Experiencing lag while playing Valorant on a low-end PC? This comprehensive guide will help you optimize your game settings, reduce input lag, and boost your FPS, making your gameplay smoother, even with just 4GB of RAM. By following these steps, you will learn how to adjust both in-game settings and system configurations to enhance performance dramatically.

Before we dive into the optimization process, ensure that your system meets the minimum requirements for Valorant and that you have administrative privileges to change certain settings. Additionally, it’s beneficial to close unnecessary applications running in the background to free up system resources. Let’s get started!

Step 1: Adjust In-Game Settings

The first step to improving your Valorant performance involves tweaking the in-game settings directly. Follow these instructions:

  1. Launch Valorant and press the Esc key to access the game menu.
  2. Navigate to Settings and find the General tab.
  3. Scroll down to locate Show Mature Content and turn it off.
  4. Set Network Buffering to Moderate.
  5. Turn off Show Bullet Tracers.
  6. Go to the Video tab and select the General tab.
  7. Change the Display Mode to Full Screen.
  8. Set the Screen Resolution to the lowest possible for better FPS performance.
  9. Under the Graphics Quality tab, turn off all settings to minimize resource usage.
  10. Set Load All Textures, Anti-Aliasing, and all other graphical options to off.
  11. Ensure that Anisotropic Filtering is set to 1x and toggle off any additional options.

Step 2: Edit the Configuration File

After adjusting the in-game settings, the next step is to edit the configuration file to further enhance performance. Follow these steps:

  1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
  2. Type %localappdata% and hit Enter.
  3. Navigate to the Riot Games folder, then to Valorant, followed by Saved and Config.
  4. Open the folder labeled with a series of numbers and letters.
  5. Right-click on the GameUserSettings.ini file and select Open With, then choose Notepad.
  6. Locate the ScalabilityGroups section and set all values to 0.
  7. If you find Resolution Quality, set it to 80. For extremely low-end PCs, adjust it to 50.
  8. Save the changes by clicking File and then Save in Notepad.

Once these changes are made, you can close Notepad and return to your desktop, ensuring that all settings have been applied.

Extra Tips & Common Issues

To maximize your gaming experience, consider the following tips:

  • Regularly update your graphics drivers to ensure compatibility and performance.
  • Disable any unnecessary background applications that may consume resources, such as web browsers and file sharing programs.
  • Consider using performance-enhancing software that can help optimize your PC’s performance while gaming.

Conclusion

By following these optimization steps, you should see a significant improvement in Valorant’s performance on a low-end PC. Adjusting in-game settings and editing configuration files can make a world of difference in your gameplay experience. Happy gaming!

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my game still lags after following these steps?

If you continue to experience lag, consider upgrading your RAM or hardware components if possible, as that can also greatly enhance performance.

Are there any additional settings I can change in Windows?

Yes, consider adjusting the Windows power settings to High Performance and ensuring your system is optimized for gaming.

How can I check my FPS in Valorant?

You can enable the FPS counter in the game settings under the General tab, which will help you monitor performance in real-time.