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Freedom251 › Blog › Annihilated

Best PC Settings for Annihilated: Improve Performance Without Sacrificing Clarity (Pre-Release Guide)

By Freedom251 Team · · 12 min read

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There is no verified, final benchmark preset for Annihilated yet. The game is still unreleased, and its Steam listing gives only Windows 10/11 and 1 GB of storage as minimum requirements; CPU, GPU, RAM, resolution and frame-rate targets are not published. The safest starting point is therefore a clarity-first profile: keep native resolution and reasonable texture detail, then reduce shadows, effects, particles, post-processing, environment detail and anti-aliasing before lowering resolution.

This guide explains how to increase FPS in Annihilated without making its hand-drawn characters, combat effects and text difficult to read. Treat every value as general guidance rather than a measured Annihilated result, test one group of settings at a time, and revisit the profile after launch patches.

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What is known about Annihilated before release

Annihilated is an upcoming dark RPG from Death Kumiai (デス組合) and Flashlight Games. Its official Steam description presents a deckbuilder roguelite combined with an anime visual-novel narrative: you are the sole survivor, your party has been annihilated, and you can save only one damaged companion. That combination makes clarity more important than simply chasing the highest peak FPS. Dialogue, character art, card information and combat effects all need to remain legible.

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The release information is still in transition. The Steam store metadata currently says Q4 2026, while the latest Steam Community announcement gives November 10, 2026 as the launch date. Use November 10 as the latest announced date, but do not treat the older Q4 label as proof that a particular build, graphics menu or performance profile is final.

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Flashlight Games announced on July 9, 2026 that the game had been delayed from July 22 to Q4 2026 to improve quality. The development team also said it needed more time after completion to play repeatedly and fine-tune balance and small details. Those statements are why a settings recommendation can only be provisional before launch.

Published requirements are incomplete

Requirement or target What is published What remains unknown
Operating system Windows 10/11 on the official Steam listing Specific Windows build, feature level and driver requirement are not stated
Storage 1 GB minimum on the official Steam listing Whether this figure changes for patches, saves or installation overhead is not stated
CPU Not stated on the official Steam listing Core count, architecture and clock target
GPU Not stated on the official Steam listing Model, VRAM, graphics API and feature level
Memory Not stated on the official Steam listing System RAM and video-memory target
Resolution and FPS target Not stated Native-resolution target, refresh-rate target and any recommended cap

Meeting the published minimum does not establish a high-FPS result. Steam notes that performance varies with hardware and software configuration, and Riot Games Support likewise says there is “no single perfect setup for every PC.” Until a final build and complete requirements are available, use the settings below as a repeatable way to find your own stable result.

Recommended starting profile for Annihilated

Because the final graphics menu has not been published, these are starting values, not tested measurements. Apply the profile, then adjust only the setting group that causes the problem you can actually observe.

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Setting Start here Why this preserves clarity or performance Change it when
Display mode Fullscreen, if available Fullscreen can behave more consistently on some systems and may avoid desktop-compositor overhead. Use borderless if fullscreen causes black screens, focus problems or unstable presentation.
Resolution Native monitor resolution Native output keeps text, line art and interface elements sharp. Lower it only after the priority quality settings below are already reduced and frame-time dips remain severe.
Textures Medium or High when video memory allows Texture quality usually changes surface detail more than geometric clarity; retaining it helps preserve the illustrated look. Lower it if you see memory-related hitching, texture pop-in or instability after changing other settings.
Shadows Low or Medium Shadows are a first-tier performance cut and generally cost less clarity than reducing output resolution. Lower them further when GPU load or worst-case combat dips remain high.
Effects and particles Low or Medium Particle density and effect complexity can be expensive during ability-heavy encounters. Reduce them if combat scenes produce the largest drops; check that important attack cues remain visible.
Post-processing Low or Medium Post effects can consume GPU time while adding less information than textures or native resolution. Lower them when the image is soft, overly filtered or unstable during transitions.
Environment, detail or material quality Medium A middle value keeps scene definition while leaving performance headroom. Move to Low if frame pacing is still uneven after shadows, effects and post-processing are reduced.
Anti-aliasing Medium or the least expensive available mode A moderate setting limits jagged edges without paying for the heaviest option. Reduce it if GPU time is tight, then inspect diagonal lines, character outlines and small text for distracting shimmer.
VSync Test On first VSync can remove visible tearing and make a stable frame rate look smoother. Test Off if input delay or uneven frame pacing is more objectionable; accept tearing only if the result is clearly better on your display.
Frame cap If offered, cap near a stable multiple of your display refresh rate A stable ceiling can produce more consistent frame times than chasing brief, unstable peaks. Choose a lower cap when the game repeatedly misses a higher one; no Annihilated-specific cap is published.

How to apply and evaluate the profile

The exact labels and menu layout are not public yet, so the path may be called Settings → Graphics, Settings → Video or something similar in the release build. Do not assume a setting exists simply because another game uses the same name.

  1. Launch Annihilated and record the initial display mode, resolution, VSync state and any available frame-rate indicator. If the game does not show an FPS counter, use the same visual route and timing for every comparison instead of inventing a number.
  2. Set fullscreen if it is available. If it causes focus, black-screen or alt-tab problems, switch to borderless and keep the mode that produces the steadier presentation.
  3. Choose the monitor’s native resolution. Leave it there for the first pass so that text, cards and character line work provide a fixed clarity reference.
  4. Set textures to Medium or High if the system has enough video memory, then set shadows, effects or particles, post-processing and environment/detail quality to Low or Medium as shown in the starting profile.
  5. Choose the moderate or least expensive anti-aliasing option. Look closely at character silhouettes, card borders, diagonal lines and small interface text before deciding whether a lower value is acceptable.
  6. Test VSync On, then Off, in the same scene. Keep the option that looks smoother on your display and does not create unacceptable input delay or tearing.
  7. If the game exposes a frame cap, select a ceiling your system can hold during the busiest repeatable encounter rather than the highest number it reaches for a few seconds.
  8. Save the profile, play the same combat encounter or demo sequence, and note four things separately: average smoothness, worst-case dips, hitching and readability of text and art.

Change one setting group at a time. If you lower shadows, effects, post-processing and resolution together, you will not know which change solved the problem or which one damaged the image. Riot Games recommends gradual changes and retesting for the same reason.

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How to increase FPS in Annihilated without losing image quality

1. Reduce shadows before resolution

Shadows are usually a high-impact GPU option with a relatively small effect on the information conveyed by a hand-drawn scene. Move from High to Medium, or Medium to Low, and retest the most demanding combat view. Keep native resolution if the result is smooth enough; the reduction in internal image detail from a lower resolution is more obvious on text and fine line art.

2. Trim effects and particles for combat-heavy dips

If the game slows down when attacks, cards or environmental effects fill the screen, lower effects or particles next. Watch for the difference between decorative particles and gameplay cues. Stop at the lowest value that keeps important hit, status and ability feedback visible. If a low setting removes information you need to react, restore it and cut another option instead.

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3. Lower post-processing before textures

Post-processing can add blur, glow or other full-screen work without improving the underlying art. Reducing it often preserves the shapes and colors of the scene better than lowering textures. If the release build separates individual effects, disable the ones that make text or outlines soft first; if it offers only one slider, compare Low and Medium in the same scene.

4. Move environment or material detail to Medium, then Low

Environment, detail or material settings can affect many objects at once. Medium is a useful compromise when the frame rate is unstable after the first three cuts. Use Low only when the slowest moments still miss your target, and check whether backgrounds become too sparse to distinguish interactive elements.

5. Adjust anti-aliasing carefully

Anti-aliasing trades edge smoothness for GPU time. Choose the least expensive mode that does not make character outlines, diagonal card frames or small symbols shimmer distractingly. If the game offers temporal and spatial methods separately, compare them in motion rather than judging a paused screenshot; the better-looking still image may produce more ghosting or softness during play.

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6. Lower resolution as the last clarity sacrifice

Resolution reduction can deliver a large performance gain, but it also enlarges pixels and makes lettering harder to read. Use it only after shadows, effects, post-processing, environment/detail and anti-aliasing have been reduced as far as you can tolerate. If a resolution scale or upscaling option exists, test it against a native-resolution image and keep the setting that preserves readable dialogue and combat information.

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Clarity-first settings for Annihilated’s art and interface

Annihilated’s visual identity combines cute and twisted anime presentation with a large visual-novel script and deckbuilder combat. That means “clear” is not just a high average frame rate. A profile can feel worse if it makes dialogue fuzzy, card text difficult to parse or attack effects indistinguishable.

Keep a fixed resolution reference

Start at native resolution and use it as your comparison baseline. When you test a lower resolution, inspect the smallest text, menu labels and card information first, then the character art. If those elements are uncomfortable to read at normal viewing distance, restore native resolution and seek performance elsewhere.

Spend video memory on textures before expensive effects

Medium or High textures are a practical heuristic when video memory allows, not a published Annihilated recommendation. They can retain drawn surface detail while shadows, particles and post-processing are reduced. Lower textures when you observe memory pressure or hitching rather than dropping them automatically on every low-end system.

Do not confuse a smoother image with a sharper one

VSync On may remove tearing and make scrolling appear calmer, but it can also add input delay on some configurations. VSync Off may reduce that delay or improve performance while introducing tearing. Compare both in motion on your own display; there is no universal winner.

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Suggested profiles by performance priority

These profiles describe priorities, not hardware requirements. The official listing does not publish CPU, GPU or RAM targets, so do not infer that a particular PC will achieve a particular FPS from the labels below.

Clarity-priority profile

  • Fullscreen, or borderless if fullscreen misbehaves.
  • Native resolution.
  • Textures High when memory allows.
  • Shadows Medium.
  • Effects/particles and post-processing Medium.
  • Environment/detail Medium.
  • Anti-aliasing Medium or the least expensive clean-looking mode.
  • VSync On initially, with a frame cap only if it improves frame-time consistency.

Use this when the game already feels mostly smooth and preserving the illustrated presentation matters more than a higher peak.

Balanced profile

  • Fullscreen.
  • Native resolution.
  • Textures Medium or High, depending on memory behavior.
  • Shadows Low.
  • Effects/particles Low or Medium.
  • Post-processing Low.
  • Environment/detail Medium.
  • Anti-aliasing at the least expensive acceptable mode.
  • Test VSync On and Off, then cap near the highest refresh-rate multiple you can hold consistently.

This is the most useful first troubleshooting profile because it cuts the settings most likely to affect GPU time while preserving output resolution.

Low-end or unstable-frame-time profile

  • Fullscreen if stable; otherwise borderless.
  • Keep native resolution for the first test, then lower it only if the following cuts are insufficient.
  • Textures Medium, dropping to Low only for clear memory-related hitching.
  • Shadows Low.
  • Effects/particles Low.
  • Post-processing Low.
  • Environment/detail Low or Medium, based on the worst dips.
  • Anti-aliasing Low or the least expensive available mode, checking outlines and text.
  • VSync Off only if it materially improves latency or performance and tearing is acceptable; otherwise keep it On.

The order matters: do not begin by lowering resolution if the same smoothness can be achieved by cutting shadows and full-screen effects.

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Annihilated stuttering fix: a controlled troubleshooting workflow

“Stuttering” can mean a low average frame rate, brief worst-case dips, hitching when new content appears, or uneven presentation caused by synchronization. Identify which symptom you have before changing everything.

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When the whole scene is consistently slow

  1. Lower shadows one step and repeat the same encounter.
  2. Lower effects/particles, then post-processing, repeating the encounter after each change.
  3. Lower environment/detail if the slowest view still falls below a comfortable rate.
  4. Only then test a lower resolution or an available resolution-scale option.

This sequence protects clarity because it postpones the setting with the most visible impact on text and line work.

When only combat scenes hitch

  1. Set effects/particles to Low and retest an encounter with several abilities or status effects.
  2. Set post-processing to Low and compare the same moment.
  3. Keep textures at Medium or High unless you see memory pressure, texture pop-in or hitching associated with loading detail.
  4. If a lower frame cap produces steadier timing, keep the cap near the stable refresh-rate multiple rather than restoring an unstable peak.

When motion looks uneven or tears

  1. Test VSync On in the same scene and watch for tearing and input delay.
  2. Test VSync Off without changing any other option.
  3. Use the option that produces the smoother presentation on your display; do not assume Off is always faster in a way you can feel or see.
  4. If a frame cap is available, try a cap the system can sustain instead of allowing large swings.

When the image is smooth but unreadable

  • Restore native resolution before restoring expensive effects.
  • Raise textures before raising shadows or post-processing if memory allows.
  • Raise anti-aliasing one step only if jagged edges are the specific problem.
  • Restore effects or particles if lowering them removes combat cues that you need to interpret.

When a patch changes behavior

Write down your working values and recheck them after updates. Annihilated is still in development, and the team has stated that it is continuing quality and balance work. A patch can alter shader behavior, frame pacing or the available graphics options, so a profile that worked in one build should not be treated as permanent.

A repeatable test method that does not pretend to be a benchmark

Until the final release build is available, the useful result is your own repeatable comparison, not an invented FPS number. Use the demo or a repeatable combat encounter when one is available. If no built-in benchmark exists, choose a route that includes the same camera movement, dialogue panel, card interaction and busiest combat effect each time.

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  1. Start from the same saved location or sequence.
  2. Change one setting group only: display mode, resolution, textures, shadows, effects, post-processing, environment/detail, anti-aliasing, VSync or frame cap.
  3. Play long enough to reach the same demanding moment rather than judging the first few seconds.
  4. Record average smoothness, the severity of the worst dip, any hitch when content appears, and whether text, character art and combat cues remain readable.
  5. Keep the change only when it solves the targeted problem without creating a more distracting one.
  6. After finding a stable profile, capture the values or screenshots so you can restore them after a patch.

This method follows the practical advice to make gradual changes and retest. It also avoids claiming personal testing or measured performance that is not available for the unreleased game.

What not to assume from the current Steam page

  • The 1 GB storage minimum is not a performance guarantee; it says nothing about CPU, GPU, RAM or frame rate.
  • Windows 10/11 support does not identify a particular driver, graphics API or feature level.
  • The Q4 2026 store label and November 10, 2026 community announcement describe release timing, not a finalized graphics specification.
  • A setting name borrowed from another game may behave differently, or may not exist, in Annihilated’s final menu.
  • A high peak FPS in a quiet dialogue scene does not prove stable frame times during effects-heavy combat.

When to revisit your settings

Recheck the profile at launch, after major patches and whenever the game adds or renames graphics options. The latest announced launch date is November 10, 2026, but store metadata still shows Q4 2026; either way, the final build is the point at which complete requirements and reliable comparisons become possible.

For now, the dependable rule is simple: keep native resolution and enough texture detail to preserve Annihilated’s art, then spend your performance budget on the least visible cuts first—shadows, effects, post-processing, environment/detail and anti-aliasing. Use fullscreen or borderless according to which behaves better on your system, test VSync both ways, and let repeatable observations—not a generic preset—decide the final balance.

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