Valorant is a highly competitive tactical shooter where every millisecond of input delay and every frame per second (FPS) counts. While Riot Games saves most of your keybinds and sensitivity settings on their cloud servers, your local hardware-specific configurations (like resolution, fullscreen modes, and graphics quality) are stored in your Local AppData. By accessing and editing these “Client Settings” files directly, you can force the game to run at custom resolutions, fix display scaling issues, or reset corrupted settings that prevent the game from launching correctly.
Hardware Compatibility & Expectations
- Low-End PC Users: Manually lowering resolution scales below the in-game minimum for maximum performance.
- Ultrawide Monitor Users: Fixing stretching or aspect ratio issues that the in-game menu sometimes mismanages.
- Dual-GPU Laptops: Ensuring the game targets the high-performance dedicated GPU through local flags.
Backup and Preparation
Riot Games’ Vanguard anti-cheat is sensitive, but editing configuration files is perfectly safe. However, the game will overwrite your changes if it is running while you edit.
- Close Valorant and the Riot Client completely via the Task Manager.
- Follow the file path below and copy the entire “Windows” folder to your desktop as a backup.
- Use a text editor like Notepad to modify the
.inifiles.
File Location
The settings are stored in a unique folder named after your Riot account ID. To find it: %LocalAppData%\VALORANT\Saved\Config\
Inside this folder, you will see one or more folders with long alphanumeric names (e.g., 872b...). Open the folder, go into Windows, and locate: GameUserSettings.ini
Best Config Settings
Open GameUserSettings.ini and focus on the [ScalabilityGroups] and [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameUserSettings] sections for the best performance:
[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameUserSettings]
bShouldDynamicResolutionBeEnabled=False
bUseVSync=False
FullscreenMode=0 // 0 = Fullscreen, 1 = Windowed Fullscreen
LastUserConfirmedResolutionSizeX=1920
LastUserConfirmedResolutionSizeY=1080
[ScalabilityGroups]
sg.ResolutionQuality=100.000000
sg.ViewDistanceQuality=0
sg.AntiAliasingQuality=0
sg.ShadowQuality=0
sg.PostProcessQuality=0
sg.TextureQuality=0
sg.EffectsQuality=0
sg.FoliageQuality=0Pro Tip: Setting
sg.ResolutionQualityto85.000000can provide a massive FPS boost on very old hardware without making the game too blurry.
Key Parameters Explained
| Parameter | Recommended Value | Impact |
| FullscreenMode | 0 | Ensures the lowest input lag by bypassing Windows Desktop Window Manager (DWM). |
| sg.ShadowQuality | 0 | Removes unnecessary dynamic shadows to improve CPU frametimes. |
| bUseVSync | False | Essential to turn off to avoid heavy input latency. |
| sg.TextureQuality | 0 or 1 | Lowers VRAM usage, preventing stuttering on cards with 2GB-4GB memory. |
In-Game Settings vs. Config
Once you modify the .ini file:
- Resolution: Ensure your Windows desktop resolution matches the
LastUserConfirmedResolutionSizeX/Yin the file. - Vanguard: Do not worry about Vanguard; it does not scan for
.inichanges as long as you aren’t using scripts to modify them during live gameplay.
Troubleshooting & Common Fixes
- Settings Not Saving: Riot Client often syncs with the cloud. After saving your
.inifile, right-click it, select Properties, and check Read-only. - Black Screen on Launch: This happens if you set a resolution your monitor doesn’t support. Delete the
GameUserSettings.inifile; Valorant will generate a fresh, default one on the next launch. - Multiple Folders: If you see multiple folders with random IDs, it means multiple Riot accounts have logged in on your PC. Check the “Date Modified” to find your primary account.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I change my crosshair through these local files?
No. Crosshair settings, keybinds, and sensitivity are stored on Riot’s servers (Cloud). This file only controls your graphics, resolution, and hardware-specific performance flags.
Is it safe to delete the ‘Saved’ folder?
Yes. If your game is stuttering or crashing, deleting the %LocalAppData%\VALORANT\Saved folder is a common fix. The game will simply redownload/recreate your default settings.
Does changing resolution in the config give me an advantage?
Using a stretched resolution (like 1280×960) can make enemy models appear wider, which some players prefer for aim consistency, though Valorant handles stretched ratios differently than CS2.
Conclusion and Expected Results
Editing the Valorant Client Settings via Local AppData is the most effective way to troubleshoot performance issues and force-apply settings that the in-game UI might be locking. Most users see a significant reduction in frame-time variance, leading to a much smoother aim experience.