Facebook
Reddit
Email
Learn how you can potentially improve performance in Stalker 2 on PC, with a few simple configuration file tweaks and settings.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, despite its ambitious and engaging gameplay loop, isn’t particularly an enjoyable experience on PC. Not only is the game riddled with game-breaking bugs, but there are also plenty of performance and stability issues. The game does boast some pretty impressive visuals thanks to its use of Unreal Engine 5.1. Its graphical fidelity comes at the cost of performance.
Stalker 2 even struggles to maintain a steady frame rate on high-end PCs, mostly due to its incredibly high VRAM usage. However, thanks to a community-made configuration file tweak, you can easily fix the game’s numerous performance issues with minimal visual downgrade.
Much like the original Stalker trilogy, the recently released sequel comes with robust mod support. Within days of the game’s release, the Stalker community has come up with a set of configuration file tweaks that drastically improve performance in Stalker 2. Here’s everything you need to know about Stalker 2’s configuration file mod, and how you can improve performance on the game on PC.
How To Boost Performance in Stalker 2 PC
The configuration file mod comes courtesy of Steam user TheDonDope. The user essentially repurposed the Unreal Engine 5 tweaks for another game, The Forever Winter, to make it work for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. There are essentially three parts to this tweak. First, you need to edit the game’s Config file. Next, you need to edit the GameUserSettings.ini file. Lastly, you need to create a custom Engine.ini file.
While the process obviously looks quite intimidating at first, it’s quite easy, especially if you have experience installing mods for PC games. Furthermore, TheDonDope has provided entire configuration file tweaks in his guide.
You can simply copy and paste the configuration file data from his guide to your game, and it should be good to go. Additionally, since Stalker 2 doesn’t have any DRM on PC and comes with mod support on launch, you won’t have to use any third-party plug-ins to make the tweaks work in your game. You can simply apply the changes and launch the game to see them take effect immediately. You can find a link to TheDonDope’s configuration file mod here.
Where To Find Stalker 2’s Config File on PC
You can find the Config file for Stalker 2 in these locations:
- Steam – %localappdata%\Stalker2\Saved\Config\Windows
- Xbox Game Pass – %localappdata%\Stalker2\Saved\Config\WinGDK
Where To Find Stalker 2’s GameUserSettings.ini File on PC
You can find the GameUserSettings.ini file for Stalker 2 in these locations:
- Steam – %localappdata%\Stalker2\Saved\Config\Windows
- Xbox Game Pass – %localappdata%\Stalker2\Saved\Config\WinGDK
The GameUserSettings.ini file essentially stores all data related to the game’s settings. While Stalker 2 does allow tweaking a number of graphics parameters in-game, there are some limitations in place for the game’s ray tracing and lumen. Neither of these features can be disabled in-game without a manual configuration file tweak. As was the case with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Silent Hill 2 (remake), ray tracing being enabled by default does hamper performance, especially on lower-end GPUs.
Furthermore, the Config file tweak also allows you to disable UE5’s frame rate smoothing, resulting in a more stable frame rate.
Looking For More?
Thank you for reading the Stalker 2 article. We provide the latest news and create guides for Baldur’s Gate 3, Fallout 4, ARK Survival Ascended, and more. Also, watch Deltia play games on Twitch or visit his YouTube channel!
