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Best The Outer Worlds 2 settings for the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) (2026)

On a NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) (paired with a balanced Intel Core i5-8600K-class CPU), The Outer Worlds 2 runs at roughly 60 FPS at 1080p with our optimized settings — up from about 23FPS with everything maxed. Here's the configuration and what each setting costs.

The NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) is a entry-level graphics card with 4GB of VRAM, and The Outer Worlds 2 is a one of the most punishing games to run on PC. Paired with the Intel Core i5-8600K, it runs well at 1080p — about 60 FPS with FrameCoach's optimized settings, a clear jump from roughly 23 FPS with everything on High.

Across resolutions you can expect around 60 FPS at 1080p and 36 FPS at 1440p, dropping to roughly 21 FPS at 4K. The Outer Worlds 2 offers ray tracing, but the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) isn't built for it, so we leave it off. With only 4GB of VRAM, keep textures a notch below max in The Outer Worlds 2 at higher resolutions to avoid stutter. The biggest free win is FSR upscaling — set it to Quality for a large FPS boost at little visual cost.

ResolutionAll-High FPSOptimized FPS
1080p2360
1440p1436
4K821
💡 The Outer Worlds 2: Unreal Engine 5 - upscaling is basically required at 1440p and up.
🚀 Biggest free win: enable FSR (Balanced) — about +55% FPS for a small sharpness trade.
Recommended settings
Upscaling — FSRBalanced+55% FPS
The Outer Worlds 2 (Unreal Engine 5) supports DLSS, FSR and XeSS plus Frame Generation. Enable it first - UE5 is heavy.
Hardware Ray Tracing (Lumen)Offsaves FPS
Switches Lumen lighting to hardware ray tracing for nicer reflections - a big cost. Keep Off for high FPS.
Global Illumination (Lumen)Low+13% FPS
Software Lumen bounce lighting - the heaviest non-RT setting. High over Epic frees real FPS.
Shadow QualityLow+10% FPS
Shadow resolution and range. High is the value pick.
Reflection QualityLow+8% FPS
Lumen reflections on water and metal. High is a clean trade.
Effects QualityLow+6% FPS
Weapon and ability effects. Lowering smooths busy fights.
Foliage QualityLow+6% FPS
Plant and scenery density on the colony worlds. A real cost outdoors.
View DistanceLow+5% FPS
How far detail renders. Mild pop-in when lowered.
Screen EffectsLow+5% FPS
Post-process screen effects - bloom, depth of field and grading. Cheap; set to taste.
Anti-AliasingLow+4% FPS
Edge smoothing. Medium/High keeps the image clean cheaply.
Texture QualityEpic-1% FPS
Surface sharpness - cheap if it fits your VRAM. Ease off on 8GB cards.

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

🎯 Can the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) run The Outer Worlds 2? See the verdict →

The Outer Worlds 2 on other GPUs
Other games on the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB)
Frequently asked

What FPS does the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) get in The Outer Worlds 2?

With FrameCoach's optimized balanced settings, the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) averages around 60 FPS at 1080p in The Outer Worlds 2 — up from about 23 FPS with everything on High.

Can the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) run The Outer Worlds 2 at 1440p?

At 1440p with optimized settings, the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB) averages roughly 36 FPS in The Outer Worlds 2; turn on upscaling or aim for a locked 60 for the best feel.

What are the best The Outer Worlds 2 settings for the NVIDIA GTX 960 (4GB)?

Turn on FSR (Balanced), keep ray tracing off for maximum FPS, and ease the heaviest options like Global Illumination (Lumen) and Shadow Quality 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.