Nioh 3 is a fast-paced game where timing is everything. If your frame rate is low or stuttering, you will likely struggle with combat. Many players with mid-range or “average” computers have noticed that while the game may run well in the opening areas, it can slow down significantly once you reach the open-world sections. I have curated a list of best pc settings you can adjust for the game that will help smoothen out such performance issues and help you enjoy the game.
The Best Settings in PC for Nioh 3
This guide will show you how to adjust your settings to get a smooth, stable experience without needing a top-tier gaming rig.
The Golden Rule: Lock Your Frame Rate
The engine used for Nioh 3 does not handle “unlocked” or fluctuating frame rates well. If your FPS jumps between 45 and 70, the game may feel jittery or sluggish.
- Frame Rate Cap: Lock this to 60 FPS if you have an average PC. Only choose 120 FPS if you are certain your computer can stay at that number constantly. A steady 60 FPS feels much better than a shaky 90 FPS.
- Cutscene FPS: Set this to 30 FPS. There is a known bug where higher settings cause cutscenes to jump and stutter.
Critical Graphics Settings to Change
Some settings impact your performance much more than others. Adjusting these first will give you the biggest boost.
1. Global Illumination (The Biggest FPS Killer)
This is the most demanding setting in the game. It handles how light bounces off surfaces.
- Recommended: Set to Low or Very Low.
- Why: Setting this to “Very Low” can fix major stuttering issues, especially on graphics cards with 8GB of VRAM or less.
2. Resolution and Upscaling
- Dynamic Resolution: Turn this Off. It often makes the game look blurry without actually helping the frame rate consistently.
- Rendering Resolution: Set this between 60% and 80%.
- Upscaling Method: If you have an NVIDIA card, use DLSS. If you have an AMD card, use FSR. This helps your GPU handle the game at higher resolutions.
3. Screen Space Reflections
- Recommended: Set to Off or Very Low.
- Why: These reflections are heavy on the system and often do not look good enough to justify the performance cost.
4. Shadow Quality
- Recommended: Set to Low or Standard.
- Why: High-quality shadows eat up video memory (VRAM). On an 8GB card, keeping shadows low prevents the game from “choking” during intense fights.
Detailed Advanced Settings
For the rest of the settings, use these values to balance looks and performance:
| Setting | Recommended Value | Reason |
| Model Quality | Standard | Lowering this makes characters look very blurry. |
| Model Texture Quality | Standard | Keeps the game looking clean. |
| Terrain | Standard | Below this, the ground starts to look like clay. |
| Grass Density | Low | This can save a lot of frames in the open-world fields. |
| Ambient Occlusion | Standard or Off | “Standard” is usually fine, but turn it off for a small extra boost. |
| Anisotropic Filtering | 2x or 4x | Higher values have a very small visual impact but cost VRAM. |
| Volumetric Clouds | Low | You rarely look at the sky during combat. |
Some Working Fixes for Stuttering in Nioh 3
Sometimes the problem isn’t the graphics, but how the game interacts with your hardware.
- SSD Priority: Nioh 3 needs a fast drive to load the world as you move. Make sure the game is installed on an NVMe SSD. If you experience hitches while running, try closing background programs that use your hard drive, like downloads or browser tabs.
- Unplug Extra Devices: A strange bug causes the game to stutter if too many USB devices are plugged in. Unplug unnecessary controllers, drawing tablets, or virtual adapters.
- Disable Steam Overlay: Right-click the game in your Steam Library, go to Properties, and turn off the Steam Overlay. This reduces the load on your processor.
- Windowed Mode: If you are on Windows 11 and experience “micro-stutters,” try switching from Fullscreen to Windowed or Borderless Windowed mode.
By following these steps, you should see a much more consistent frame rate, allowing you to focus on the combat rather than the lag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which single setting provides the biggest performance boost?
Global Illumination (GI). It is significantly more taxing than any other visual setting. Players report that dropping GI from “Ultra” to “Standard” or “Low” can reclaim up to 40-50% of your FPS with very little loss in atmosphere.
The lighting looks “hazy” or “washed out” even with HDR off. How do I fix the contrast?
This is a known bug with the Volumetric Clouds setting. For an immediate fix, set Volumetric Clouds to “Lowest.” This removes the grey film effect and makes the colors look much more vibrant and grounded.
I’m experiencing stutters every 5 seconds on a high-end PC. Is my hardware failing?
- No, this is likely a CPU-scheduling or VRAM issue. Nioh 3 is unusually CPU-heavy, especially in open-field areas.
- Fix: If you are on an Intel 12th–14th Gen, try disabling E-cores in your BIOS or via Process Lasso. For AMD users, ensure you have updated to the optional 26.2.1 drivers, which specifically target Nioh 3 stability.
My PS5/Xbox controller stops responding or “walks in circles” mid-fight. Help?
- This is a recurring issue with Steam Input conflicts.
- Fix: Right-click Nioh 3 in your Steam Library > Properties > Controller > and select “Disable Steam Input.” The game has native support for DualSense and Xbox controllers, and the “wrappers” from Steam often cause these random disconnects.
The game keeps crashing to desktop (CTD) during boss transitions or “Crucible” fights.
- This is most commonly caused by DLSS/FSR Frame Generation. While it boosts your frame count, it currently struggles with the heavy particle effects during boss phase transitions.
- Fix: Disable Frame Generation and use DLSS/FSR “Quality” or “Balanced” upscaling instead. If you must use Frame Gen, ensure your base frame rate is at least 60 before turning it on.
Can I run this on Steam Deck or other handhelds?
Currently, Nioh 3 is not recommended for Steam Deck due to high VRAM demands (it pulls ~7GB even on Low). If you do try, you must lock the frame rate to 30 FPS and use the FSR 3.0 Ultra Performance mode to avoid the “Slow Motion” bug.
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