Unlike console gamers who have little to no control over the image quality of their games, PC gamers are can tweak the game to their heart’s desire. After all, it’s one of the perks for belonging to the PC Master Race. Watch Dogs 2 on the PC comes with a plethora of graphics options that you can experiment with. Some of the options are self-explanatory. But if you’re unfamiliar with a particular option, you can always hover your mouse over the option in question to read a brief explanation of what it does and how it will affect your performance.





The game lets you can choose between five different graphics presets which include Low, Medium, High, Very High and Ultra. These presets are awesome for gamers who prefer spending their time playing the game instead of tweaking it. Though the results from my testing show that the difference in performance and image quality between presets is pretty noticeable. So if you’re looking for a more balanced gaming experience, playing with the different graphics options can yield a better end result.


Test System



Processor: Intel Core i7-6700K
Cooler: EKWB Predator 360
Motherboard: ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme
Memory: HyperX Fury 16GB (2x8GB) 2666MHz
Graphics Card: ASUS Strix GTX 1050 Ti & ASUS Strix GTX 1080
Storage: Kingston Savage 480GB
Power Supply: In Win SIII-1065W
Case: In Win D-Frame 2.0
Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Anniversary Edition
Drivers: NVIDIA 376.33 WHQL
Display: ASUS PG27AQ

The game is updated to the latest public release available. V-Sync is disabled. I used FRAPS to capture the FPS during a specific benchmark run. The system is restarted before each benchmark run.


1920 x 1080 With The Strix GTX 1050 Ti



For the raw performance seekers, the High Preset is the most suitable since you’ll be averaging around 56FPS or higher depending on the scene. But if you prefer image quality over a high framerate, the Very High and Ultra presets will certainly make the game more pleasing to the eye. I was curious to see if it was possible to improve the performance without compromising the graphics quality too much.



My custom preset sits right in between the Ultra and Very High presets. I am averaging 40FPS and occasionally the game will dip into 32FPS in some of the more taxing areas. But overall, gameplay is smooth and enjoyable.



I used the Ultra preset as a baseline. Then I configured the Vegetation option to High and the Texture Filtering and Shadows options to Very High. I also disabled Depth of Field. As you can see, the difference between this custom preset and the Ultra preset is barely noticeable but performing slightly better in regards to FPS.


Ultra Preset


Custom Preset


2560 x 1440 With The Strix GTX 1080



If your graphics card is a powerhouse, you should have no problem surpassing the 60FPS mark even at 2560 x 1440 with the Ultra Preset. You might even find yourself with an excess of FPS in which case you have the luxury to further improve the image quality.



In Watch Dogs 2, the Multisample Antialiasing option can really punish the fastest of graphics card. Even the lowest MSAA value will easily cut your average FPS in half.



You can increase the Extra Details option from 0% to 100% without much worries since won’t affect the overall FPS significantly. Enabling MSAA x2 helps reduce jagged edges although you do lose FPS. Nevertheless, the gameplay was still smooth.


Ultra Preset


Custom Preset