For more FPS in WARDOGS it mainly pays to turn off VSync, motion blur and global illumination and to drop shadows, particles, post-processing and texture streaming to Low. The graphics menu has presets that go all the way down to the lowest “Potato” and for every option it shows how much it loads your graphics card, processor and video memory. In this article you will find the full recommended graphics setup, what Season 1 changed about DLSS Frame Generation, how voice chat works and an overview of the important keys.
What the graphics menu shows you
The quality presets in WARDOGS go down to the Potato level. On top of that, the menu shows for every setting how much it loads your GPU, CPU and VRAM, so you immediately see what each option costs.
The minimum requirements according to Steam target 1080p, Low and 60 fps with upscaling enabled, with a GTX 1660 or RX 590 graphics card and 16 GB RAM. The full requirements, cloud gaming and the Steam Deck status are in the article about system requirements.
Recommended graphics settings for more FPS
These are the values the performance recommendations agree on:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Display Mode | Windowed Fullscreen |
| VSync | off |
| Sharpness | 1.20 |
| Global Illumination | off |
| Shadows | Low |
| Particle Spawn Rate | Low |
| Post-Processing | Low |
| Texture Streaming | Low |
| Motion Blur | off |
For the other options the recommendations differ and there is no single piece of advice. That applies to Nvidia Reflex, Depth of Field, Lens Flare, the Bloom effect, the DLSS mode and the frame cap (Frame Limit). Here you should try both options and watch the impact indicator right in the menu.
DLSS Frame Generation and the Season 1 changes
The Season 1 changelog from 10 September 2026 brought three changes to graphics:
- DLSS Frame Generation can be turned off without restarting the game.
- With a high benchmark score the game keeps shadow quality at Low instead of turning shadows off completely.
- The developers fixed two types of crashes in the Frame Generation pipeline.
Patch 0.11 from 14 September then dealt with further graphics card crashes. Known launch and stability problems are covered in the article about queues, crashes and bans.
Voice chat and audio
WARDOGS has proximity chat and squad chat. Proximity chat is local voice chat that players from all three teams around you can hear, enemies included. Squad chat is heard only by the members of your squad. When you do not want to give away your position, talk to your squad.
Season 1 fixed a bug that made voice stop working completely after a failed server connection, improved voice reliability under load and added a visible connection status for voice communication. How to set up a squad and play with friends is in the article about squads and voice chat.
Important keys
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Reload | R |
| Refill magazines from loose ammo (in the inventory) | C |
| Hold your breath and steady the weapon while aiming | left Shift |
| Mark an enemy with binoculars or a monocular | hold the left mouse button |
| Buy ammo and supplies at a vehicle | B |
| Lock / unlock a vehicle | L |
| Flares in a helicopter | V |
Breath holding and zeroing settings are explained in detail in the guide to sniping.
What to look up in the control settings
For these actions, check the key in the control settings before you rely on it in combat:
- The revive bribe that you post while you are down.
- Push-to-talk for squad chat and for proximity chat.
- Inventory, zeroing and quickslots.
- Switching fire mode, ping and opening the map.
- Building keys and free look in vehicles.
- Descending in a helicopter: how the controls work is in the guide to helicopters.
Finding your way around the HUD and the vendor
A few interface elements worth knowing from your very first match:
- Money: in the top right you see your account balance and next to it a green or red number showing the profit or loss for your current life.
- Hot Zone: on the map you recognize it as a yellow circle inside the Control Zone.
- Re-buy Loadout: the button at the vendor buys your last setup again. The game cannot save custom loadouts yet.
- Reporting a player: you can do it straight from the game interface, with a choice of reason.
How to play your first match with all of this is described in the guide on how to get started with WARDOGS.
Gamepad, HOTAS and pedals
Helicopters can be controlled by something other than mouse and keyboard, with a HOTAS, pedals or a gamepad. Season 1 adjusted input damping for helicopters so that it applies to all input devices.
FAQ
Windowed Fullscreen, VSync, Motion Blur and Global Illumination off, Sharpness 1.20 and Low for shadows, particles, post-processing and texture streaming. Fine-tune the rest using the impact indicator in the menu.
No. Since Season 1, DLSS Frame Generation can be turned off without a restart.
The menu shows for every option how much it loads the GPU, CPU and VRAM. That tells you what to turn down.
Use the squad voice channel, which enemies cannot hear. You will find the key for transmitting to the squad in the control settings.
The minimum spec with a GTX 1660 or RX 590 and 16 GB RAM targets 1080p, Low and 60 fps with upscaling. Quality settings can be lowered all the way to Potato.