AMD GPU stutter fix (works for NVIDIA), improved performance, and improved clarity (Streaming settings config fix)

This guide helps solve Darktide's horrendous performance issues on AMD GPUs, with a nice visual clarity bonus as well :)

Additionally, this also streamlines and improves performance for users with NVIDIA GPUs.

Notes and extras

Steam and other Overlay Issues: Many, including myself have been having issues with overlays and Darktide. This includes Steam, Discord, NVIDIA, Radeon Adrenaline, etc. I reccommend disabling all overlays for the best experience while playing Darktide.

Note 1: Please check your config files after every update, as all major updates and some hotfixes will reset the config files back to default values.

Note 2: If you experience crashing after an update please scan and repair your game files, then reapply these changes.

Note 3: These changes will not fix the 'Post update stutters' as this is an issue with shader caching, not the streaming / loading of in game assets. When quitting the game, I recommend using the 'Quit game' option, rather than Alt + F4ing.

Important AMD Adrenaline Software Settings

Setting Tessellation mode to "Use application settings"

For all users that use an AMD graphics card, I would recommend configuring Darktides "Tessellation Mode" settings manually and setting this to "Use application settings.

To do this, simply open the AMD Adrenaline Software > Gaming > Darktide.

Once in Darktide's specific menu scroll down to the "Advanced" section, and set "Tessellation Mode" to "Use application settings".

This is extremely important to the game running well. I also found that certain particle effects popped into existence that I've never seen before when using the "AMD Optimsed" option.

EXPERIMENTAL: Disable Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS)

HAGS Is a feature that many games reccommend you turn on for the best performance, but for Darktide, this makes the game perform worse when ♥♥♥♥ hits the fan for me. This can be disabled within Windows settings guide here[techysnoop.com]

Note: If you don't want to to toggle this on / off and then restart your PC for other games, just leave this on.

Where to find and change the config files v3 (fix starts here)

Last updated 21st Feb 2026

v1 and v2 of this config is archived in my discord.

Note: Please make sure your game is closed when making these changes. These values are loaded when the game starts, so making changes with the game open will have no impact.

You will need to open config files in notepad or a text editor and change some values within them for this fix.

These 2 files are found in your Darktide game folder and are called "settings_common.ini" and "win32_settings.ini"

File path = C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Warhammer 40,000 DARKTIDE\bundle\application_settings

Within win32_settings.ini towards the bottom, change the value of the following 2 lines. If you can't find them, hit ctrl + f to open the search bar to assist in finding them.

BEFORE

fullscreen = false

streaming_texture_pool_size = 512

AFTER

fullscreen = true

streaming_texture_pool_size = 1024

_____________________________________________________

Within settings_common.ini there are 2 sets of values that need changing. Below is a before and after, with values that need changing marked for ease of reference.

BEFORE

feedback_streamer_settings = {
feedback_buffer_size = 4
max_age_out_tiles_per_frame = 64 CHANGE
max_streaming_tiles_per_frame = 64 CHANGE
max_texture_pool_size = 1024
max_write_feedback_threshold = 0.009
min_write_feedback_threshold = 0.005
staging_buffer_size = 4
threaded_streamer = true
tile_age_out_time_ms = 5000
tile_staging_buffer_size = 4 CHANGE

streaming_buffer_size = 32
streaming_max_open_streams = 50 CHANGE
streaming_texture_pool_size = 400 CHANGE
surface_properties = "application_settings/global"
texture_streamer_settings = {
streaming_buffer_size = 64
streaming_texture_pool_size = 512 CHANGE

AFTER

feedback_streamer_settings = {
feedback_buffer_size = 4
max_age_out_tiles_per_frame = 16 CHANGED
max_streaming_tiles_per_frame = 16 CHANGED
max_texture_pool_size = 1024
max_write_feedback_threshold = 0.009
min_write_feedback_threshold = 0.005
staging_buffer_size = 4
threaded_streamer = true
tile_age_out_time_ms = 5000
tile_staging_buffer_size = 128 CHANGED

NOTE ABOUT tile_staging_buffer_size value: While 128 is recommended, you can try increasing or decreasing this value to fine tune this for your system for an even larger improvement.. I would recommend the following values: 4 (default), 8, 16, 32, 64. 128, 256, 512, 1024.

streaming_buffer_size = 32
streaming_max_open_streams = 32 CHANGED
streaming_texture_pool_size = 1024 CHANGED
surface_properties = "application_settings/global"
texture_streamer_settings = {
streaming_buffer_size = 64
streaming_texture_pool_size = 1024 CHANGED

Don't forget to save your changes

Hope this helps

My personal PC specs and config v4

Last Updated 25th Feburary 2026

v1, v2 and v3 are archived in the discord for those who have had better results using my older versions.

This is the config that I use personally, I am not sure if this will be beneficial to all systems as these optimisations are rather agressive. This will most likely NOT WORK if you have less that 32gb of RAM. If you try, please report your specs and your results. Thank you

My PC specs:

• CPU: 9800x3D
  
• GPU: 9070 xt
  
• RAM: 32gb 6000mhz
  
• Resizable Bar / AMD SAM: On (NVIDIA is always off unless you enable it via a 3rd party tool).
  
• Worker Threads: 11
  
• AMD Adrenaline Software Darktide settings: Tessellation Mode = Use application settings. If you have an NVIDIA GPU, don't worry about this.
  
  Within win32_settings.ini towards the bottom, change the value of the following 2 lines. If you can't find them, hit ctrl + f to open the search bar to assist in finding them.
  
  BEFORE
  
  fullscreen = false
  
  streaming_texture_pool_size = 512
  
  AFTER
  
  fullscreen = true
  
  streaming_texture_pool_size = 1024
  
  ______________________________________________________
  
  Within settings_common.ini there are 3 sets of values that need changing. Below is a before and after, with values that need changing marked for ease of reference.
  
  BEFORE
  
  feedback_streamer_settings = {
  feedback_buffer_size = 4
  max_age_out_tiles_per_frame = 64 CHANGE
  max_streaming_tiles_per_frame = 64 CHANGE
  max_texture_pool_size = 1024
  max_write_feedback_threshold = 0.009
  min_write_feedback_threshold = 0.005
  staging_buffer_size = 4
  threaded_streamer = true
  tile_age_out_time_ms = 5000
  tile_staging_buffer_size = 4 CHANGE
  
  mesh_streamer_settings = {
  disable = false
  eviction_timeout = 5
  frame_time_budget = 1
  io_buffer_budget = 10240
  limit = 700 CHANGE
  
  streaming_buffer_size = 32
  streaming_max_open_streams = 50 CHANGE
  streaming_texture_pool_size = 400 CHANGE
  surface_properties = "application_settings/global"
  texture_streamer_settings = {
  streaming_buffer_size = 64
  streaming_texture_pool_size = 512 CHANGE
  
  AFTER
  
  feedback_streamer_settings = {
  feedback_buffer_size = 4
  max_age_out_tiles_per_frame = 6 CHANGED
  max_streaming_tiles_per_frame = 6 CHANGED
  max_texture_pool_size = 1024
  max_write_feedback_threshold = 0.009
  min_write_feedback_threshold = 0.005
  staging_buffer_size = 4
  threaded_streamer = true
  tile_age_out_time_ms = 5000
  tile_staging_buffer_size = 64 CHANGED
  
  mesh_streamer_settings = {
  disable = false
  eviction_timeout = 5
  frame_time_budget = 1
  io_buffer_budget = 10240
  limit = 3500 CHANGED
  
  streaming_buffer_size = 32
  streaming_max_open_streams = 32 CHANGED
  streaming_texture_pool_size = 1536 CHANGED
  surface_properties = "application_settings/global"
  texture_streamer_settings = {
  streaming_buffer_size = 64
  streaming_texture_pool_size = 1536 CHANGED
  
  Don't forget to save your changes

Updating Darktide's outdate Direct Storage Version

Direct Storage is a technology used to load in assets, in games. Fatshark is using an outdated version of this technology that has performance issues. By updating this we can further improve the consistency and reliability of Darktide's performance.

Here is a link to my separate guide on updating Darktides direct storage.

Darktide Configs Discord

If you are interested in further tuning Darktides config yourself. I have created a discord where you will find:

• Guides to help you fine tune your own config
  
• A mirror of the above guides + the Direct Storage update.
  
• Archives of previous configs
  
• A guide on how I setup my windows for best performance (windows tweaks)

Rules of the discord:

• Don't be weird
  
• Don't @ or DM me
  
• No test, no talk

Please READ AND FOLLOW THE RULES. If the rules aren't followed, I will delete / remove access to the discord. Please don't ruin a good thing.

If you are intersted, here is the link - https://discord.gg/TE6YwF5sWQ

[Frost King]

I noticed the recent update changed my win32_settings.ini ray_tracing option to true. Something to take note of.

[Sanich]

[Unoki]

@Sanich The game crashes after 10 seconds with or without the tweaks when turning on FSR frame gen. Fatshark resolved AMD FSR frame generation by preventing it from running at all XD

[Kasz]

No its still broken for me, as in stuttering mess. Optiscaler xefg still runs better.

[Sanich]

it says that "Fixed the issue related to AMD’s FSR 3.1 frame generation." in a recent patchnote, anyone feel the difference with/without this config?

[starship]

Seems to have helped. Thanks!

[witness protection]

Since the latest hotfix as of this comment where FG is broken, I've manually applied FSRFG via optiscaler OptiFG and made the config changes. With the hudless and extended options in optiFG the game runs semi-quarter-decently in the meat grinder but breaks down into an unstable frametime when in actual games. This leads me to believe FG breaking is not the only issue, FS have also made some changes where this config doesn't work as well as its used to.

[Guil]

Cannot use AMD anymore on Darktide. FFs at this point anyone can run Fatshark and AMD better than Fatshark and AMD can. ♥♥♥♥'em all.

[Wartinald]

Weird, but after the last update and while using v3 and v4, the game wont't let me pass past the splash screen after pressing space. Has anyone faced the same issue?

[Dainank]

I created a script to automate this and make updates less frustrating. Feel free to use it (instructions in README). If you have your own configs, you can open PRs: https://github.com/dainank/w40kd