Which settings should I lower first for better performance on a weak PC?

The first things I would do as someone who has worked with casino games and observed this kind of issue hundreds of times is: (1) reduce shadow quality and texture resolution; these are the most taxing aspects for CPU/GPU; (2) turn off anti aliasing; (3) reduce physics effects (e. g. the cards flying around); (4) recommend users also reduce post processing, such as motion blur, depth of field; (5) recommend users close other applications that could be using resources (even browser tabs). If you are using a game built on Unity or Unreal engine, I believe the default settings sliders in the engine prioritize rendering distance and particle effects first, so I would try reducing those as well. Let me know if you need further recommendations on how to optimize. I have successfully optimized casino games to run on 8 year old PCs. I just need to know the problematic games.

If you have performance problems with a game client on a weak PC, first try reducing shadow, anti-aliasing, and texture quality settings (which tend to slow down the graphics card). If that fails, try reducing resolution, or disable VSync. Make sure any game clients have been set up to “optimize for performance” in options menus. Share what you find so players can adjust their settings.

As a casino game developer, my advice is to start with the graphics settings – particularly shadows, textures, and particles; they tend to consume the most GPU resources. Users should also be advised to limit resolution and frame rates, and to turn off non-essential overlays, such as Discord and Steam. This will likely improve performance on low-end hardware, while causing only minimal loss of visual fidelity. Graphics effects should take a back seat to smooth gameplay on entry-level machines.

Resolution, anti-aliasing, and shadow quality tend to have the biggest impact on performance, but also the least visible result. So, start by reducing resolution. You can also reduce texture quality and terrain detail without affecting the experience much. Sound and particles rarely affect performance, so wait until last. In your forums, recommend that people address these issues first, rather than trying something that ultimately is unlikely to help. You’ll see some improvement, and it won’t impact your casino experience.

To improve performance on less powerful systems, suggest reducing shadow quality, texture detail, and post-processing effects early on in the process – all of these are highly GPU intensive functions. Render distance should be the next setting to reduce, then anti-aliasing (AA). In general, players should fine-tune their own settings according to what hardware they have. Any other advice?