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Best Cities: Skylines II settings for the NVIDIA GTX 1650 (laptop, 4GB) (2026)

On a NVIDIA GTX 1650 (laptop, 4GB) (paired with a balanced Intel Core i5-8600K-class CPU), Cities: Skylines II runs at roughly 63 FPS at 1080p with our optimized settings — up from about 26FPS with everything maxed. Here's the configuration and what each setting costs.

The NVIDIA GTX 1650 (laptop, 4GB) is a entry-level graphics card with 4GB of VRAM, and Cities: Skylines II is a demanding, graphically heavy game. Paired with the Intel Core i5-8600K, it runs well at 1080p — about 63 FPS with FrameCoach's optimized settings, a clear jump from roughly 26 FPS with everything on High.

Across resolutions you can expect around 63 FPS at 1080p and 46 FPS at 1440p, dropping to roughly 26 FPS at 4K. The biggest free win is FSR upscaling — set it to Quality for a large FPS boost at little visual cost.

ResolutionAll-High FPSOptimized FPS
1080p2663
1440p1546
4K926
💡 Cities: Skylines II: Big cities are limited by your CPU, not your GPU - upscaling won’t fix that.
🚀 Biggest free win: enable FSR (Balanced) — about +55% FPS for a small sharpness trade.
Recommended settings
Upscaling — FSRBalanced+55% FPS
Cities: Skylines II supports DLSS and FSR. A free FPS boost - enable it first, though big cities are limited by your CPU, not the upscaler.
Global IlluminationLow+14% FPS
Bounce lighting across the city - one of the heaviest GPU settings. Medium is a clean trade.
ReflectionsOff+8% FPS
Screen-space reflections on water and glass. Low is plenty in a zoomed-out city view.
Shadow QualityLow+8% FPS
Shadow resolution and range over the city. Medium is the value pick.
Ambient OcclusionOff+6% FPS
Screen-space contact shadows between buildings. Low is a cheap trade.
Depth of FieldOff+6% FPS
Background blur when zoomed in. Cheap to turn off if you don't want it.
VolumetricsLow+5% FPS
Volumetric fog and clouds. Expensive for the payoff - drop a notch for an easy win.
Fog QualityMediumbaseline
Distance and weather fog. Low is fine for a clear city view.
Level of DetailMediumbaseline
How detailed distant buildings stay - also leans on the CPU. Medium for big cities.
Anti-AliasingHighbaseline
Edge smoothing across the cityscape. Cheap; leave it on to reduce shimmer.
Texture QualityHighbaseline
Surface sharpness on buildings and terrain - cheap on FPS if it fits your VRAM.

⚡ Fine-tune this for your exact CPU & target FPS →

🎯 Can the NVIDIA GTX 1650 (laptop, 4GB) run Cities: Skylines II? See the verdict →

Cities: Skylines II on other GPUs
Other games on the NVIDIA GTX 1650 (laptop, 4GB)
Frequently asked

What FPS does the NVIDIA GTX 1650 (laptop, 4GB) get in Cities: Skylines II?

With FrameCoach's optimized balanced settings, the NVIDIA GTX 1650 (laptop, 4GB) averages around 63 FPS at 1080p in Cities: Skylines II — up from about 26 FPS with everything on High.

Can the NVIDIA GTX 1650 (laptop, 4GB) run Cities: Skylines II at 1440p?

At 1440p with optimized settings, the NVIDIA GTX 1650 (laptop, 4GB) averages roughly 46 FPS in Cities: Skylines II; turn on upscaling or aim for a locked 60 for the best feel.

What are the best Cities: Skylines II settings for the NVIDIA GTX 1650 (laptop, 4GB)?

Turn on FSR (Balanced), keep ray tracing off for maximum FPS, and ease the heaviest options like Global Illumination and Reflections down a notch. The full per-setting breakdown is above.

FPS figures are estimates from a generalized model (hardware tier × game load × per-setting weights), not live benchmarks — real performance varies by scene, drivers and game version.