Marvel’s Spider-Man: Optimizing Ray Tracing via settings.json

The primary performance killer in Spider-Man isn’t the reflections themselves, but the Object Range. On “Very High,” the game calculates reflections for objects blocks away, causing massive CPU bottlenecks even on modern i7 or Ryzen 7 chips. By refining the configuration, we can implement a “Smart RT” profile: keeping reflections sharp on nearby windows but drastically reducing the calculation distance for distant geometry, ensuring a stable 60+ FPS during high-speed traversal.

Hardware Compatibility & Expectations

• CPU-Heavy RT: If your GPU usage drops below 90% while RT is on, you are CPU-bound. These tweaks are designed to fix that.
• VRAM Requirements: Ray Traced reflections add approximately 1.5GB – 2GB of VRAM usage. If you have an 8GB card, you must use “Medium” textures when RT is enabled.
• DirectStorage: This game uses GPU decompression. Ensure the game is on an NVMe SSD; otherwise, RT reflections will “pop in” and cause stuttering.

Backup and Preparation

Unlike other games, Spider-Man primarily stores its settings in the Windows Registry, but it generates a local cache for the launcher.

1. Exit the game completely.
2. Press Win + R, type regedit, and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Insomniac Games\Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered\Graphics
3. Right-click the Graphics folder and select Export to create a backup on your desktop.

File & Registry Location

While the game uses the registry for active settings, the “Master Prompt” for the engine’s initialization is found here: %LocalAppData%\Insomniac Games\Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered\settings.json

Best Config/Registry Settings

Open the settings.json (or find the corresponding DWORD in Registry). For the best balance of Ray Tracing stability, use these values:

{
  "RaytracedReflections": 1,
  "RTReflectionQuality": 2,
  "RTGeometryDetail": 1,
  "RTObjectRange": 6,
  "RTReflectionResolution": 1,
  "RTAmbientOcclusion": 0
}

Pro Tip: In the Registry, look for RTObjectRange. Setting this to 6 (instead of the 10 used by the ‘Very High’ preset) can improve your minimum 1% frame rates by nearly 20% without a noticeable visual loss in the city’s reflections.

Key Parameters Explained

Parameter	Recommended Value	Impact
RTObjectRange	6	The “Magic” Setting. Controls how far the RT reaches. 6 is the sweet spot for CPU stability.
RTGeometryDetail	1 (Medium)	Reduces the complexity of 3D models inside reflections. Massive VRAM saver.
RTAmbientOcclusion	0 (Off)	Ray Traced AO is extremely taxing for minimal gain in a fast-paced game. Keep it off.
RTReflectionResolution	1 (Medium)	Sets reflection resolution to half-res. Keeps your GPU from choking at 1440p/4K.

In-Game Settings vs. Config

To complement your optimized RT profile, use these in-game Graphics settings:

• NVIDIA DLSS / AMD FSR 2.1: Set to Quality. RT requires upscaling to maintain 60 FPS on most hardware.
• Traffic & Crowd Density: Set to Medium. These are CPU-heavy; lowering them gives the CPU more “room” to process RT rays.
• Weather Particle Quality: Set to Medium. Large amounts of rain or snow can interfere with RT ray casting.
• NVIDIA Reflex: Set to On + Boost. RT adds slight latency; Reflex cancels it out.

Troubleshooting & Common Fixes

• Stuttering While Swinging: This is almost always the CPU struggling with RTObjectRange. If it persists at 6, lower it to 4.
• “Checkered” Reflections: This happens if the RTReflectionResolution is too low or your upscaler is set to “Performance.” Switch to “Quality” upscaling.
• Game Crashes on Startup: If you enabled RT on a card that doesn’t support it (or lacks VRAM), delete the settings.json file. The game will reset to safe defaults.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Conclusion and Expected Results

By manually refining your RTObjectRange and RTGeometryDetail, you are shifting the workload away from your CPU and allowing the GPU to focus on nearby, high-impact reflections. You can expect stable frame rates during fast swings, reduced input lag, and the removal of VRAM-related hitches in dense urban areas.