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Best Red Dead Redemption 2 settings for the NVIDIA RTX 2080 (2026)

On a NVIDIA RTX 2080 (paired with a balanced Intel Core i5-13500H (laptop)-class CPU), Red Dead Redemption 2 runs at roughly 78 FPS at 1080p with our optimized settings — up from about 79FPS with everything maxed. Here's the configuration and what each setting costs.

The NVIDIA RTX 2080 is a mainstream 1080p graphics card with 8GB of VRAM, and Red Dead Redemption 2 is a demanding, graphically heavy game. Paired with the Intel Core i5-13500H (laptop), it runs well at 1080p — about 78 FPS with FrameCoach's optimized settings. That already clears a smooth frame rate on High, so our tuning keeps the visuals as high as possible instead of chasing extra frames.

Across resolutions you can expect around 78 FPS at 1080p and 64 FPS at 1440p, dropping to roughly 62 FPS at 4K. With only 8GB of VRAM, keep textures a notch below max in Red Dead Redemption 2 at higher resolutions to avoid stutter. The biggest free win is DLSS upscaling — set it to Quality for a large FPS boost at little visual cost.

ResolutionAll-High FPSOptimized FPS
1080p7978
1440p4764
4K2762
Recommended settings
Upscaling — DLSSOff
RDR2 added DLSS and FSR. A big, easy FPS boost on this demanding open world.
Texture QualityUltra-1% FPS
Surface detail. Cheap if it fits your VRAM — Ultra needs a roomy card.
Water Reflection QualityHighbaseline
The single most expensive setting in RDR2 — high-quality water reflections can cost a huge chunk of FPS. Medium/High is the classic optimization.
Volumetrics QualityHighbaseline
Fog, clouds and god-rays. Very heavy at Ultra for a subtle gain — a top FPS saving.
Shadow QualityHighbaseline
Shadow resolution. High is a strong value pick over Ultra.
Tree Quality / Grass DetailHighbaseline
Foliage density and draw distance — heavy in forests and fields, and the biggest hit to the game’s natural beauty when lowered.
Global Illumination QualityHighbaseline
Bounced ambient lighting. Moderately heavy; Medium/High is fine.
Far Shadow QualityHighbaseline
Shadows far from the camera. Cheap to lower with little visible difference.
Water Physics QualityHalfbaseline
Simulated water — the slider tanks FPS near Full. Keep it around Half unless you have headroom to spare.
Screen Space Ambient OcclusionHighbaseline
Soft contact shadows. Low is a cheap, good-looking middle ground.
Anti-Aliasing (TAA)Highbaseline
RDR2’s TAA cleans up shimmer but softens the image at higher settings. Medium is a good balance.
Anisotropic Filtering16xbaseline
Keeps ground textures sharp into the distance — essentially free, use 16x.
Geometry Level of DetailHighbaseline
How far full-detail geometry renders before simplifying. A real cost in open vistas.
Grass Level of DetailHighbaseline
Detail and draw distance of grass — one of RDR2's heavier sliders in fields.
Particle QualityHighbaseline
Smoke, fire and weather effects. Lowering smooths gunfights and storms.
Tessellation QualityHighbaseline
Adds rounded 3D detail to surfaces like mud and cobblestone. Medium is plenty.
Parallax Occlusion MappingHighbaseline
Fake depth on flat surfaces like brick and dirt. A small saving when lowered.
Fur QualityHighbaseline
Strand detail on horses and animals. High looks great; Ultra is costly.
Decal QualityHighbaseline
Resolution of blood, dirt and bullet marks. A cheap, low-risk saving.
Water Reflection MSAA2xbaseline
Smooths the edges inside water reflections — heavy at higher steps. Off or 2x for FPS.
Long ShadowsOnbaseline
Extra-long shadows at dawn and dusk. Cheap; pure atmosphere.

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

🎯 Can the NVIDIA RTX 2080 run Red Dead Redemption 2? See the verdict →

Red Dead Redemption 2 on other GPUs
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Frequently asked

What FPS does the NVIDIA RTX 2080 get in Red Dead Redemption 2?

With FrameCoach's optimized balanced settings, the NVIDIA RTX 2080 averages around 78 FPS at 1080p in Red Dead Redemption 2 — up from about 79 FPS with everything on High.

Can the NVIDIA RTX 2080 run Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1440p?

At 1440p with optimized settings, the NVIDIA RTX 2080 averages roughly 64 FPS in Red Dead Redemption 2 — a smooth experience.

What are the best Red Dead Redemption 2 settings for the NVIDIA RTX 2080?

Use a balanced preset, keep ray tracing off for maximum FPS, and ease the heaviest options like Water Reflection Quality and Volumetrics 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.