How to increase FPS in Dota 2

FPS (Frames-per-second) is characterized by the frequency of frames displayed on the screen during the gameplay. The higher the game’s FPS, the smoother the image will be. A value of 30 FPS is considered the minimum acceptable for a pleasant and convenient Dota 2 game. It can be achieved even on a weak computer. However, it is worth striving for an FPS level with a value of 60-120.

How to measure FPS in Dota 2?

The easiest way is to go to the «Advanced Settings» section in the game’s settings menu. By ticking the box next to the line «Display network information», it is easy to turn on the FPS indicator in the upper right corner of the screen.

Step 1: Install drivers

You should start by installing hardware drivers. You can use the manufacturer’s service page for automatic search and installation of drivers on the laptop. As a rule, it is enough to enter the device model in the search and follow the further instructions.

This method does not work on most desktop computers. Therefore, you will have to check the relevance, search and install drivers manually, or you can use special software. SDI or Driver Booster can help to solve this issue. These programs can be downloaded for free from the official website of the developers.

Step 2: Settings in the Dota 2 client

It is worth paying attention to the «Processing» section, which can be found in the «Video» tab in the Dota 2 settings. Select «Use advanced settings».

For the maximum effect in FPS, you need to disable all available options, and for the items «Quality of textures», «Quality of effects» and «Quality of shadows» choose a low value. You can experiment with the quality of Dota 2 screen processing. The optimal value starts from 60, it often makes no sense to decrease it. It is better to limit the maximum FPS to 120.

A good solution would be to abandon the windowed game mode. Working «in the window» is extremely demanding for the processor and video card resources.

Stage 3: OS optimization

Windows operating system is arranged in such a way that at every single moment, in addition to what is happening directly on the screen, a large number of invisible processes are running in the background.

These include the processes of user programs (antivirus, messengers, programs for synchronization with cloud services, etc.), as well as system services and components. Before the game, it is better to disable unused programs and restart the PC, having previously removed unnecessary programs from startup. This action will free up RAM and help increase FPS.

There is no need for some system services to run, but, despite this, they add additional load to the system. You can turn them off systemically (an option for advanced users) or use automated «tweakers». Some of the best are Win.Tweaker and Windows 10 Manager.

When playing on a laptop, you should pay attention to the power settings (they are easy to find by right-clicking on the battery in the status bar). We recommend choosing the «High performance» mode.

Step 4: change the configuration file and startup parameters

The launch options are responsible for the settings with which the program is launched. To increase FPS, you need to enter the line «-console -nod3d9ex -nosync -noaafonts -noipx -high -noforcemaccel -noforcemspd -useforcedmparms + exec autoexec.cfg» in the Dota 2 startup parameters.

You will also need a new cfg file called autoexec.cfg. You can edit it using NotePad++. You need to save the new file in a folder that can be found using the following algorithm: «Steam\steamapps\common\dota beta\game\dota\cfg«. You also need to add the following commands to the file:

• r_renderoverlayfragment»0″;
• r_threaded_shadow_clip»1″;
• mat_queue_mode»2″;
• cl_threaded_bone_setup»0″;
• r_queued_decals»0″;
• r_queued_ropes»1″;
• r_queued_post_processing»0″;
• r_threaded_particles «1»;
• cl_threaded_bone_setup»1″;
• cl_threaded_init «1»;
• net_compressvoice»1″;
• r_queued_post_processing»1″;
• r_screenspace_aa»0″;
• r_deferred_specular»0″;
• r_deferred_specular_bloom»0″;
• dota_cheap_water»1″;
• r_deferred_height_fog»0″;
• cl_globallight_shadow_mode»0″;
• r_deferred_additive_pass»0″;
• r_deferred_simple_light»0″;
• r_ssao»0″;
• dsp_enhance_stereo»1″;
• cl_forcepreload»1″;
• r_fastzreject»-1″;
• mat_picmip»2″;
• mat_vsync «0»;
• mat_triplebuffered»0″.

As a result, your frame rate will increase by 10-20%. It will improve efficiency and overall gaming experience of Dota 2.