Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minutePC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Start with an upscaler, not the lowest preset. On Steam Deck, use the 1280×800 output, a 30 FPS cap, and FSR in Quality mode. If frame pacing is uneven, switch FSR to Balanced and reduce shadows, volumetric or post-processing effects, foliage, and view distance in that order. On a PC near the published minimum, begin at Low at 1080p, enable FSR or DLSS in Quality mode, and raise textures only when available VRAM allows it.
These profiles are sensible starting points for the demanding 1.0 release, not measured benchmarks. No published source establishes a reproducible Steam Deck frame rate, frametime chart, or tested “best preset” for Among the Trolls. Your Deck model, power limit, driver, temperature, and game update can therefore change the result.
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What the published requirements mean for settings
The Steam listing places Among the Trolls well above a light indie game in graphics demand. Its minimum and recommended specifications are useful for choosing a starting preset, but they do not guarantee a particular frame rate.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute| Tier | Processor | Memory | Graphics processor | API and storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | 16 GB | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 or AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT | DirectX 12; 30 GB available storage |
| Recommended | Intel Core i7-10700K or AMD Ryzen 7 4800H | 32 GB | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT | DirectX 12; SSD preferred |
A GTX 1070 or RX 5600 XT minimum and an RTX 2080 Ti or RX 7700 XT recommendation indicate a demanding target. Steam Deck hardware is not a direct match for either listed tier, so a fixed 30, 40, or 60 FPS claim would be misleading without a game-specific test. Treat every profile below as a controlled way to find a stable result on your own system.
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- Compatible with Nintendo-Switch 1 (NOT Nintendo-Switch 2), smartphones, and tablets
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What the 1.0 release adds
The full release includes DLSS and FSR upscaling. An upscaler renders internally below the output resolution and reconstructs the image, usually giving the GPU more headroom than simply lowering every quality option. That is why it is the first performance control to try.
Prepare Steam Deck before tuning
- Update SteamOS and the game. Steam Support recommends keeping both current. A patch can change shader compilation, compatibility, or graphics-menu behavior.
- Check the Compatibility section. On the game’s Steam page, open Compatibility and read any unmet Verified requirements or notes. This is the correct place to see whether Valve has identified a Deck-specific limitation.
- Restart when a problem persists. Steam Support specifically lists a restart as a troubleshooting step. Do it after an update or after changing settings that do not appear to apply.
- Confirm storage. The listing requires 30 GB. A microSD card can provide the capacity when internal space is tight, but it does not increase rendering performance.
- Use one controlled baseline. Close other games, launch the title, and change one graphics option at a time. Without a published benchmark, this is the only reliable way to identify which setting helps your particular Deck.
Recommended Steam Deck starting profile
Apply these values first, then adjust only after playing the same demanding area for several minutes. The profile is a practical recommendation derived from the published PC target, the documented upscalers, and Steam’s troubleshooting guidance; it is not a measured test of a specific Deck model.
Rank #2
- Compatible with Nintendo-Switch 1 (NOT compatible with Nintendo-Switch 2), smartphones, and tablets
- Boost your gaming experience with up to 160MB/s read for fast load times
- A2-rated app performance lets you quickly access and enjoy games and apps without lag for an enhanced gaming experience and a competitive edge
- Store more of your favorite games and other content with capacities up to 2TB
- Built to endure with temperature resistance, waterproofing, x-ray protection, and more
| Option | Starting value | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Output resolution | 1280×800 | Keep this native Deck output unless a different external display requires another resolution. |
| Frame-rate cap | 30 FPS | Use a cap for consistent pacing; do not assume the game reaches it everywhere. |
| Upscaler | FSR, Quality mode | Move to Balanced only if frame pacing remains poor. Use DLSS only on hardware that exposes it. |
| Textures | Medium | Lower to Low if memory pressure, hitching, or texture streaming problems appear. |
| Shadows | Low | Raise after the expensive effects are stable and you have spare headroom. |
| Volumetric and post-processing effects | Low | Lower these before sacrificing textures when the GPU is overloaded. |
| Foliage | Low | Reduce it if forest scenes cause drops or uneven frame times. |
| View distance | Low initially | Increase it only if distant objects are more important to you than consistency. |
| Motion blur | Off if you prefer a clearer image | Turning it off is an image-clarity choice, not a guaranteed performance improvement. |
How to apply the profile
- Launch the game and open its graphics or display settings.
- Set the output to 1280×800 and apply the change.
- Select FSR and choose Quality. If the menu exposes DLSS on your hardware, use DLSS Quality instead; a Steam Deck normally uses the AMD-oriented FSR path.
- Set the frame-rate limit to 30 FPS if the game offers an in-game limiter. If it does not, use the Deck’s per-game frame-rate limiter.
- Choose Medium textures and Low shadows, volumetric or post-processing effects, foliage, and view distance.
- Play a repeatable section. Watch for uneven motion, sudden pauses, or distracting blur rather than relying only on a peak FPS number.
- Change one option, replay the same section, and keep the change only if it improves consistency or image quality.
How to tune for a steadier 30 FPS
A 30 FPS target is a consistency target, not a promise that every scene will hold 30. Use this order so that you preserve useful image detail for as long as possible.
- Keep the cap at 30. An uncapped game can produce rapidly changing frame times and unnecessary heat even when the average looks higher.
- Use FSR Quality first. It reduces internal rendering cost while retaining more detail than Balanced. Move to Balanced only when Quality does not provide acceptable pacing.
- Lower shadows. Dynamic shadows can require substantial GPU work, particularly in outdoor scenes. Test Low before reducing textures.
- Lower volumetric and post-processing effects. Fog, atmospheric volume, screen-space effects, and similar options can be expensive. The exact labels depend on the release build.
- Reduce foliage. Dense vegetation adds geometry and overdraw. Lowering it can help in forest areas, although it changes scene density.
- Reduce view distance. This limits how far detailed objects are drawn. Use it after the options above if distant pop-in is less objectionable than inconsistent motion.
- Lower textures only when necessary. Texture quality is primarily a memory and streaming concern. Medium is a reasonable first choice; Low is the fallback when hitching or memory pressure continues.
Diagnose the result
- Motion is uneven even when the counter looks close to 30: keep the cap, then lower shadows and volumetric or post-processing effects one at a time.
- The picture is too soft: return FSR from Balanced to Quality, check that the output is 1280×800, and verify that the display is not applying an unexpected scaling mode.
- Forest scenes are the problem: lower foliage first, then view distance.
- Short pauses occur while moving through the world: test Medium versus Low textures and make sure the game has the full 30 GB available.
- Changing resolution appears not to work: apply the setting, wait for the confirmation prompt, and restart the game if the display does not update.
PC settings by hardware tier
Match the starting preset to your graphics card rather than to the name of your processor. The published minimum and recommended GPUs are the only stated performance tiers for the game, and no source provides a setting-to-FPS table.
Rank #3
- Note: NOT compatible with Switch2 Please note that this product is not a microSD Express card and is not compatible with Switch2 for game storage or save data. If used in the Switch2, it may only support limited functions such as storing screenshots or videos, but will not allow game installation or save file access.
- Designed for dependable storage on portable gaming consoles
- Steam Deck users: For optimal gaming performance, including the ability to store and load video games, we suggest using a Gen4x4 2230 SSD.
- 5-year limited manufacturer warranty
- SmartPhones: S20, S20+, S20 ultra 5G, S10 lite, S10, S10+ A22, A22 5G, A52 5G, A32 5G, A52, A72, A32, A02s, A12, A21, A71 5G, A51 5G, A20s, Note 10+, J4 Core, J8, J7 Star, J7, Note 10 Plus. SAMSUNG TABLETS: Tab S7 FE 5G, Tab S7 FE, Tab A7 Lite, Tab A7 10.4 (2020), Tab Active 3, Tab S7, Tab S7+, Tab S6 Lite, Tab S6, Tab A 8.0 (2017), Book S and 10th Generation Fire Tablets.
| PC situation | Resolution and preset | Upscaling | Priority adjustments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near the published minimum (GTX 1070 or RX 5600 XT class) | 1080p or your monitor’s native resolution; Low preset | DLSS or FSR Quality first | Lower shadows, volumetric or post-processing effects, foliage, and view distance before textures. Raise textures to Medium only when VRAM permits. |
| Near the recommended tier (RTX 2080 Ti or RX 7700 XT class) | Begin at High at native resolution | DLSS or FSR Quality | Change one expensive option at a time. If frame time is uneven, reduce shadows and effects before textures. |
| Above the recommended tier | Start at High and test higher options individually | Quality mode is still a useful baseline; disable it only if native rendering is consistently smooth | Raise view distance, foliage, shadows, or effects in separate tests so you know which setting costs headroom. |
Near-minimum PC procedure
- Select the Low preset and your display’s native resolution, beginning at 1080p when that is the monitor’s native mode.
- Enable FSR or DLSS in Quality mode.
- Set a frame-rate limit appropriate to your monitor and the consistency you can actually maintain.
- Raise textures to Medium only after checking that available VRAM and streaming behavior remain comfortable.
- If frame time is still uneven, lower shadows, volumetric or post-processing effects, foliage, and view distance in that order.
Recommended-tier PC procedure
- Start with the High preset at native resolution.
- Enable the available upscaler in Quality mode rather than immediately lowering the whole preset.
- Play a demanding section and identify the first visible hitch or drop.
- Reduce one expensive option, beginning with shadows or volumetric and post-processing effects, then retest.
- Keep textures high when memory allows and adjust geometry-related options such as foliage or view distance only when they are the actual bottleneck.
Which settings should you lower first?
When a PC or Deck is struggling, use this sequence instead of dropping everything to Low:
- Shadows: a frequent first cut because dynamic lighting and shadow maps can be costly.
- Volumetric and post-processing effects: reduce fog, atmospheric volume, and screen-space effects that add per-frame work.
- Foliage: useful for outdoor areas with dense vegetation and transparency.
- View distance: limits far-off detail and can reduce geometry workload, at the cost of earlier pop-in.
- Internal resolution through FSR or DLSS: move from Quality to Balanced when the preceding cuts are insufficient.
- Textures: lower these last unless you see streaming hitches or memory-related problems. Lower textures reduce surface detail more than they reduce core rendering work on many systems.
The order is a troubleshooting framework, not a laboratory ranking. A particular scene, driver, or update can make another option the larger cost, so confirm each change in the same area.
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Steam Deck versus PC: what actually differs
| Comparison point | Steam Deck | PC |
|---|---|---|
| Primary goal | Consistent pacing within a portable power and thermal envelope | Use available GPU headroom for higher resolution, effects, or frame rate |
| Typical output starting point | 1280×800 | Native monitor resolution, commonly 1080p near the minimum tier |
| Upscaler choice | FSR is the practical starting path; DLSS is available only where hardware exposes it | DLSS or FSR, depending on the GPU and image-quality preference |
| Texture decision | Medium first, then Low if memory or streaming problems appear | Based on VRAM; near-minimum cards may need Medium or Low |
| Most useful cuts | Shadows, volumetric or post-processing effects, foliage, and view distance | The same options when GPU frame time is high; resolution and upscaler provide additional headroom |
| Evidence available for this game | No published game-specific FPS or frametime result | Published hardware tiers, but no tested setting-to-FPS table |
Do not translate the table into a guaranteed Deck frame rate. The minimum and recommended PC parts are reference points for how demanding the game is, not equivalent performance guarantees across devices.
Resolution, scaling, and image sharpness
FSR Quality versus Balanced
Quality mode preserves more internal detail and should be your first choice. Balanced renders at a lower internal resolution and can improve pacing when the GPU is overloaded, but the image may look softer or show more reconstruction artifacts. Make the switch only after testing Quality in the same scene.
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DLSS availability
DLSS is documented for the PC release, but it requires compatible hardware. If the game does not expose DLSS on your system, use FSR instead; do not treat a missing DLSS option as a fault.
Windows desktop scaling
If the image or interface looks unexpectedly scaled on Windows, the settings reference recommends opening Windows Display Settings and setting Scale and layout to 100 percent. This is a desktop-scaling workaround, not a frame-rate tweak, and it should not be confused with changing the game’s render resolution.
Troubleshooting checklist
The game will not launch or behaves differently after an update
- Install pending SteamOS and game updates.
- Read the game’s Steam Compatibility section for unmet Verified requirements or notes.
- Restart the Deck or PC after updating.
- Reapply the graphics profile after a major patch because a new release can reset or add options.
Resolution changes do not confirm correctly
An official PC launch announcement for October 14, 2026 mentions a fix for confirm/cancel buttons when changing resolution settings. If your copy still shows confirmation problems, update to the latest build, restart, and try the change again. Store availability and compatibility metadata can change, so check the live Steam listing for the current status.
Performance is poor despite lowering settings
- Confirm that the upscaler is actually enabled and that Quality or Balanced is selected, rather than merely highlighted in a menu.
- Use a frame-rate cap and test a repeatable demanding area.
- Lower shadows, volumetric or post-processing effects, foliage, and view distance before repeatedly changing textures.
- Check that the installation has the required 30 GB available and that the game is fully updated.
The image is blurry
- Use FSR Quality instead of Balanced.
- Verify the output resolution is what you intended.
- On Windows, check Display Settings and set Scale and layout to 100 percent if desktop scaling is causing the problem.
- Turn motion blur off if you prefer a sharper moving image; this improves clarity, not guaranteed performance.
Storage and update planning
Among the Trolls lists 30 GB of available storage. On a Deck with limited internal space, installing to a suitably sized microSD card can solve capacity problems. It cannot make the GPU render faster, improve frame pacing, or substitute for a graphics setting change. Leave additional free space for updates rather than filling the device exactly to the listed requirement.
Quick Recap
A practical decision tree
- Do you use a Steam Deck? Start at 1280×800, cap at 30 FPS, choose FSR Quality, and use Medium textures with the specified Low-cost options.
- Is pacing uneven? Move FSR to Balanced, then lower shadows, volumetric or post-processing effects, foliage, and view distance one at a time.
- Are textures or streaming the problem? Drop textures to Low and verify storage and updates.
- Are you on a PC near minimum specifications? Use Low at native 1080p, enable FSR or DLSS Quality, and raise textures only when VRAM permits.
- Are you near the recommended tier? Begin at High, keep Quality upscaling, and reduce only the individual option responsible for uneven frame time.
- Do menu changes fail? Update, restart, and consult the Steam Compatibility section before changing more settings.
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