The short answer for Automobilista 2 graphics settings: native resolution, full screen, textures on High, car and track detail on High, shadows on Low, both reflection settings on Low or Medium, supersampling off, render frames ahead at 1. Then switch off bloom, sun flare, vignette and the post-processing filter.
Where the values come from: the Automobilista 2 Wiki lists every option with the game's own description and a recommendation it credits to Marius H., a Reiza Studios staff member. I checked that page on 8 October 2026. The original thread sits in a closed section of Reiza's forum, so I could not read it at the source. Where the advice below is mine and not Reiza's, I say so.
A racer's view first. I do not care how the game looks in a replay. I care that the frame rate is stable and that I can see the braking board and the apex. Every choice on this page follows from that.
What your PC needs
These are the requirements on the game's Steam page on 8 October 2026.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10, 64 bit | Windows 10, 64 bit |
| Processor | 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5 3450 or AMD FX-8350 | Intel Core i7 8700K or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | GTX 680 or equivalent | GTX 1080 Ti or equivalent |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 120 GB | 120 GB |
Look at the storage line. 120 GB is a lot, so check the drive before you buy. The game was $19.99 on Steam that day, 50% off its $39.99 list price.
If your PC is close to the minimum column, read the section on what to lower first before anything else. If you are building a machine, my best sim racing PC page is the place to start.
Graphics and performance settings
These are the options in the Graphics and Performance group.
| Setting | What I would set | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | Native | The game detects your screen. Leave it. |
| Window mode | Full screen | The recommendation is not to use windowed mode. |
| Texture resolution | High | The advice is to always keep this on High. |
| Texture filtering | Anisotropic 8x or 16x | Fine on a mid or high end system. |
| V-Sync | On in one place only, or off | See the V-Sync section. |
| MSAA | On for daytime racing | Cannot run together with FXAA or SMAA. |
| Post AA: FXAA | Off | It makes the picture blurry. |
| Post AA: SMAA | On only for night races with AI | Smaller hit than MSAA with headlights on. |
| Supersampling | Off | Severe performance hit. |
| Track reflection detail | Low or Medium | Costs a lot. Hard to see from the cockpit. |
| Vehicle reflection detail | Low or Medium | Same reason. |
| Vehicle detail | High | Ultra is not clearly visible while racing. |
| Track detail | High | Ultra is not clearly visible while racing. |
| Pit crew detail | Player Only | All can stutter on a weaker CPU when many cars pit. |
| Enhanced mirror | Off | Sharper mirrors, fewer frames. |
| Shadow detail | Start on Low | Uses a lot of resources. |
| Motion blur | Off | My choice. The advice is to use it if you like it. |
| Render frames ahead | 1 | Least input lag. |
| Detailed grass | Off | You do not see it while racing. |
| Particle level | Medium | Smoke, dirt and grass particles. Medium is adequate. |
| Particle density | Medium | Same. |
Two of those are my calls and not Reiza's. Pit crew: the recommendation says personal preference, with a warning about All on a weak CPU. I pick Player Only because I do not want a stutter at the pit entry in the middle of a race. Motion blur: I switch it off because I want the board at the end of the straight to be sharp.
Image: Reiza Studios, Steam
Which anti-aliasing to use
This is the part people get wrong, because there are three systems and they do not all work together.
- MSAA. The game calls it a good balance between performance and image quality. Use it if you race mostly in daylight.
- SMAA. One of the two Post AA options. Use it when you race at dusk or at night against AI with headlights on, because it carries a smaller performance hit in those conditions. Then MSAA goes off.
- FXAA. The other Post AA option. Off. It blurs everything.
- Supersampling. The game says it gives the best looking edges and is heavy on the video card. Off, unless your PC has frames to spare after everything else.
MSAA cannot be used alongside FXAA or SMAA. So it is one or the other, not a stack.
Image: Reiza Studios, Steam
V-Sync and input lag
The game's own description says V-Sync may cause input lag, and that it prevents tearing and steadies a frame rate that jumps around.
The recommendation is to switch it on in the game or in your graphics card software, never both. Then cap the frame rate 2 or 3 frames under your refresh rate to keep the lag small.
Input lag is the one thing on this page that costs lap time. You brake a little late, you turn a little late, and you never know why. So if the picture does not tear without V-Sync on your screen, I would leave it off.
Render frames ahead at 1 is part of the same story. More frames rendered in advance look smoother and answer slower.
What to lower first when the frame rate drops
The order is mine. The settings are the ones flagged as expensive.
- Supersampling off, if it was on.
- Shadow detail to Low.
- Track and vehicle reflection detail to Low.
- Enhanced mirror off, detailed grass off.
- Pit crew detail to Player Only.
One change, then the same laps. If you change five things and it runs better, you do not know which one did it, and you gave away picture quality you did not need to.
Test in the hard case, not the easy one. A full grid at the start, at night or in the rain, asks more of the PC than a lap alone in the sun. Set the game up for the race you will drive.
Do not start with textures or with car and track detail. Those are the ones to keep.
Visual FX settings
These sit in their own Visual FX group.
| Setting | What I would set | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Post-processing filters | Off | It only changes colour and contrast. |
| Exterior sun flare | Off | A camera effect. Eyes do not do this. |
| Interior sun flare | Off | Same. |
| Bloom | Off | A camera effect again. |
| Heat haze | Either | You will not notice it while racing. |
| Exposure compensation | To taste | It makes the scene brighter or darker. |
| Rain drops | Off in cockpit view | Drops on a camera lens. For outside cameras only. |
| Vignette | Off | It darkens the edges of the screen. |
| Crepuscular rays | On | Rays of sunlight from where the sun is. |
| Screen dirt | Off in cockpit view | Dirt on a camera lens. For outside cameras only. |
| Cockpit mirrors | On in cockpit view | You need them to race. |
The logic is simple. In a real car you look through a visor and a windscreen, not through a camera. Bloom, lens flare, lens dirt and vignette are all things a camera does. They make a replay look like TV and they make the track harder to read.
Vignette is the one I would never run. It darkens the edges of the picture, and the edges are where the car next to you is.
Image: Reiza Studios, Steam
Rain and night races
Reiza's Steam page lists dynamic weather and 24 hour cycles, so the same settings have to work at noon and in a wet night race.
Two settings matter more here than in the dry.
Track reflection detail is the quality of wet surface reflections. That is the game's own description. So in the rain it is a big part of how the road looks. If you race in the wet a lot and have frames to spare, Medium is where I would put them.
Anti-aliasing is the other one. Headlights and a field of AI cars are the case where SMAA costs less than MSAA. If your frame rate is fine by day and falls at night, switch from MSAA to SMAA before you touch anything else.
Image: Reiza Studios, Steam
After the graphics
A stable frame rate is step one. The picture also has to be the right size, so set your field of view with my Automobilista 2 FOV page. In a headset the rules change, and those are on the Automobilista 2 VR settings page.
Then the wheel: Automobilista 2 FFB settings. On a pad, use my Automobilista 2 controller settings. And for the driving itself, my Automobilista 2 tips.
FAQ
What are the best graphics settings for Automobilista 2?
Native resolution, full screen, textures and car and track detail on High, shadows on Low, both reflection settings on Low or Medium, supersampling off, render frames ahead at 1. In Visual FX, switch off bloom, sun flare, vignette and the post-processing filter.
Which settings cost the most FPS in Automobilista 2?
Supersampling, shadow detail and the two reflection settings. Enhanced mirror also costs frames, and pit crew detail on All can stutter on a weaker CPU.
Should I use MSAA or SMAA in Automobilista 2?
MSAA if you race mostly in daylight. SMAA for dusk and night races against AI with headlights. You cannot run MSAA together with SMAA or FXAA.
Should V-Sync be on in Automobilista 2?
It prevents tearing and can add input lag. If you use it, switch it on in the game or in the graphics card software, not both, and cap the frame rate 2 or 3 under your refresh rate.
What should render frames ahead be?
- Higher values look smoother and add input lag.
What are the system requirements for Automobilista 2?
On Steam on 8 October 2026: minimum Core i5 3450 or FX-8350, 8 GB RAM and a GTX 680. Recommended Core i7 8700K or Ryzen 7 2700X, 16 GB RAM and a GTX 1080 Ti. Both need 120 GB of storage.
Does Automobilista 2 support VR?
Yes. Steam lists SteamVR and Oculus PC support. My VR settings page covers the headset side.
Should I turn off bloom and sun flare?
I do. They are camera effects, and they make the track harder to read.