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Best Helldivers 2 settings for the NVIDIA GTX 980 (2026)

On a NVIDIA GTX 980 (paired with a balanced Intel Core i5-8600K-class CPU), Helldivers 2 runs at roughly 69 FPS at 1080p with our optimized settings — up from about 51FPS with everything maxed. Here's the configuration and what each setting costs.

The NVIDIA GTX 980 is a entry-level graphics card with 4GB of VRAM, and Helldivers 2 is a demanding, graphically heavy game. Paired with the Intel Core i5-8600K, it runs well at 1080p — about 69 FPS with FrameCoach's optimized settings, a clear jump from roughly 51 FPS with everything on High.

Across resolutions you can expect around 69 FPS at 1080p and 62 FPS at 1440p, dropping to roughly 52 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
1080p5169
1440p3162
4K1752
🚀 Biggest free win: enable FSR (Quality) — about +35% FPS for a small sharpness trade.
Recommended settings
Upscaling — FSRQuality+35% FPS
Lowering the render scale is the biggest FPS lever in Helldivers 2 — the game is demanding and benefits a lot from it.
Texture QualityUltra-1% FPS
Surface sharpness — cheap if it fits your VRAM.
Screen-Space Global IlluminationOnbaseline
Bounced ambient lighting. Heavy — turning it Off is one of the best FPS saves.
Shadow QualityHighbaseline
Shadow resolution and range. Medium/High frees real performance on busy planets.
Volumetric Fog / CloudsHighbaseline
Atmospheric fog and smoke. Costly during dropships and bombardments.
Particle QualityHighbaseline
Explosions and stratagem effects — and Helldivers 2 throws a LOT of them. Lowering smooths the chaos.
Render DistanceHighbaseline
How far the world renders at full detail. Keep reasonably high to spot distant enemies.
Ambient OcclusionOnbaseline
Soft contact shadows. Cheap; turn Off for a small gain.
Reflection QualityHighbaseline
Surface reflections. Rarely the focus in frantic firefights.
Lighting QualityHighbaseline
Overall lighting fidelity. Medium is a strong high-FPS choice.
Screen-Space ShadowsOnbaseline
Fine contact shadows. Cheap; Off gains a few frames.
Anti-AliasingTAAbaseline
Edge smoothing. TAA is clean; SMAA is sharper and a touch lighter.
Bloom / Motion Blur / DoFOnbaseline
Post-processing effects bundle. Nearly free; set to taste.
Anisotropic Filtering16xbaseline
Keeps ground textures sharp at angles - effectively free, use 16x.

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

🎯 Can the NVIDIA GTX 980 run Helldivers 2? See the verdict →

Helldivers 2 on other GPUs
Other games on the NVIDIA GTX 980
Frequently asked

What FPS does the NVIDIA GTX 980 get in Helldivers 2?

With FrameCoach's optimized balanced settings, the NVIDIA GTX 980 averages around 69 FPS at 1080p in Helldivers 2 — up from about 51 FPS with everything on High.

Can the NVIDIA GTX 980 run Helldivers 2 at 1440p?

At 1440p with optimized settings, the NVIDIA GTX 980 averages roughly 62 FPS in Helldivers 2 — a smooth experience.

What are the best Helldivers 2 settings for the NVIDIA GTX 980?

Turn on FSR (Quality), keep ray tracing off for maximum FPS, and ease the heaviest options like Screen-Space Global Illumination 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.