VRChat Ultimate Performance Guide - Increase FPS & Fix Lag

In this Guide, you will learn how to optimize your game, that will allow you to play smoothly without problems. You can gain an up to 30% Frame per second increase

Intro & Requirements

Programs	Links
.NET Framework 4.6.1	.NET Framework 4.6.1 Web Installer [www.microsoft.com]
CPU UNPARK	Download CPU Unpark [coderbag.com]
NVIDIA Image Scaling	https://github.com/NVIDIAGameWorks/NVIDIAImageScaling
MSI Afterburner	https://www.msi.com/Landing/afterburner/graphics-cards
AMD FidelityFX™	https://gpuopen.com/fidelityfx-superresolution-2/
Nvidia GeForce Experience	https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/drivers/
AMD Drivers	https://www.amd.com/en/support

VRChat System Requirements

To optimize performance in VRChat and ensure the best experience possible, consider following these tips:

1. System Requirements: Ensure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements for VRChat. Check VRChat's official documentation or website for the recommended specifications.
   
   
2. Graphics Settings: Adjusting your graphics settings can have a significant impact on performance. Lowering certain settings can help improve frame rates. Experiment with different settings to find the right balance between performance and visual quality. Some key settings to consider adjusting include:
   
   
   • Graphics Quality: Lower the overall graphics quality or select a performance-focused preset.
     
     
   • Shadows: Disable or reduce the quality of shadows, as they can be resource-intensive.
     
     
   • Post-Processing Effects: Disable or lower the intensity of effects like antialiasing, ambient occlusion, and motion blur.
     
     
   • Avatar Performance: In the VRChat menu, enable the "Performance Rank" feature to show a performance rank for avatars. Use this as a guide when interacting with others to avoid avatars that could impact performance.
   
   
3. Update Drivers: Keep your graphics drivers up to date. Visit the website of your graphics card manufacturer (such as NVIDIA or AMD) to download and install the latest drivers.
   
   
4. Background Applications: Close any unnecessary background applications while running VRChat. Other programs running in the background can consume system resources and impact performance.
   
   
5. Network Connection: Ensure you have a stable and reliable internet connection. A poor connection can lead to lag and performance issues. If possible, use a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi.
   
   
6. Empty Cache: As mentioned earlier, periodically clearing your VRChat cache can help optimize performance by removing outdated or unused files. You can do this by navigating to the VRChat cache folder and deleting its contents. Make sure to do this when you're not actively using VRChat, as the game will need to redownload the necessary files when launched.
   
   
7. System Maintenance: Regularly perform system maintenance tasks such as disk cleanup, defragmentation, and removing unnecessary files to keep your computer running smoothly.
   
   
8. VRChat Settings: Explore the various settings within VRChat itself. For example, you can adjust the field of view, turn off voice chat if not needed, or disable certain features that you don't use.
   
   
9. Hardware Upgrades: If you consistently experience performance issues despite optimizing software settings, consider upgrading your hardware. This may involve increasing your RAM, upgrading your graphics card, or even getting a more powerful computer overall.

Remember that performance can vary based on your specific hardware and software configuration. It's a good idea to experiment with different settings and find the optimal balance for your system. Additionally, staying updated with the latest VRChat updates and community discussions can provide valuable insights into performance optimizations and any known issues.

Keep in mind some headset are more powerful than other's you may need upgraded hardware to run both your VR Headset & VRChat.

Check whether your system is VR Ready, and if not, whether its capabilities are bound by Graphics Card, CPU, or both.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/323910/SteamVR_Performance_Test/

VRChat Non-VR	System Requirements
Non-VR	Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 8.1, Windows 10 Processor: Intel® i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 equivalent or greater Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 970 / AMD Radeon™ R9 290 equivalent or greater DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 1 GB available space VR Support: SteamVR
VR Recommended Specs	Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 8.1, Windows 10 Processor: Intel® i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 equivalent or greater Memory: 16 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 1070 / or greater DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 1 GB available space VR Support: SteamVR

Avatar Performance & Ranks

The Avatar Performance Ranking System allows you to see how much a user's avatar is affecting performance via analysis of the components on that user's avatar. You can also use it on yourself to see how performant your avatar is.

This system is provided to inform users what is likely the most performance-heavy components on their avatars, and offer basic advice on what to look into when optimizing their avatar.

It is also used to drive the Minimum Displayed Performance Rank system, which is a way for users to decide what avatars they wish to show based on their Performance Rank.

Your avatar affects everyone else's framerate, so be mindful of how your choices affect other people's experiences. Otherwise, they might see you as your Fallback!

Performance Ranking Icons

When you open your Quick Menu, you'll see icons appear on top of the nameplates of users.

The ranks are as follows:

Performance Rank Icon	Performance Rank Name & Description
	Excellent - This is as good as you can get! The "Gold Star on the Fridge" rank.
	Good - Good enough! A great target to aim for.
	Medium - Don't let the name fool you, Medium is plenty good. If you're here and don't want to work any farther up, you're fine.
	Poor - Could use some work.
	Very Poor - This avatar has some serious performance problems. Since this rank is unbounded, it is very possible that your performance is suffering as a result of this avatar being visible.

1. Very Poor (E): Avatars with a "Very Poor" safety rank are highly unoptimized and can have a severe impact on performance. These avatars often consist of excessive polygons, large textures, and numerous dynamic components. It's advisable to exercise caution when encountering avatars with this safety rank, as they can cause significant lag and reduce overall performance for yourself and others.
   
   
2. Poor (D): Avatars with a "Poor" safety rank are still relatively unoptimized, but they have a slightly lesser impact on performance compared to "Very Poor" avatars. They may have a moderate number of polygons, high-resolution textures, or complex animations. While they are not as severe as "Very Poor" avatars, it's still recommended to be cautious when interacting with or viewing these avatars.
   
   
3. Medium (C): Avatars with a "Medium" safety rank are considered moderately optimized. They have a reasonable balance between visual quality and performance impact. These avatars typically have a moderate polygon count, lower resolution textures, and simpler animations. They are less likely to cause significant performance issues, but it's still a good practice to be mindful of the number of avatars with this safety rank present in your vicinity.
   
   
4. Good (B): Avatars with a "Good" safety rank are well-optimized and have a minimal impact on performance. They typically have a low polygon count, smaller textures, and efficient animations. These avatars are considered safe in terms of performance and are less likely to cause any significant lag or frame rate drops.
   
   
5. Excellent (A): Avatars with an "Excellent" safety rank are highly optimized and have no noticeable impact on performance. They are typically created with careful consideration for performance and efficiency. These avatars have low polygon counts, small textures, and smooth animations. Interacting with or viewing avatars with this safety rank should not cause any performance issues.

It's important to keep in mind that safety ranks are intended to guide users in making informed decisions and managing their performance within VRChat. However, safety ranks alone do not guarantee the behavior or appropriateness of avatars. Always remain vigilant and report any avatars or users that violate the VRChat community guidelines or engage in inappropriate behavior.

Avatar Optimization Settings

In VRChat, the avatar optimization settings provide options to adjust various parameters that affect the performance and visual quality of avatars. These settings allow users to customize their experience based on their hardware capabilities and personal preferences. Here are some common avatar optimization settings you may find in VRChat:

1. Block Pooly Optimized Avatars: Clicking the left or right arrow will let you choose among performance ranks. Setting it to Very Poor will permit all avatars to show, regardless of their performance rank.
   
   
2. Max Avatar Download Size: Ensure you have a stable and reliable internet connection. A poor connection can lead to lag and performance issues. If possible, use a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi. and Lowering the Max Avatar Download Size can help with poor connection and overall performance.
   
   Avatars with a filesize exceeding the amount selected in the settings will not be downloaded until you click "Show Avatar". This value defaults to 200MB. Clicking either the *-* or *+* arrow will adjust the value by 5MB at a time.
   
   
3. Dynamic Bone Colliders: Dynamic Bones are used to simulate realistic secondary motion in avatars, such as hair, clothing, or tails. Dynamic Bone Colliders allow these dynamic elements to interact with the environment. Enabling or disabling dynamic bone colliders can affect performance and how avatars interact with objects and other avatars.

It's important to note that adjusting these settings may affect the visual quality and fidelity of avatars. Users can experiment with different settings to find a balance between performance and visual experience that suits their preferences and hardware capabilities.

VRChat Mirrors

In VRChat, the terms "HQ" and "LQ" refer to mirror settings related to the quality of reflections in mirrors. These settings allow users to adjust the level of detail and visual fidelity of the mirror reflections to balance performance and visual appeal.

HQ (High Quality) mirrors offer more detailed and accurate reflections. When this setting is enabled, the mirror will reflect the user's avatar and the surrounding environment with higher fidelity, including finer details and more accurate lighting. However, enabling HQ mirrors can put a greater strain on system resources, potentially impacting performance, especially in environments with multiple mirrors or complex reflections.

LQ (Low Quality) mirrors, on the other hand, provide lower-detail reflections. Enabling LQ mirrors reduces the level of detail and complexity in the mirror reflections. This setting can help improve performance by reducing the processing power required for rendering reflections. LQ mirrors may still provide a decent representation of the avatar and surroundings but with fewer details and potentially less accurate lighting.

The choice between HQ and LQ mirror settings depends on a user's hardware capabilities and personal preferences. If a user has a lower-end system or experiences performance issues in environments with mirrors, switching to LQ mirrors can help alleviate the strain on system resources. However, users with more powerful hardware may prefer the visual fidelity offered by HQ mirrors.

To adjust mirror settings in VRChat, you can usually find options related to mirror quality in the graphics or performance settings menu within the VRChat application. The exact location and naming of these settings may vary depending on the version of VRChat and the platform you're using.

It's important to note that the availability and functionality of mirror quality settings can depend on the world or room you're in. Some worlds may restrict the ability to change mirror settings, while others may have their own custom mirror options.

Clearing & Moving Cache

About Clearing Cache

In VRChat, clearing the cache refers to deleting the locally stored files and data related to the game. When you play VRChat, various assets such as avatar models, textures, animations, and world data are downloaded and stored on your computer's hard drive in the cache folder.

Clearing the cache can serve a few purposes:

1. Fixing Issues: Sometimes, VRChat may encounter problems loading assets or exhibit glitches. Clearing the cache can help resolve these issues by forcing the game to redownload the necessary files.
   
   
2. Updating Content: VRChat regularly releases updates that introduce new features, avatars, worlds, and other content. Clearing the cache ensures that you have the most up-to-date versions of these assets when you launch the game.
   
   
3. Saving Disk Space: Over time, the cache folder can accumulate a significant amount of data, which may occupy valuable storage space on your computer. Clearing the cache allows you to reclaim disk space by removing outdated or unused files.

It's worth noting that clearing the cache does not affect your account, friends list, or any other personal data associated with your VRChat profile. It primarily targets the locally stored assets to refresh or update them. After clearing the cache, the game will automatically redownload the necessary files when you launch VRChat again.

If you're experiencing issues with VRChat or want to ensure you have the latest content, clearing the cache can be a helpful troubleshooting step. However, if you're uncertain or have concerns, it's recommended to consult the official VRChat documentation or seek assistance from the VRChat community.

How to Clear Cache

1. Head on over to the Debug tab in the settings.
   
   
2. Click on the Clear Content Cache button highlighted in red.
   
   
3. Click on the YES button.
   
   
   
   

Please note that clearing the cache may result in longer loading times the next time you launch VRChat, as the game will need to re-download or re-generate certain files. Additionally, if you have any custom content or avatars that were stored in the cache, they will need to be re-downloaded or reloaded the next time you encounter them in the game.

Linux OS - Performance

How to Fix VRChat Crashing on Startup

• This will happen because VRC requires 3D acceleration.

How to fix it:

1. Right click on VRChat in library
   
2. Click on Properties
   
3. Then, Click on "Set launch options"
   
4. Under Launch Options put “PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1”

VRChat Showing a “Dark World” / VRChat not Loading Avatars / Problem Loading New Worlds

• This will happen because VRC works better when D9VK is enabled.

How to fix it:

1. Right click on VRChat in library
   
2. Click on Properties
   
3. Then, Click on "Set launch options"
   
4. Under Launch Options put“PROTON_USE_D9VK=1”

Please consider rating this guide if it's useful. Ratings make it easier for people to find this guide and supports similar content. <3

Changing Your Graphics Settings

Step 1:

Open your quick menu and go to the settings tab.

Step 2:

Enlarge the quick menu to see the main menu settings page.

Step 3:

Go to the Graphics tab.

The Graphics Menu:

This is where you can change you graphics settings in game.


















Graphics Quality: Lowers or Heightens the quality of textures.
Anti-Aliasing: Lowering this unsmooths the edges of 3d objects. Heightening it makes all edges smoother and fit more seamlessly together.
Mirror Resolution: Makes mirrors less or more detailed.
Shadow Quality: Changes how detailed shadows are.
LOD Quality: Stands for "Level of Design Quality." This changes the distance a object has to be for the textures to switch to a lower quality one.
Partial Limiter: Limits the amount of partials an avatar can produce.
Pixel Light Count: Changes the maximum amount of pixel lights.
FPS: Changes your FPS cap.

NVIDIA Control Panel - Settings

NVIDIA Control Panel

Step 1

Right-click on your desktop and then select “NVIDIA Control Panel”.

Step 2

Click on “Manage 3D settings” and then on “Program settings”.
Select the VRChat program. And apply the same parameters as those present on the images below. Don't forget to hit "apply" before exiting.

Step 3

Copy the following Settings.

Windows 10/11 - Settings

1. Optimize Windows 10 with Game Mode

1. Press Windows key and I Key together to open Settings.
   
   
2. In the Settings page, click Gaming.
   
   
3. In the next pop-up window, go to the Game Mode panel, and switch the button Use Game Mode to On.

2. Use High-Performance Power Plan

Changing power plan may help you to optimize Windows 10 for gaming since power plans are designed to better manage battery use on portable devices. And many Windows 10 desktop users say that this solution helps them to improve game performance.

Now, we will show you how to use high-performance power plan to optimize Windows 10 for gaming.

1. Press Windows key and I Key together to open Settings.
   
   
2. In the pop-up window, choose System to continue.
   
   
3. Then navigate to the Power & Sleep tab and click Additional power settings.
   
   
4. In the Power Options window, check the option High Performance.

3. Tweak Your Visual Effects Settings

The graphical user interface can be a hindrance to your processing power. Many background graphics are turned on by default, which will affect the available processing power of your PC when playing games on the computer in the foreground. So, as for how to optimize Windows 10 for gaming, tweak your visual effects settings. Now, here is the tutorial.

1. Type View advanced system settings in the search box of Windows and choose the best-matched one.
   
   
2. In the pop-up window, switch to the Advanced tab.
   
   
3. Then click Settings under Performance section to continue.
   
   
4. In the pop-up window, in the Visual Effects tab, choose the option Adjust for best performance. Then click Apply and OK to confirm the changes.

4. Turn off Hardware-acelerated GPU Scheduling

To turn off hardware acceleration on Windows 11, you can follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu: Click on the Start button located in the bottom left corner of the screen or press the Windows key on your keyboard.
   
   
2. Access the Settings app: Locate and click on the "Settings" app, which has an icon resembling a gear.
   
   
3. Open the System settings: Within the Settings app, click on the "System" category.
   
   
4. Go to the Display settings: Select "Display." & Scroll down and click on "Graphics"
   
   
5. Click on "Change Default Graphics settings" located under the "Default settings" section.
   
   
6. Turn off hardware acceleration: In the Graphics settings, locate the "Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling" option and toggle the switch to the "Off" position.
   
   
7. Restart your computer: After turning off hardware acceleration, it's recommended to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Windows 10/11 - Registry

1. Disable Nagle’s Algorithm From the Registry

Nagle’s algorithm is a way to improve the efficiency of TCP/IP networks by decreasing the number of packets that need to be sent over the network. That is to say, it bundles data packets at the cost of a smoother internet connection.

So, in order to optimize Windows 10 for gaming, you can choose to disable Nagle’s algorithm. Now, here is the tutorial.

1. Press Windows key and R key together to open Run dialog.
   
   
2. Type regedit in the box and click OK to continue.
   
   
3. In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces
   
   
4. Then you can see that there are several comprised folders with numbers and letters.
   
   
5. To access the file, match your IP address to the listed DhcpIPAddress in one of those folders.
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Right-click on the right panel and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. You need to create two new keys and name them as TcpAckFrequency and TCPNoDelay.
   
   
7. Then double-click each of them and change their value data to 1.
   

After all steps are finished, the Nagle’s algorithm has been disabled. Computer gaming performance would be improved.

Windows Driver updates

1. Update GPU Drivers

The Graphic Processor Unit is the core of your PC gaming experience and it requires the latest Windows driver to keep games work faster and better. In addition, an outdated driver may lead to some other problems, such as bugs in the computer, or system crash.

So, in order to improve the performance of the game, you can choose to update GPU driver. Now, here is the tutorial.

1. Press Windows key and R key together to open Run dialog.
   
   
2. Then type devmgmt.msc in the box and click OK to continue.
   
   
3. In the Device Manager window, expand the Display adapter and select the driver on your computer.
   
   
4. Right-click it and choose Update driver to continue.
   
   
5. Then you can choose Search automatically for updated driver software and follow the wizard to continue.

When updating the GPU driver to the latest version, check whether the game performance is improved.

Install DirectX 12

DirectX 12 is a necessary application for anyone who wants to play games on Windows 10. It enables users to communicate with your computer and tell it what to do. So, in order to improve the performance of your computer, you can choose to install DirectX 12.

Now, we will show you check whether you have already installed the DirectX 12 on your computer.

1. Press Windows key and R key together to open Run dialog.
   
   
2. Then type dxdiag in the box and click OK to continue.
   
   
3. If you have already installed the DirectX 12 on your computer, it will be opened as below.

If you don’t have the DirectX 12 on your computer, just go ahead to download and install it. Then just go to the Windows Update page to click Check for updates to continue.

As to optimize Windows 10 for gaming, try to install DirectX 12 on your computer.

CPU Unparking Cores

Here's an example of how core parking actually works and the meaning of an index number:

Let's say we have a CPU with total of 6 cores (including logical) this will be 100% of our CPU power, where each core will represent about ~ 17% (100 / 6 = 16.6 ~17). Now for example we would like that 4 cores out of 6 to never be parked by the OS regardless of the load. In this case we set the number to 68% (17 * 4 = 68). This will tell the OS that it can only park 2 cores out of 6. For example, if we set the number to a 100% we are basically telling the OS that NONE of our CPU cores can be parked and they should function at all times with full performance (see the pictures below), and in the opposite case scenario if we set the number to 0% or close to that, OS will be able to park any number of cores (don't forget to press the "Apply" button when you are setting the number). I hope this'll help explaining how it works.

Prerequisites: This application requires .NET Framework 4.6.1 to be installed on your machine. In case you don’t have it yet, you can download it from the Microsoft site: .NET Framework 4.6.1 Web Installer [www.microsoft.com] 

Programs	Download
.NET Framework 4.6.1	.NET Framework 4.6.1 Web Installer [www.microsoft.com]
CPU UNPARK	Download CPU Unpark [coderbag.com]

VRChat - Launch Options

Steam launch options

1. Right click on VRChat in library
   
2. Click on Properties
   
3. Then, Click on "Set launch options"

There are several launch options available for VRChat.

If you are using Steam, you can set these easily in the Properties for VRChat, found by right-clicking on VRChat's entry in your game list. After clicking Properties, click on Set Launch Options, then put your desired launch options in.

If you are using Oculus PC, you must create a shortcut to the VRChat executable. After launching Oculus Home, launch this shortcut by clicking its icon. The Oculus launcher does not support launch options natively.

Oculus Quest does not support any of these launch options.

Launch Option	Description
--no-vr	Forces Desktop mode
--profile=X	Launches with a different user profile, where X is a number. 0 is the default profile
--fps=X	Overrides the FPS cap to X instead of the default. On Desktop, 90 is the default. In VR, the headset's reported maximum refresh rate is the default.
--enable-debug-gui	Enables debug menu shortcuts, see Keyboard and Mouse for shortcut keys
--enable-sdk-log-levels	Enables a large amount of additional logging. Warning: Will cause your log to get VERY large! Using this option may reduce performance due to the increased logging, don't leave it on!
--midi=deviceName	Forces the MIDI drive to search for a connected MIDI device which contains the *deviceName* specified, including partial matches, case-insensitive
--watch-worlds	Watches the location where the VRChat SDK builds worlds, and automatically joins any new local world created.
--watch-avatars	Watches the location where the VRChat SDK builds test avatars, and if wearing a test avatar that's been updated automatically switches to the newer version.
--osc=inPort:outIP:outPort	Customize network settings for incoming/outgoing OSC messages. Accepts the following 3 arguments: - inPort: The port that the VRChat client should listen on for incoming OSC messages. - outIP: The IP that outgoing OSC messages should be sent to. - outPort: The port that outgoing OSC messages should be sent to.
--affinity=<ARG>	Sets VRChat's thread affinity to the specified threads. <ARG> is a bitmask indicating which threads should be utilized for VRChat. For example, FFFF selects the first 16 threads, FF selects the first 8, and so on. Do NOT use this feature unless you are using an AMD CPU that has issues arising from inter-CCX latency. If you misuse it, you will cause major performance issues for yourself. Most users do not need to use this feature. It is left up to the user to determine if they should use this feature.See section below. Utilities exist that can help work out what your bitmask string should be. This launch option is most useful for AMD CPUs that benefit from limiting processes to certain threads to reduce on-die latency. This is an advanced feature. Unless you know what you're doing and know you need this, you probably shouldn't use it!
-screen-width N	Override the default screen width. This must be an integer from a supported resolution.
-screen-height N	Override the default screen height. This must be an integer from a supported resolution.
-screen-fullscreen N	Override the default full-screen state. This must be 0 or 1.
-screen-quality	DOES NOT WORK - just listing it because you might try it and get confused.
-monitor N	Run Standalone Player on the specified monitor, indicated by a 1-based index number.
--disable-hw-video-decoding	Game crashing only when loading a second video in the media player.

The End.

If this guide was useful in an very please leave like and favorite!


Check out this guide - VRChat How to cancel your VRC+ Subscription!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2840737969

[marcussacana]

Someone more in AMD 7900 XTX with 40fps?

[Mickerd]

Only thing that is good to note: If your text on PC becomes pixelated, turn on "Smooth edges of screen fonts" in section 3 of this article.

[FlowinRL]

me playing vr-chat with a GT240 and it is14/15 y/old doing 30 to 90 fps :D

[Vodka]

delete system 32 to save space on ur pc

[kaam wali aunty]

[▩]

I don't own VR chat 🗿

[Cornelius Cocaine]

now do a guide where u increase lag and decrease fps

[꧁༒☬ GΞX ☬༒꧂]

@SlusheeWolf2 (the user right below me):
So you basically never changed your battery/performance options on windows. Usually, you don't have to use that tool, if you are setting PC performance to maximum, disabling and canceling any kind of "hiberation" function for harddrives, CPU performance adjustments and Co.
The tool to "unpark" the CPU cores can also be changed literally inside the windows performance settings. Simply run the "Additional power settings", and no, this does not only affect laptops or any kind of device running WITH batteries, expand the available options there, choose high performance settings, get into editing mode and krank up everything which logically makes any sense to do so, to increase CPU and usual computer performance.

Profit from: Not using some 3rd party applications, which will most likely not set those settings permanently and must be unnecessarily ran on every start up.

[SlusheeWolf2 (jRPG Wolf)]

7/13/2023 I did this entire process besides unparking cores (high performance mode apparently does the same thing and is less screwupable) and not only did VRC not crash in my Oculus Rift S anymore, but it increased the performance of my PC and even my internet connection. The only caveat is that I couldn't load thumbnails in explorer and I use those for work, so I had to manually enable that while disabling everything else in Advanced System Performance Settings.

[Нахал]