Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater – PC Optimization Guide
Posted by Karan Parmar | August 24, 2025
This PC Optimization Guide for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is the result of my own hands-on testing and tweaking. I’ve gone through every major graphics setting to find the sweet spot: the best balance between FPS and visual quality. Whether you’re on a powerful gaming PC or a mid-range setup, you’ll find step-by-step recommendations, benchmarks, and side-by-side comparisons to help you enjoy the game exactly as the developers intended: just smoother and faster.
PC Specs & Test Bench
Tested On:
- CPU: Intel Core I5-13600K @ 5.10 Ghz (6 P-cores + 8 E-cores)
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB
- RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6000MHz
- SSD Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 1TB NVMe M.2 5000MBps
- Resolution: 1080p / 1440p
Ultra vs Optimized – Comparison
Performance Results:
- 1080p Ultra – Native DLAA – 38 FPS avg
- 1080p Ultra – DLSS 4 Quality – 45 FPS avg
- 1080p Optimized – Native DLAA – 55 FPS avg
- 1080p Optimized – DLSS 4 Quality – 60 FPS avg
- 1440p Ultra – Native DLAA – 24 FPS avg
- 1440p Ultra – DLSS 4 Balanced – 34 FPS avg
- 1440p Optimized – Native DLAA – 40 FPS avg
- 1440p Optimized – DLSS 4 Balanced – 54 FPS avg
Visual Fidelity Comparison:
My Recommended Optimized Settings
| Graphics Settings | Ultra | Optimized | Reason |
| Maximum Frame Rate | 60 | 60 | Can’t Be Unlocked (60 MAX) |
| Anti-Aliasing Method | DLSS | DLSS | Best Image Quality |
| Upscaling Quality | NATIVE (DLAA) | Quality Mode (1080p) Balanced Mode (1440p) Performance Mode (2160p) | Sharper Visuals & Higher Framerate |
| Shadows | Ultra | High | Minor Visual Drop, Good FPS Boost |
| Textures | Ultra | Ultra | No Performance Cost on Modern GPUs |
| Global Illumination | Ultra | High | Big FPS Gain, Minor Quality Loss |
| Bloom | Ultra | Ultra | No Impact on Performance |
| Motion Blur | ON | OFF | Clearer Image, No Unnecessary Blur |
| Depth of Field | ON | OFF | Disables Bokeh in Combat |
| Extra Tip For Global Illumination | Ultra | Medium | Slightly More FPS Gain, Major Quality Loss |
Performance Insights
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a very demanding title, so don’t expect high frame rates on mid-range systems without optimization. Lowering shadows and global illumination by one or two levels can yield significant FPS gains while keeping the visuals close to Ultra.
- The PC port is rough and unpolished; it lacks proper UE5 optimization, and the reliance on Nanite and Lumen (with default RT enabled) undermines performance, even at lower visual presets.
- Ultra settings are far too demanding for the return; visuals don’t justify the performance hit.
- Low settings turn off shadows entirely, resulting in a visually poor experience, while Medium and High settings offer almost identical performance, with only a marginal 2–3 FPS difference.
- Even at the lowest settings, the game struggles to reach 60 FPS natively, and leveraging upscalers doesn’t guarantee stable 60 FPS performance.
- Lowering global illumination from Ultra/High to Medium provides a small FPS boost, but it comes at the cost of a major drop in lighting quality. Medium GI should only be used if your sole priority is squeezing out extra performance.
- A 60 FPS cap is enforced by default on PC, with no official method for unlocking it.
- Frame generation is unavailable, limiting smoother performance improvements through interpolation.
- There are only a handful of graphics options (around 5–6) adjustable on PC, limiting fine-tuning opportunities compared to more robust PC ports.
- Despite high visual demands, frametime graphs remain stable, with no major stutters or lag.
- VRAM management is solid, with usage staying under 8 GB, even on 1440p with Ultra textures.
- Frame drops and occasional crashes even on sufficiently powerful hardware.
- A complete restart is required whenever you change graphics settings, otherwise FPS improvements won’t apply.
Closing Summary
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a highly anticipated remake, but its PC port leaves much to be desired. While powered by UE5 with modern features like Nanite and Lumen, the implementation feels rushed and unoptimized, resulting in performance that doesn’t match the relatively modest visual payoff. Even high-end hardware struggles to maintain 60 FPS, with upscalers and lower settings offering little relief. The limited graphics options, enforced 60 FPS cap, and lack of frame generation further restrict PC players from tailoring the experience to their systems. That said, the game does have positives; frametime stability is surprisingly solid, VRAM usage is efficient, and with careful tweaking it’s possible to retain visuals close to Ultra while improving performance significantly. Still, the port’s inconsistent balance between graphics and performance makes it one of the weaker UE5 releases so far. For now, PC players will need to temper expectations and rely on optimized settings to get the smoothest possible experience until further patches arrive.
Buy the Game
You can purchase Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater from the following official platforms:
Support the developers and relive Snake’s legendary mission, where survival, trust, and sacrifice define the true beginning of Big Boss.
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