Atomic Heart

Atomic Heart runs on Unreal Engine 4.27.2 and has ray tracing, which is one of the first settings to switch off on an older PC. This guide gives you a free config file, the in-game settings to change first and fixes for stutter.

Can you run Atomic Heart on a low end PC?

• OS: Windows 10 (20H1)
• CPU: Intel Core i5-2500 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 or AMD Radeon R9 380
• RAM: 8 GB
• VRAM: 4 GB
• DirectX: 12
• Storage: 90 GB

If your PC is at or above these specs, the config and the settings below should help. Below them, expect low frame rates and stutter even with this config. The config only lowers graphics work, so it can’t replace missing hardware.

Best Atomic Heart settings for low end PCs

Start with the lowest graphics options the game offers, then change these:

• Upscaler: Pick FSR 2.2. It works on any graphics card. DLSS 3.7 needs an Nvidia RTX card, so only pick it if you have one.
• Ray tracing: Turn it off. It adds ray-traced reflections and ambient occlusion on top of the regular lighting.
• Anti-aliasing: Pick Medium, or Disabled if you need more frames.
• Frame rate cap: Set it to 60. If your PC can’t hold 60 frames per second, set it to 30 instead. A steady 30 is smoother than a 60 that drops in and out.
• V-Sync: Turn it off. On a PC that’s struggling, it can drop your frame rate in steps.
• Window mode: Pick borderless windowed.

Atomic Heart Engine.ini location and install

1. Download the zip with the button above. Unzip it and find the Engine.ini file.
2. Close Atomic Heart completely, including any launcher that is still running.
3. Press Windows + R, paste %LOCALAPPDATA%\AtomicHeart\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor and press Enter. If the folder doesn’t exist, start Atomic Heart once, close it and try again.
4. If the folder already has an Engine.ini, rename it to Engine.ini.bak. This is your backup.
5. Copy the new Engine.ini into the folder.
6. Start the game.

What the config changes

The file only changes graphics settings. It doesn’t touch network settings.

Post-processing

• Motion blur is off.
• Depth of field is off.
• Color fringing at the edges of the screen is off.
• Lens flares are off.
• Light shafts are off.
• Film grain is off.
• Sharpening is set to 0.6.

Lighting and reflections

• Ambient occlusion, screen space reflections, subsurface scattering, contact shadows and capsule shadows are off.
• Volumetric fog uses a coarser grid.

Shadows

• Shadow quality is set to 2.
• Shadow resolution is capped at 1024.
• Shadows reach a shorter distance.
• Small objects cast shadows less often.

Draw distance and foliage

• View distance is set to 80 percent of the default.
• Detail mode is set to 1.
• Anisotropic filtering is set to 4.
• Grass and foliage density is set to 60 percent.

The streaming settings turn on async loading and turn off forced garbage collection, for smoother loading and fewer hitches when you move between areas.

How to fix Atomic Heart stuttering and FPS drops

Atomic Heart is an Unreal Engine 4 game. The first launch compiles shaders, so let that finish and expect hitches for the first few minutes.

If you can, install the game on an SSD. It needs 90 GB of storage.

Then work through the basics on Windows:

• Close background apps, such as browsers and overlays from launchers.
• Update your GPU driver from the official site: Nvidia, AMD or Intel.
• On a laptop, plug in the power cable and set the power mode to best performance.

Undo the changes

Delete Engine.ini from the folder. If you made a backup, rename Engine.ini.bak back to Engine.ini instead. The game rebuilds its defaults.

Atomic Heart FAQ

Where is the Atomic Heart Engine.ini file?

Atomic Heart keeps its Engine.ini in %LOCALAPPDATA%\AtomicHeart\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor. Press Windows + R, paste that path and press Enter. If the folder isn't there, start the game once, close it and check again.

Can Atomic Heart run on a low end PC?

Atomic Heart's minimum graphics card is an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 or an AMD Radeon R9 380, with 4 GB of VRAM and 8 GB of RAM. Below those specs, expect low frame rates even with this config.

Which upscaler should I use for Atomic Heart on an older GPU?

Pick FSR 2.2. It works on any graphics card, so it suits older Nvidia GTX and AMD Radeon cards. DLSS 3.7 is also in the game, but it needs an Nvidia RTX card.

How do I fix Atomic Heart stuttering?

Let the first launch finish, since the game compiles shaders then and you'll see hitches for a few minutes. Install it on an SSD if you can, close background apps and update your GPU driver.