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These are the best settings for playing Europa Universalis and maximizing your RTX 30 Series GPU utilization.
Europa Universalis 5 is extremely CPU-intensive. It is built with the Clausewitz Engine and runs well on any modern GPU, such as the RTX 30 Series. More than GPUs, the game requires serious CPU power. In terms of game logic, it’s very similar to the Civilization games and requires heavy CPU usage. This behavior isn’t an optimization issue; it’s due to AI game logic, physics, and more. No matter which GPU you pair with this game, even an RTX 3050, there’s a high chance you will be CPU-bound. This applies to laptop owners as well.
The guide below alleviates CPU-bound issues and shifts the compute load to the GPU, ensuring a smooth, stutter-free experience.
Read More: Europa Universalis 5 Colonization Guide
Europa Universalis 5 – Best Settings for RTX 3050 Through RTX 3070 Ti
The settings below are stated as a reference. You can use them as a starting point for any resolution, such as 1080p or 1440p. Nevertheless, these settings shift the compute load to the GPU, and if you run out of VRAM on 8GB cards, lower the shadow size.
Best Settings Explored
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Renderer | Vulkan |
| Display Mode | Fullscreen |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 / 2560 x 1440 |
| VSync | Off |
| Maximum FPS | Off |
| Quality Preset | Custom |
| Map Objects | High |
| Texture Quality | Ultra |
| Mesh LOD Quality | High |
| Mesh LOD Fade | On |
| Anti-Aliasing | MSAA ×4 |
| Texture Filtering | ×16 |
| Bloom | High |
| Map SSAO | On |
| Depth of Field | High |
| Refraction Quality | High |
| Reflections | High |
| GUI Blur Quality | High |
| Low Quality Shaders | Off |
| Shadow Quality | 4096×4096 (Reduce this if you run out of VRAM) |
| Texture Streaming | On |
| GUI Texture Streaming | On |
| Render Scale | 100% (Increase this if still CPU bound) |
| Animated Characters | On |
| Single Unit Armies | Off |
| Units CoA Resolution | 128×128 |
| Characters SSAO | On |
| Portrait MultiSampling | ×8 |
| Upscale Method | Off |
| Upscale Quality | N/A |
| Triplanar UV Quality | High |
| Disable 3D Terrain | Off |
| Enable Particles | On |
Europa Universalis 5 – Best Settings for RTX 3080 Through RTX 3090 Ti
If you do not have an X3D chip, GPUs like the RTX 3090 and higher will definitely make you CPU-bound. The settings below are the solution; use them as a starting point and adjust them based on the output frame rate on your screen. You can opt for 4K resolution with cards like the 3090 and 3090 Ti, but you might need to turn down a few settings.
Best Settings Explored
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Renderer | Vulkan |
| Display Mode | Fullscreen |
| Resolution | 2560×1440 / 3840 x 2160 |
| VSync | Off |
| Maximum FPS | Off |
| Quality Preset | Custom |
| Map Objects | High |
| Texture Quality | Ultra |
| Mesh LOD Quality | High |
| Mesh LOD Fade | On |
| Anti-Aliasing | MSAA ×4 (Reduce this if FPS problems) |
| Texture Filtering | ×16 |
| Bloom | High |
| Map SSAO | On |
| Depth of Field | High |
| Refraction Quality | High |
| Reflections | High |
| GUI Blur Quality | High |
| Low Quality Shaders | Off |
| Shadow Quality | 4096×4096 (Reduce this if you run out of VRAM) |
| Texture Streaming | On |
| GUI Texture Streaming | On |
| Render Scale | 100% (Increase this if still CPU bound) |
| Animated Characters | On |
| Single Unit Armies | Off |
| Units CoA Resolution | 128×128 |
| Characters SSAO | On |
| Portrait MultiSampling | ×8 |
| Upscale Method | Off |
| Upscale Quality | N/A |
| Triplanar UV Quality | High |
| Disable 3D Terrain | Off |
| Enable Particles | On |
Read More: Can You Play Europa Universalis 5 on Steam Deck?
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