TL;DR
- Directive 8020 runs on Unreal Engine 5 and is demanding on PC hardware.
- Minimum GPU needed is an RTX 2070 Super or RX 5700. Recommended is RTX 3070 or RX 6800.
- Turn off Path Tracing and Ray Tracing for a big FPS boost.
- Use DLSS Quality (Nvidia) or FSR Quality (AMD) to recover frames without losing much image quality.
- Drop Shadow Maps and Volumetric Fog to Medium for easy performance gains.
- Enable Frame Generation on high-end GPUs for the smoothest experience.
Directive 8020 is the latest game from Supermassive Games and a big step forward for The Dark Pictures Anthology. It runs on Unreal Engine 5, which means it looks stunning. But it also means it can be rough on your PC if you do not set it up correctly. Many players are reporting stutters, frame drops, and poor performance right out of the box.
This guide walks you through everything you need to know. From system requirements to the best graphics settings, we cover it all so you can focus on the story and not the lag.
Directive 8020 PC System Requirements
Before touching any settings, you need to know where your PC stands. Here are the official minimum and recommended specs:
Minimum PC Requirements
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit (version 1909 or higher) or Windows 11
- CPU: Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600
- GPU: Nvidia RTX 2070 Super or AMD RX 5700
- RAM: 16 GB
- Storage: 70 GB free space
Recommended PC Requirements
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit or Windows 11
- CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F or AMD Ryzen 5 5600
- GPU: Nvidia RTX 3070 or AMD RX 6800
- RAM: 16 GB
- Storage: 70 GB free space
If your GPU has at least 6GB of VRAM, you can run the game at minimum settings. For the best experience, you want 8 to 10GB of VRAM or more. Meeting the minimum specs gets you into the game, but the recommended specs are where things start feeling smooth.
Why Directive 8020 Is Demanding on PC
The game uses two key Unreal Engine 5 technologies: Lumen and Nanite. Lumen handles real-time global illumination. That means every light source in the game calculates bouncing light in real time. In a dark sci-fi setting like this, it makes the game look amazing. But it is also one of the biggest reasons for frame drops.
Nanite handles geometry detail at a high level. Together, these two systems make the game beautiful but very GPU-heavy. The good news is you can control how hard the game pushes your hardware.
Best Display Settings for Directive 8020
Before you touch graphics quality, get your display settings right first.
- Window Mode: Fullscreen for the best performance.
- Resolution: Match your monitor’s native resolution. If performance is low, scale down here before lowering quality settings.
- Refresh Rate: Make sure Windows Display Settings shows your monitor running at its max refresh rate (144Hz, 165Hz, etc.).
- V-Sync: Turn it off in-game. Use G-Sync or FreeSync through your GPU driver instead. It removes screen tearing without the input lag V-Sync adds.
- HDR: If the image looks gray or washed out with HDR on, turn it off. UE5 games can have inconsistent HDR implementations.
- Gamma: Adjust so the barely visible test icon is just distinguishable from a black background. This matters a lot in a dark horror game.
Best Graphics Settings for Directive 8020 on PC
These are the settings that matter most. A balanced mix of Medium and High settings works well for most systems. Here is what to set and why:
Upscaling – Most Important Setting
This is the biggest performance lever you have. The game supports DLSS (Nvidia), FSR (AMD and Intel), and XeSS.
- Nvidia GPU: Use DLSS Quality. It gives you a sharper image than native in many cases thanks to AI reconstruction. On very powerful rigs, DLAA with Frame Generation is the best combo you can use.
- AMD or Intel GPU: Use FSR Quality. It works on any GPU. Avoid FSR Balanced or lower since shimmering becomes noticeable.
- TSR (Temporal Super Resolution): A solid built-in alternative if you prefer not to use third-party upscaling. TSR on Performance mode looks great and is a good default.
Always enable one of these upscalers. Playing at 1440p or 4K without upscaling is a trap that will tank your frame rate.
Shadow Quality
Set this to Medium. Directive 8020 uses Virtual Shadow Maps for shadow rendering. Setting shadows to Epic or Cinematic costs a huge amount of GPU performance. Dropping to Medium can recover 10 to 15 percent of your frame rate with almost no visible difference during active gameplay.
Volumetric Fog
Set to Medium or High. Ultra volumetric fog is very GPU-heavy in UE5 games and can actually look worse at lower resolution scales. Medium looks clean and runs much better.
Texture Quality
Set to High if you have 8GB of VRAM or more. Drop to Medium if you are on 6GB. Textures affect VRAM usage more than GPU processing power, so go as high as your VRAM allows.
Ray Tracing and Path Tracing
This is where most players go wrong. The game uses Software Lumen by default, which is already a form of ray tracing and looks great. When you enable the Ray Tracing option in settings, you switch to Hardware Lumen. Path Tracing goes even further.
Here is the performance cost at 4K on a high-end RTX 5090:
- Software Lumen (default): 77 to 83 FPS average
- Hardware Ray Tracing + DLSS Quality: Around 63 FPS average
- Path Tracing + DLSS Quality: Drops into the 30s
Recommendation: Leave Ray Tracing off and stick with default Software Lumen. The visual difference does not justify the massive FPS hit for most players.
Frame Generation
If you have an Nvidia RTX 40 or 50 series GPU, enable Frame Generation. Combined with DLSS Quality, it significantly boosts your frame output. With Ray Tracing and MFG X2 at 4K, you can hit 110 to 117 FPS. With MFG X3, that goes to 155 to 166 FPS. Frame Generation works especially well in Directive 8020 because it is a slow-paced game, which means fewer visual artifacts from generated frames.
Other Settings
- Motion Blur: Personal preference. Turn it off if it bothers you. It has a minor performance impact.
- Ambient Occlusion: Medium. This darkens corners and crevices realistically but is GPU-intensive at Ultra.
- Post Processing: Medium to High. Dropping this frees up some performance without hurting the core visual style much.
- Foliage and Detail Distance: Medium. You will rarely notice the difference in a mostly indoor sci-fi game.
Recommended Settings by PC Tier
Low-End PC (Minimum Spec)
- Resolution: 1080p
- Upscaling: FSR Quality or TSR Performance
- Textures: Medium
- Shadows: Low to Medium
- Ray Tracing: Off
- Path Tracing: Off
- Volumetric Fog: Low
- Expected FPS: 30 to 45
Mid-Range PC (Recommended Spec)
- Resolution: 1080p or 1440p
- Upscaling: DLSS Quality or FSR Quality
- Textures: High
- Shadows: Medium
- Ray Tracing: Off
- Path Tracing: Off
- Volumetric Fog: Medium
- Expected FPS: 60 to 80
High-End PC (RTX 4070 Ti and Above)
- Resolution: 1440p or 4K
- Upscaling: DLSS DLAA with Frame Generation
- Textures: High to Ultra
- Shadows: High
- Ray Tracing: Optional
- Path Tracing: Off (unless you have an RTX 50 series and use MFG)
- Volumetric Fog: High
- Expected FPS: 75 to 100+
Windows Optimization Tips for Directive 8020
Even with perfect in-game settings, Windows background processes can hurt performance. Here are quick fixes:
- Update GPU drivers. Always install the latest Nvidia or AMD drivers before launching a new game. Driver updates often include game-specific optimizations.
- Set Power Plan to High Performance. Go to Windows Power Options and select High Performance or Ultimate Performance mode.
- Close background apps. Shut down browser tabs, Discord video, streaming software, and anything else eating CPU or RAM.
- Enable Game Mode in Windows. Go to Settings, Gaming, then Game Mode and turn it on.
- Use DirectX 12. If the game gives you the option, choose DX12 for better multi-thread CPU usage.
How to Unlock FPS in Directive 8020
By default, the game caps at 60 FPS on PC to match its cinematic feel. If you want to go beyond that, you can edit the Engine.ini configuration file. This file is located in your local AppData directory.
Important: Back up your entire Saved folder before modifying any configuration files. A typo can cause issues with your save data. Also note that game patches can sometimes reset modified config files, so it is worth checking after major updates.
Once you unlock the frame rate, you can run the game at 144Hz or higher. You will need at least an RTX 4070 or equivalent to maintain those frame rates consistently.
Directive 8020 Stuttering Fix
If you are experiencing stutters, here are the most common causes and fixes:
- Shader compilation stutter: This is a UE5 issue. Let the game compile shaders fully on first launch before playing. Do not quit during this process.
- VRAM overflow: If your textures are set too high for your GPU, you will get nasty stutters. Drop texture quality one notch.
- Camera movement stutter: There is a known bug where moving the camera very fast can cause frame drops. This affects Path Tracing users the most. Smooth camera movements do not trigger it.
- XeSS Frame Generation issues: Some players have reported that XeSS Frame Gen does not work well on certain setups. If you run into issues, switch to DLSS or FSR instead.
Where to Buy Directive 8020
You can grab the game right now on the platform of your choice:
Ending With
Directive 8020 is a stunning game, but it needs a bit of work to run smoothly on PC. The key is to leave Path Tracing and Hardware Ray Tracing off for most rigs, use a good upscaler like DLSS or FSR, and drop Shadow Quality to Medium. Those three changes alone will give most players a locked 60 FPS experience without sacrificing much visual quality.
If you have a high-end GPU, turn on Frame Generation and enjoy the game the way it was meant to be seen. The cinematic lighting and atmosphere of Directive 8020 are well worth optimizing for.
Check out the official Directive 8020 page for more game details and updates from Supermassive Games.
