuality>
    <AntiAliasing>2</AntiAliasing>
    <RenderScale>1.0</RenderScale>
    <Vsync>0</Vsync>
    <TargetFPS>120</TargetFPS>
</GraphicsSettings>

Parameter Details & Technical Purpose

Parameter	Recommended Value	Technical Purpose
TargetFPS	120	Unlocks the engine beyond 60 FPS (if monitor supports it) to smooth out “Ultimate” animations.
Vsync	0	Disables internal sync to remove the input delay floor, allowing the GPU to push frames as they are ready.
BloomQuality	1	Reduces the intensity of HDR glow, which often causes frame-time spikes during flashy particle effects.
TextureQuality	3	Sets to “Very High,” utilizing the maximum available VRAM to prevent texture-swapping hitches.
AntiAliasing	2	Forces SMAA (Subpixel Morphological AA) over TAA to reduce the “blur” during character movement.

Best Practices for 2026 Astral Express Stability

To maintain a consistent “Cinematic” experience in the latest 2026 expansions, follow these additional GameEngineer.net technical steps:

• Unity Shader Pre-Caching: HSR is a Unity-based title. To prevent “first-time” move stutters, go to the in-game settings and ensure “Pre-load Assets” is enabled. In 2026, this drastically reduces the $T_{load}$ for shaders during Ultimate sequences.
• The “Registry” FPS Hack: If your LocalSettings.xml doesn’t unlock the FPS, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cognosphere\Star Rail in the Registry Editor and look for GraphicsSettings_Model_h2987584288. Changing the FPS value within that JSON string to 120 is the most reliable way to bypass the 60 FPS cap.
• GPU Hardware Scheduling: For Honkai: Star Rail, Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS) in Windows 11 24H2 should be ON. This allows the GPU to manage the high-frequency draw calls generated during complex combat effects.
• NVMe I/O Prioritization: In 2026, the Penacony and later regions use massive high-res textures. If you experience “gray models” for a split second after a teleport, your storage bandwidth is the bottleneck. Ensure the game is on a Gen 4 NVMe SSD.