Directive 8020 marks a turning point for Supermassive Games — it is their first title built on Unreal Engine 5, and the leap from the modified UE4 engine used in The Dark Pictures Anthology is substantial. With Nanite geometry and Lumen global illumination pushing GPU demands far beyond anything we have seen from this studio, finding the Directive 8020 best settings PC configuration matters more than ever. The wrong settings can turn a cinematic horror experience into a stuttering mess.
In this comprehensive guide, we break down the official system requirements, recommend the best graphics settings for every GPU tier from budget 1080p to high-end 4K, and explain how to get the most out of DLSS and FSR upscaling. We also cover Virtual Shadow Maps, shader compilation stutter, and other UE5-specific performance pitfalls that can impact your experience. Whether you are running a last-gen RTX 2060 or a brand-new RTX 5070, we have you covered with tested, tier-specific recommendations.
Bookmark this page — we will update with concrete benchmark data as soon as independent testing is available post-launch.
System Requirements Breakdown
Directive 8020 demands significantly more hardware than any previous Supermassive release. The minimum spec alone calls for an RTX 2060 or RX 5700 — a clear signal that UE5 with Nanite and Lumen is not forgiving on older GPUs. Here is the full breakdown:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10/11 64-bit | Windows 10/11 64-bit |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-8500 / AMD Ryzen 5 3500 | Intel Core i5-12400F / AMD Ryzen 5 5600X |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | NVIDIA RTX 2060 / AMD RX 5700 | NVIDIA RTX 3070 / AMD RX 6800 XT |
| Storage | 70 GB SSD | 70 GB SSD |
| DirectX | DX12 | DX12 |
Notice the 16 GB RAM requirement across both tiers — UE5 titles are notoriously memory-hungry, and Directive 8020 is no exception. The SSD requirement is also non-negotiable: Nanite streams geometry directly from storage, and a mechanical HDD will cause severe pop-in and stuttering. If you are still running an HDD, check out our Best Graphics Card for Gaming guide for GPU upgrade options that pair well with modern storage setups.
Unreal Engine 5 Performance Overview
Understanding how Unreal Engine 5 works under the hood is essential for tuning Directive 8020. Two features dominate the performance landscape: Nanite and Lumen.
Nanite is Epic’s virtualized geometry system that renders film-quality meshes in real time. It offloads detail work from the GPU’s traditional pipeline but requires fast storage and ample VRAM for streaming. Lumen is UE5’s dynamic global illumination and reflections system — and it is the single biggest performance hit in most UE5 titles. When you need to claw back frames, Lumen quality is the first setting we recommend lowering.
Directive 8020 also likely uses Virtual Shadow Maps (VSM), which replace traditional cascaded shadow maps with a more accurate but more demanding shadow system. On lower-end GPUs, disabling or lowering VSM quality can yield a noticeable FPS improvement.
As with other UE5 launches, expect shader compilation stutter on your first playthrough. The initial shader pre-compilation may take several minutes — do not interrupt it. Subsequent launches should be smoother, but traversal stutter can still occur in open or semi-open areas. For a broader look at how UE5 impacts performance across multiple titles, see our Crimson Desert PC Performance Guide: Best Settings for Every GPU Tier.
Best Settings for Budget 1080p (RTX 2060 / RX 5700)
If you are meeting the minimum spec, the goal is a stable 30–60 FPS experience at 1080p. You will need to make some compromises, but the game remains fully playable and visually impressive if you choose wisely.
Recommended settings for 1080p budget GPUs:
- Resolution: 1920×1080 native
- View Distance: Medium
- Textures: High (VRAM permitting — drop to Medium if you hit 6 GB limits)
- Lumen Quality: Low — this is your biggest FPS lever
- Shadows: Medium
- Post-Processing: Medium
- Effects: Medium
- DLSS / FSR: Quality mode (renders at ~720p internally, upscaled to 1080p)
- Frame Generation: Enable if available (DLSS 3 FG on RTX 40-series, FSR 3 FG on AMD)
- VSync: Off (use in-game limiter or RTSS instead)
The RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM is the main bottleneck here. If you notice stuttering or texture pop-in, drop Textures to Medium immediately. On the RX 5700 with 8 GB VRAM, you have a bit more headroom for textures but lack hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DLSS — use FSR 3 Quality mode instead. Frame Generation on FSR 3 should work on the RX 5700, though input latency may be noticeable in quick-time events that Supermassive games are known for.
Best Settings for Mid-Range 1440p (RTX 3070 / RX 6800 XT)
The recommended spec targets 1440p, and with the right settings, you can achieve a smooth 60 FPS experience. The RTX 3070 and RX 6800 XT both have 8 GB VRAM, which is adequate for 1440p but not generous — you cannot simply max everything out.
Recommended settings for 1440p mid-range GPUs:
- Resolution: 2560×1440 with DLSS/FSR Quality mode (renders at ~1707p internally)
- View Distance: High
- Textures: High
- Lumen Quality: Medium — a good balance of visual fidelity and performance
- Shadows: High
- Post-Processing: High
- Effects: High
- DLSS / FSR: Quality mode
- Frame Generation: Enable for 90–120+ FPS targets
- VSync: Off or cap at 60/120 via RTSS
At 1440p, DLSS Quality mode is the sweet spot — it delivers near-native visual quality while freeing up significant GPU headroom for Lumen and shadow calculations. Our DLSS 4.5 vs FSR 4.1: The 2026 Upscaling Battle Tested comparison shows that both upscalers perform well at this resolution, though DLSS holds a slight edge in image stability on NVIDIA hardware. If you are targeting 60 FPS, you can push Lumen to Medium-High; for 120 FPS, keep Lumen at Medium and enable Frame Generation.
Best Settings for High-End 4K (RTX 4070+ / RX 7800 XT+)
Current-gen GPUs like the RTX 5070, RTX 4070 Ti Super, and RX 9070 XT have the VRAM and compute power to push Directive 8020 at 4K with most settings maxed. The key decision is how you want to balance visual quality against frame rate targets.
Recommended settings for 4K high-end GPUs:
- Resolution: 3840×2160 with DLSS/FSR Quality mode (renders at ~1440p internally)
- View Distance: Epic / Ultra
- Textures: Ultra (requires 12+ GB VRAM)
- Lumen Quality: High
- Shadows: Ultra
- Post-Processing: Ultra
- Effects: Ultra
- DLSS / FSR: Quality mode (Balanced mode if targeting 120 FPS)
- Frame Generation: Enable — DLSS Multi Frame Generation on RTX 50-series can push 4K well beyond 120 FPS
- VSync: Off — use a frame limiter matching your display’s refresh rate
Even at the high end, we recommend using DLSS or FSR at 4K. The internal render resolution of 1440p with Quality upscaling delivers results that are virtually indistinguishable from native 4K in most scenes, while freeing up 40–50% of GPU resources for Lumen and shadow computation. If you are lucky enough to own an RTX 50-series card with DLSS Multi Frame Generation, you can target 120+ FPS at 4K with ease — though be aware that frame generation adds input latency, which may matter during Directive 8020’s tense quick-time event sequences.
DLSS and FSR: Which Upscaling Mode Should You Use?
Directive 8020 supports both NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR — a welcome decision by Supermassive and Bandai Namco that ensures all PC players benefit from upscaling. Here is how to choose the right mode for your setup:
DLSS (NVIDIA RTX GPUs only): DLSS 3 with Frame Generation is available on RTX 40-series and above. On RTX 50-series, DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation is expected to be supported, potentially generating multiple frames per rendered frame for dramatically higher FPS. Use Quality mode at 1080p and 1440p, and Quality or Balanced at 4K.
FSR 3 (AMD and NVIDIA): FSR 3 works on virtually any modern GPU, including older AMD cards and even NVIDIA GPUs that lack DLSS support. FSR 3 Frame Generation is also available across a wide range of hardware. The visual quality is slightly below DLSS in motion, but the performance gains are comparable. Use FSR Quality mode as your baseline.
Which is better? If you have an RTX GPU, use DLSS — it consistently delivers better temporal stability and fewer artifacts. If you are on AMD or an older NVIDIA card without DLSS, FSR 3 is an excellent alternative. For an in-depth comparison, our DLSS 4.5 vs FSR 4.1: The 2026 Upscaling Battle Tested article breaks down the differences across multiple UE5 titles.
One important caveat: Frame Generation and input latency. Directive 8020 is a cinematic horror game with quick-time events, and frame generation adds a frame of input latency. If you find QTEs feeling sluggish, try disabling Frame Generation during those sequences and re-enabling it for exploration. Alternatively, pair Frame Generation with NVIDIA Reflex (if available) or AMD Anti-Lag to minimize the latency impact.
How Directive 8020 Compares to Previous Supermassive Titles
The jump from Supermassive’s older engine to UE5 represents the single biggest technical leap in the studio’s history. To put it in perspective:
The Until Dawn (2024 PC remaster) ran on a modified Unreal Engine 4 and required only a GTX 960 at minimum — a card from 2016. It was a relatively easy game to run at 60 FPS on modest hardware. The Dark Pictures Anthology titles similarly had modest requirements.
Directive 8020, by contrast, demands an RTX 2060 minimum — roughly three times more GPU compute than the GTX 960. The recommended spec jumps to an RTX 3070, a card that would have been considered overkill for any previous Supermassive game. The reasons are clear: Nanite geometry, Lumen global illumination, and Virtual Shadow Maps all impose significant GPU overhead that simply did not exist in the studio’s UE4 titles.
What does this mean in practice? Players who ran Until Dawn or The Quarry at Ultra settings at 1440p should expect to use Medium-High settings at equivalent resolutions in Directive 8020. The visual quality is dramatically higher — Lumen’s dynamic lighting alone transforms the cinematic atmosphere — but it comes at a real performance cost. This is consistent with what we have seen across other UE5 titles; for reference, our Forza Horizon 6 PC Performance Guide: Best Settings for Every GPU shows similar patterns where UE5 features demand significantly more GPU power than their UE4 predecessors.
You can read more about Unreal Engine 5’s technology on the official Unreal Engine technology page.
Additional Optimization Tips
Beyond in-game settings, these practical tweaks can improve your Directive 8020 experience:
- Install on an NVMe SSD: UE5 Nanite streams geometry from storage in real time. A SATA SSD works, but NVMe dramatically reduces pop-in and stutter. An HDD is effectively unusable.
- Update your GPU drivers: Both NVIDIA and AMD typically release Game Ready drivers timed with major launches. Check NVIDIA’s driver page or AMD’s support page for the latest versions.
- Close background applications: UE5 titles are VRAM-hungry. Close browsers, Discord hardware acceleration, and other GPU-using apps to free up memory for the game.
- Do not interrupt shader compilation: The first launch will pre-compile shaders — this can take 5–10 minutes on slower hardware. Let it finish completely to avoid in-game stuttering.
- Use a frame limiter: If your FPS fluctuates wildly, cap it with RTSS or the in-game limiter at a stable target (30, 60, or 120). Consistent frame pacing feels smoother than wildly fluctuating high FPS.
- Lower Lumen first: When you need more FPS, Lumen quality is always the first setting to reduce. The visual difference between Lumen High and Low is noticeable but the FPS gain can be 20–30%.
- Disable ray tracing if available separately: Some UE5 titles expose ray tracing as a separate toggle from Lumen. Disabling it can yield a significant FPS boost at the cost of dynamic reflections.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the PC requirements for Directive 8020?
The minimum requirements are an Intel Core i5-8500 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500 CPU, 16 GB RAM, and an NVIDIA RTX 2060 or AMD RX 5700 GPU with 70 GB of SSD storage. The recommended spec bumps the GPU to an RTX 3070 or RX 6800 XT with an i5-12400F or Ryzen 5 5600X CPU.
Does Directive 8020 support DLSS?
Yes, Directive 8020 supports NVIDIA DLSS, including DLSS 3 Frame Generation on RTX 40-series and above. DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation on RTX 50-series is expected but not yet confirmed. Use DLSS Quality mode for the best balance of visuals and performance.
How to improve FPS in Directive 8020?
Lower Lumen quality first — it is the single biggest performance hit in UE5. Then enable DLSS or FSR in Quality mode. Drop shadows and post-processing to Medium, ensure the game is installed on an SSD, close background applications, and update your GPU drivers. Frame Generation (DLSS 3 or FSR 3) provides the largest single FPS boost.
Does Directive 8020 support FSR?
Yes, Directive 8020 supports AMD FSR, including FSR 3 Frame Generation. FSR works on virtually all modern GPUs, making it the best upscaling option for AMD and older NVIDIA cards that lack DLSS support.
Can your PC run Directive 8020?
If you have at least an RTX 2060 or RX 5700, 16 GB RAM, and an SSD, you meet the minimum requirements and should be able to run the game at 1080p with lowered settings and upscaling enabled. For a smooth 60 FPS at 1440p, aim for an RTX 3070 or RX 6800 XT as recommended.
Conclusion
Directive 8020 is Supermassive Games’ most technically ambitious PC release, and the move to Unreal Engine 5 means the performance envelope has shifted dramatically compared to their earlier titles. The good news is that DLSS and FSR support ensures a wide range of hardware can run the game well — you just need to pick the right settings for your GPU tier.
For budget players at 1080p, prioritize lowering Lumen and using upscaling Quality mode. Mid-range 1440p players can target 60 FPS with Medium-High settings and DLSS/FSR Quality. High-end 4K players should still use upscaling to free GPU headroom for Lumen and shadows, and can leverage Frame Generation for even higher frame rates.
We will update this guide with concrete benchmark numbers as soon as they become available. In the meantime, check out our other performance guides for more optimization tips:
