Grass Quality is the single biggest FPS cost in GTA 5, according to NVIDIA's per-setting tests. On a mid-range PC set it to Very High, Population Density to NVIDIA's 75% "sweet spot" and Extended Distance Scaling to zero.
NVIDIA ran those tests in April 2015 on the original PC version, which Rockstar now calls GTAV Legacy. Enhanced arrived in March 2025 with ray tracing and DLSS, so for Enhanced read the 2015 numbers as a guide and confirm them with the built-in benchmark on your own PC.
On this page
Short answer
- Grass Quality: Very High on a mid-range PC, Ultra on a high-end one. NVIDIA: "Only the fastest of systems can cope with Grass Quality Ultra."
- Extended Distance Scaling: zero on mid-range. NVIDIA advises using it only "on the most powerful of machines".
- Population Density 75%, Post FX Very High, Shader Quality and Reflection Quality at least High. All four come from NVIDIA's guide.
- Texture Quality, Tessellation and Extended Shadow Distance cost almost no FPS. Set Texture Quality by your video memory.
- In Enhanced, RTX 40 and RTX 50 cards get DLSS Frame Generation, and the frame rate tops out at 500 FPS, per NVIDIA.
- Run the benchmark several times per change: NVIDIA saw results drift by ± 5 FPS between identical runs.
Which PC counts as mid-range or high-end here
Mid-range on this page means the recommended specs on the Steam page of GTA V Enhanced, checked October 18, 2026: a GeForce RTX 3060 or Radeon RX 6600 XT with 8 GB of video memory, a Core i5-9600K or Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB of RAM and an SSD with DirectStorage support. Rockstar says PCs at that level can use the ray tracing effects that exist only on PC.
High-end means a GeForce RTX 40 or RTX 50 card. The August 12, 2025 game update, announced by NVIDIA, gave both series DLSS Frame Generation in GTA V Enhanced, and RTX 50 cards also got Multi Frame Generation. On a fast Radeon, start from the mid-range column and move settings toward the high-end one while your benchmark result holds; the DLSS rows don't apply to AMD cards.
Weaker than an RTX 3060 or RX 6600 XT? The GTA 5 FPS boost guide for low-end PCs is the better page; below the Enhanced minimum it explains why Legacy is the only option. Full minimum and recommended tables for both versions are in GTA V Enhanced vs Legacy.
GTA 5 best settings: value and FPS cost
NVIDIA tested every option of the original PC version, today's Legacy, and wrote down what each one costs. The two value columns are our starting points, built from NVIDIA's advice for each setting. The last column is NVIDIA's own finding: an FPS number where it gave one, its words where it didn't. If a setting is missing or renamed in your Enhanced menu, skip that row.
| Setting | Mid-range PC | High-end PC | FPS cost (NVIDIA, 2015) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grass Quality | Very High | Ultra | largest of any setting |
| Extended Distance Scaling | 0 | raise step by step | "will crush your performance" |
| Distance Scaling | high | max | "moderate", varies by place |
| Population Density | 75% | 75% or more | a few FPS, often double in play |
| Post FX | Very High | Ultra | 3-5 FPS, Ultra to Normal |
| Particles Quality | High | Very High | 6-10 FPS in the heaviest scenes |
| Soft Shadows | Soft | NVIDIA PCSS or AMD CHS | 6.4 FPS at most |
| Shadow Quality | High | Very High | "moderate", heavy on VRAM |
| High Resolution Shadows | Off | On | "relatively large" |
| Long Shadows | Off | On | 3 FPS |
| High Detail Streaming While Flying | Off | On | a little over 4 FPS |
| Reflection Quality | High | Very High | "can vary greatly" |
| Shader Quality | High | Very High | no figure given |
Extended Distance Scaling needs a note. NVIDIA explains that it stacks with "civilians, heavy traffic, police chases, explosions, and grass", which no benchmark shows well, so even a high-end PC should raise it one step at a time. Plain Distance Scaling is a different case: NVIDIA calls it "one of the more important settings" because low values bring pop-in, and suggests putting it ahead of other effects.
Anti-aliasing is not in the table. NVIDIA rated the cost of hardware anti-aliasing (MSAA) as "considerable" in the original version, so in Legacy add it last, once everything else fits your frame rate.
Enhanced only: ray tracing, DLSS, FSR, frame generation
GTA V Enhanced has four ray-traced effects: ambient occlusion, global illumination, shadows and reflections. For GeForce RTX cards it brought DLSS Super Resolution and NVIDIA Reflex, NVIDIA says, and Rockstar's launch post lists AMD FSR as well. Rockstar also notes that ray-traced ambient occlusion and global illumination exist only on PC, while shadows and reflections first appeared on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
| Feature | Which cards | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| Ray-traced AO and GI | PCs at the recommended specs | Rockstar: PC only |
| DLSS Super Resolution, Reflex | GeForce RTX | NVIDIA: since Enhanced launched |
| DLSS Frame Generation | RTX 40 and RTX 50 | NVIDIA: added August 12, 2025 |
| DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation | RTX 50 | NVIDIA: 3.9X average at 4K, maxed |
On a mid-range card, turn ray tracing off and DLSS or FSR on first, then add one ray-traced effect at a time and rerun the benchmark. Rockstar says recommended-spec PCs can run the PC-only effects, but neither Rockstar nor NVIDIA gives an FPS cost per effect in their posts about Enhanced, so your own benchmark is the only number you will have.
On an RTX 40 or RTX 50 card, ray tracing makes sense with DLSS and Frame Generation on. NVIDIA tested RTX 50 cards at 4K "with ray tracing and all other settings maxed out", and Multi Frame Generation raised frame rates by 3.9X on average. At 2560x1440 and 1920x1080 the average gain was 3.1X, and several configurations reached the 500 FPS cap.
Without a GeForce RTX card, DLSS is not an option for you. The other upscaler Rockstar lists for Enhanced is AMD FSR.
Settings that cost almost nothing
These options barely move the frame rate in NVIDIA's tests. Leave them high and spend your FPS on the table above.
| Setting | What NVIDIA found | Set it to |
|---|---|---|
| Texture Quality | "nearly identical" FPS on every level | as high as VRAM allows |
| Extended Shadow Distance | "seemingly insignificant" impact | On |
| Tessellation | cost "rarely felt" | High |
| Anisotropic Filtering | "minimal" impact | max |
| In-Game Depth of Field | 1.6 FPS at most in play | your taste |
| Water Quality | little to gain from lowering | High or Very High |
| Reflection MSAA | "negligible" gain in image quality | Off |
| Population Variety | no FPS cost, uses VRAM | as VRAM allows |
The one setting here that can hurt is Ignore Suggested Limits. It lets you pick more than your card's memory holds, and NVIDIA lists what follows: "stuttering, game pauses (while data is swapped in and out of VRAM), and crashing". Keep it off and fit everything into the VRAM bar in the graphics menu.
How to measure your gain
NVIDIA measured with the built-in benchmark and warns that "each pass of its four scenes can vary greatly, generating results ± 5 frames per second faster or slower from test to test". To get past that noise, it averaged ten runs for the baseline and five more for every detail level of each option. You don't need that many runs, but a single run per change tells you nothing.
A simple routine: change one setting, run the benchmark a few times and compare the averages. Then halve the number. NVIDIA's own tip is to "halve it for a better indication of frame rates" in the most intense single-player moments and in GTA Online with twenty-nine other players, because the benchmark misses five-star chases and forests.
For a manual check, drive the same route each time and include countryside. NVIDIA found grass almost free early in the game, while in forests and rural areas it "reduces performance considerably, even on the most powerful systems". A route through the city alone hides the heaviest setting.
On a wide monitor, compare like with like. Rockstar says Enhanced improved support for higher aspect ratios, and our FOV calculator converts field of view between 16:9, 16:10 and 21:9. Frame rate is only part of how a shootout feels; the rest is your own reaction and the delay your hardware adds. Our reaction time test measures your reaction in milliseconds and explains how much the monitor and mouse add.
FPS caps
GTA V Enhanced has a 500 FPS cap. NVIDIA's August 2025 article says several RTX 50 configurations hit "Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced's 500 frames per second cap" at 2560x1440 and 1920x1080 with Multi Frame Generation. Rockstar's March 2025 post promised support for "higher framerates" in Enhanced but gave no number.
For Legacy we found no official cap. Neither NVIDIA's 2015 guide nor Rockstar's 2025 post names one, so we don't repeat the figures that circulate without a source.
If your counter sits flat at a round number well below 500, check V-Sync and any frame limit in your GPU driver before you change other settings.
What usually goes wrong
High Resolution Shadows change nothing. Symptom: you switch it on and shadows look the same. Cause: NVIDIA says "Shadow Quality must be set to Very High for High Resolution Shadows to function." Fix: raise Shadow Quality to Very High, or turn both down and keep the frames.
Depth of field won't switch on. Symptom: the option is unavailable in the menu. Cause: in NVIDIA's guide to the original version, it is available only with Post FX at Very High or Ultra. Fix: set Post FX to Very High, which NVIDIA recommends anyway.
Nights run worse at 100% density. Symptom: frame rate dips in the city after dark. Cause: more cars and people mean more reflections and shadows, plus headlights at night, and NVIDIA says the cost of those settings "will be amplified" by Population Density. Fix: go back to 75%.
The benchmark is smooth, police chases are not. Symptom: a good benchmark score, then stutter at five stars or in the countryside. Cause: the benchmark doesn't show those scenes, and Extended Distance Scaling stacks with traffic and explosions, and with grass outside the city. Fix: lower Extended Distance Scaling first, then grass, and judge settings by half the benchmark number.
FPS stuck at exactly 500. Symptom: an RTX 50 card at 1080p never goes higher. Cause: that is the Enhanced cap, per NVIDIA. Fix: nothing to fix; spend the headroom on ray tracing or higher settings.
Launcher errors and crashes on start are a separate topic, covered in Rockstar Games Launcher fixes. If the cause is drivers or Windows rather than GTA, start with FPS drops and stutters. Playing online on these settings? The GTA Online beginner guide covers the first hours, and the GTA Online heists guide lists every heist with what it needs. If you are waiting for the sequel, GTA 6 system requirements and the GTA 6 PC release page show what Rockstar has and hasn't announced, and the rest is in the GTA hub.
FAQ
What is the most demanding setting in GTA 5?
Grass Quality. NVIDIA's tests found it has "the largest impact on performance of any setting in the entire game". Only the fastest PCs handle Ultra, recent ones manage Very High, and NVIDIA sets High as the target for everyone else.
Should I turn on ray tracing in GTA 5 Enhanced?
On an RTX 40 or RTX 50 card, yes, with DLSS and Frame Generation on: NVIDIA measured a 3.9X average gain at 4K with Multi Frame Generation on RTX 50. On a mid-range card, start with ray tracing off and add one effect at a time, because Rockstar and NVIDIA give no FPS cost per effect in their posts about Enhanced.
Is there an FPS cap in GTA 5?
GTA V Enhanced is capped at 500 FPS, according to NVIDIA, and several RTX 50 setups reached it at 1080p and 1440p. For Legacy we found no official cap in NVIDIA's 2015 guide or in Rockstar's 2025 post.
What Population Density should I use in GTA 5?
75%. NVIDIA calls it the "sweet spot": roads and sidewalks still feel busy, and a few frames are saved. Higher density also raises the cost of reflections, shadows and Post FX.
Does Texture Quality affect FPS in GTA 5?
Barely. NVIDIA found that "performance is nearly identical on every setting". Texture Quality uses video memory instead, so set it by the VRAM bar in the graphics menu and drop to High if you run short.
Sources
- NVIDIA: Grand Theft Auto V PC Graphics & Performance Guide, FPS cost of each setting (Apr 21, 2015)
- NVIDIA: DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation in GTA V Enhanced, 500 FPS cap (Aug 12, 2025)
- Rockstar Newswire: GTA V Enhanced on PC, ray tracing, DLSS and FSR (Mar 4, 2025)
- Steam: Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced, recommended specs (checked Oct 18, 2026)