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Best Star Citizen settings for the NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12GB) (2026)

On a NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12GB) (paired with a balanced Intel Core i5-13500H (laptop)-class CPU), Star Citizen runs at roughly 79 FPS at 1080p with our optimized settings — up from about 59FPS with everything maxed. Here's the configuration and what each setting costs.

The NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12GB) is a mainstream 1080p graphics card with 12GB of VRAM, and Star Citizen is a one of the most punishing games to run on PC. Paired with the Intel Core i5-13500H (laptop), it runs well at 1080p — about 79 FPS with FrameCoach's optimized settings, a clear jump from roughly 59 FPS with everything on High.

Across resolutions you can expect around 79 FPS at 1080p and 60 FPS at 1440p, dropping to roughly 45 FPS at 4K. The biggest free win is DLSS upscaling — set it to Quality for a large FPS boost at little visual cost.

Resolution	All-High FPS	Optimized FPS
1080p	59	79
1440p	35	60
4K	20	45

💡 Star Citizen: Famously CPU- and server-bound - a fast CPU and 32GB RAM matter more than your GPU; Volumetric Clouds is the heaviest graphics setting.

🚀 Biggest free win: enable DLSS (Quality) — about +35% FPS for a small sharpness trade.

Recommended settings

Upscaling — DLSSQuality+35% FPS

Star Citizen offers FSR upscaling. It helps the GPU side, but the game is famously CPU- and server-bound — a faster CPU and 32GB+ RAM matter most.

Texture QualityVery High-1% FPS

Surface sharpness — VRAM-hungry; on 8GB cards keep it at High and pair with 32GB system RAM.

Planet Volumetric CloudsHighbaseline

Volumetric clouds and gas clouds — one of the heaviest GPU settings. High is a strong step down from Very High.

Shadow QualityHighbaseline

Shadow resolution and range. High looks close to Very High while running faster.

Object Container QualityHighbaseline

How far detailed objects and ships render — partly a CPU cost in busy cities like Area18. High is fine; lower if cities chug.

Effects / ParticlesHighbaseline

Explosions and engine effects. High is plenty.

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

🎯 Can the NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12GB) run Star Citizen? See the verdict →

Star Citizen on other GPUs

Other games on the NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12GB)

Frequently asked

What FPS does the NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12GB) get in Star Citizen?

With FrameCoach's optimized balanced settings, the NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12GB) averages around 79 FPS at 1080p in Star Citizen — up from about 59 FPS with everything on High.

Can the NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12GB) run Star Citizen at 1440p?

At 1440p with optimized settings, the NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12GB) averages roughly 60 FPS in Star Citizen — a smooth experience.

What are the best Star Citizen settings for the NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12GB)?

Turn on DLSS (Quality), keep ray tracing off for maximum FPS, and ease the heaviest options like Planet Volumetric Clouds 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.