Best Dead By Daylight (DBD) Settings for PC

Muhib Nadeem / February 3, 2026 / 9 min read
Note: This article reflects technical best practices from the writer’s perspective and does not necessarily reflect the views of Hone.

You swing early and still whiff. You track perfectly and still lose the 50-50. The problem is not always your decision making. Dead By Daylight punishes you when your frame time spikes, your image gets blurry, or your screen tears right as a Survivor breaks line of sight.

This guide covers the best Dead By Daylight (DBD) settings for PC for stable FPS, cleaner visibility, and lower perceived input delay. Every setting mentioned below exists in Dead By Daylight’s in game menus. No fake options, no made up sliders.

High Impact

Display

Smoothness And Clarity

  • 🖥️ Screen Size Set To Your Monitor
  • 🎯 Screen Res Kept High For Clarity
  • VSync Off For Lower Delay
  • ⚙️ FPS Limit Set For Stability
Performance

Graphics

FPS First, No Guesswork

  • 📉 Quality Set Low For Consistency
  • 🧠 Auto Adjust Off Always
  • 🧼 Anti Aliasing Tuned For Sharpness
  • FSR Or XeSS Only If Needed
Comfort

HUD And Camera

Information You Can Actually Read

  • 📐 Field Of View Set To Preference
  • 🧩 HUD Scale Adjusted For Readability
  • 🎯 Skill Check Size Customized
  • 🧭 UI Scale Set For Menus

Why Dead By Daylight Settings Matter On PC FPS And Visibility

Dead By Daylight is not about raw aim, but it is absolutely about information. If your game stutters when a chase hits the main building, you lose audio cues and timing. If your image turns into a blurry smear, you lose silhouettes and scratch marks. If your frame pacing swings, your camera control feels inconsistent and you start overcorrecting.

Optimizing DBD settings on PC is about one thing: removing randomness. Your settings should not decide whether you track a Survivor at a tile or lose them in visual noise.

Best Dead By Daylight Display Settings For PC Low Delay And Clean Output

These are the display settings that do the most work in Dead By Daylight. Get these wrong and you can spend hours tweaking everything else without fixing the actual problem.

Display Settings Quick Reference

Fullscreen Mode
Stability And Alt Tab Behavior
Windowed Fullscreen
Screen Size
Your Output Resolution
Monitor Native
Screen Res
Internal Render Scale
100%
VSync
Can Add Perceived Delay
Off
FPS Limit
Cap For Stable Frame Time
Stable Cap
16:9 Aspect Ratio
Useful For Ultrawide Edge Cases
Off (Most PCs)

Screen Size Vs Screen Res

Dead By Daylight separates output resolution from render scale. Screen Size is the resolution your monitor displays. Screen Res is how hard the game renders internally before any upscaling.

If you want the sharpest image for tracking Survivors, keep Screen Res at 100% and set Screen Size to your monitor’s native resolution. If you need more FPS, lower Screen Res first before touching anything else.

Why VSync Usually Hurts DBD Feel

VSync can make the camera feel heavier because it can hold frames to sync with your refresh cycle. In Dead By Daylight, that “heaviness” shows up as slower feeling flicks and less responsive tracking. If you hate tearing, you can test VSync on, but for most PC players chasing consistency, VSync off is the safer baseline.

⚠️

Do Not Chase FPS If It Is Not Stable

A higher FPS number is useless if it spikes and drops during chase. A stable FPS Limit that your PC can hold in every map and main building will feel cleaner than an uncapped setup that jitters whenever effects load in.

Best Dead By Daylight Graphics Settings For PC FPS And Visibility

DBD does not give you dozens of granular graphics sliders. The upside is you can optimize quickly. The downside is that the few options you do get matter a lot.

Optimal Graphics Configuration

Setting Recommendation Performance Impact Visibility Reason
Quality Low High Most consistent FPS and cleaner frame pacing
Auto Adjust Off Indirect Prevents the game from changing settings after updates
Anti Aliasing Off Or TAA Low To Moderate Off is sharper, TAA is smoother but can look blurry
FSR On Only If You Lower Screen Res High Use as an upscaler when you need more FPS
FSR Sharpness Tune To Taste None Higher sharpness counters blur but can add shimmer
Intel XeSS Use As An Upscaler Alternative High Another performance option if available on your PC

Quality Low Is The Competitive Default

For most players searching for the best Dead By Daylight settings on PC, Quality Low is the correct baseline. It reduces GPU strain, reduces surprise hitching, and keeps your chase camera consistent. If you have headroom and want prettier lighting, you can raise Quality later, but start Low and prove to yourself the game is stable first.

Anti Aliasing Off Vs TAA

Anti Aliasing is a preference setting in DBD, but it changes how readable the game feels. Turning it off tends to look sharper, which can help with scratch marks and silhouette edges. TAA tends to reduce jagged edges, but it can soften the image and make everything feel slightly smeared during fast camera movement.

💡

The Fastest Way To Fix Blurry DBD

If DBD looks muddy, check Screen Res first. A low Screen Res makes the whole image soft even before Anti Aliasing or upscaling enters the picture.

When To Use FSR Or Intel XeSS

Upscaling is the correct move when you need FPS but do not want to crater visibility. The clean approach is simple: lower Screen Res until your FPS stabilizes, then turn on FSR or Intel XeSS to recover clarity. If you keep Screen Res at 100%, turning on an upscaler is not doing what most people think it is doing.

Best Dead By Daylight HUD And Camera Settings Readability And Comfort

DBD has several settings that affect how well you read the game. These do not boost FPS, but they absolutely increase consistency, especially in solo queue where you rely on UI information.

HUD And Camera Settings That Matter

Setting What It Changes Recommendation Why It Helps
UI Scale Menu UI Size Personal Preference Stops menus from feeling tiny on high DPI displays
HUD Scale In Game HUD Size Slightly Higher If Needed Makes teammate states and info easier to read mid chase
Skill Check Size Skill Check UI Scale Bigger If You Miss Checks Reduces error rate during repairs and healing
Field Of View Camera FOV Within Allowed Range Raise If You Get Motion Sick More comfort, more peripheral vision, less tunnel feeling

Skill Check Size Is A Consistency Setting

Many players treat skill checks like a reflex test. In reality, most missed checks are caused by distraction and screen clutter, not raw reaction time. If you miss checks in chase repairs, raise the Skill Check Size until your hit rate becomes automatic again.

Dead By Daylight Settings Step By Step A Clean Setup Process

DBD PC Settings Setup

1
Turn Off Auto Adjust

Set Auto Adjust to Off so your Dead By Daylight settings do not get changed behind your back after patches or driver updates.

2
Set Screen Size And Screen Res

Set Screen Size to your monitor’s native resolution. Start Screen Res at 100% for clarity. Only lower Screen Res if you need extra FPS headroom.

3
Disable VSync And Set An FPS Limit

Turn VSync off to keep the camera feeling responsive. Then set an FPS Limit that your system can hold consistently in every match, not just in the menu.

4
Set Quality Low

Quality Low is the best starting point for stable Dead By Daylight FPS. If your PC is high end, you can raise Quality later after you verify stability.

5
Tune Anti Aliasing

If you want maximum sharpness, use Anti Aliasing off. If you want smoother edges and can tolerate some softness, use TAA.

6
Use FSR Or Intel XeSS Only When Needed

If FPS is still unstable, lower Screen Res and enable FSR or Intel XeSS to regain clarity. Then tune FSR Sharpness until the image looks clean without looking overly harsh.

7
Adjust HUD Scale And Skill Check Size

Increase HUD Scale if you struggle to read teammate states. Increase Skill Check Size if you miss checks during stressful moments. Set Field Of View to what feels comfortable within the in game limits.

Windows Tweaks For Dead By Daylight On PC Stop Stutters

Even perfect in game settings cannot fix background spikes. Overlay conflicts, browser tabs, and capture software can cause micro stutters that feel like the game is dropping inputs. The clean setup is boring, but it works.

Use Windows Game Mode, close unnecessary overlays, and avoid running heavy background apps during matches. If you are unsure what “good performance” even looks like on your hardware, sanity check your targets using a practical definition of good FPS for gaming instead of chasing a number you cannot sustain.

DBD also benefits from basic headroom. If you are trying to play while your system is already memory saturated, you will see hitching when assets swap in. Checking your RAM setup for gaming is an easy way to eliminate one of the most common causes of inconsistent performance.

Troubleshooting DBD PC Settings Quick Fixes

If the game looks blurry: raise Screen Res toward 100% first, then re evaluate Anti Aliasing and any upscaling options.

If the game stutters in chase: keep Quality Low, set an FPS Limit you can hold, and reduce background load. Stutters are usually frame time spikes, not average FPS.

If you get screen tearing: test a lower FPS Limit that matches your monitor better. VSync is an option, but it often changes how responsive the camera feels.

Conclusion

The best Dead By Daylight settings for PC are the ones that stay stable in every match. Start with Quality Low, Auto Adjust Off, Screen Size set to your monitor, Screen Res at 100%, VSync Off, and a stable FPS Limit. Then use FSR or Intel XeSS only when you actually need the FPS headroom.

Once DBD is stable, every chase becomes cleaner because you are reacting to the match, not fighting your frame time.

Optimize Your Whole PC With Hone

If you want a cleaner, more consistent gaming experience without constant manual tweaking, Hone can help optimize performance across your system.

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FAQ

What are the best Dead By Daylight settings for PC

For most players, the best DBD settings on PC are Quality Low, Auto Adjust Off, Screen Size set to your monitor, Screen Res at 100%, VSync Off, and an FPS Limit you can hold consistently. Use FSR or Intel XeSS only if you need extra performance after lowering Screen Res.

Should I turn VSync on in Dead By Daylight

Usually no. VSync can increase perceived delay and make the camera feel heavier. If tearing bothers you, test a stable FPS Limit first. Only use VSync if you prefer the feel and can tolerate the responsiveness tradeoff.

What does Screen Res mean in DBD graphics settings

Screen Res is the internal render scale percentage. 100% means the game renders at full internal resolution. Lowering Screen Res improves FPS but reduces clarity, which is why many players pair a lower Screen Res with FSR or Intel XeSS to recover image sharpness.

Is Anti Aliasing off better in Dead By Daylight

It depends on what you want. Anti Aliasing off is often sharper and can make scratch marks and silhouettes clearer. TAA smooths jagged edges but can soften the image and feel blurrier during fast camera movement.

Should I use FSR or Intel XeSS in Dead By Daylight

Use an upscaler when you need extra FPS. The best method is lowering Screen Res until FPS becomes stable, then enabling FSR or Intel XeSS to improve clarity. If Screen Res stays at 100%, an upscaler is usually not solving the real performance issue.

What is the best Skill Check Size setting in DBD

The best Skill Check Size is the one that keeps your hit rate consistent under pressure. If you miss checks during stressful moments, increase Skill Check Size until it becomes automatic again.

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Muhib Nadeem

Muhib Nadeem

I grew up on frame drops, boss fights, and midnight queues. Now I write about games with the same energy I once saved for ranked.

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