METKA

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PC settings

Based on the beta and the campaign early access (retail build), plus experience from MWII through BO7 on the same IW engine.

Checked · re-test after every major patch

Get started · 1 of 17Quick-start checklist

Quick-start checklist

What do the labels mean?
Required
can't do without it
Risk
can cause problems, only change it deliberately
May reset
the game or a patch can reset the value
Unconfirmed
not yet confirmed for MW4
Myth
no proven benefit
Grey area
hides game information, use at your own risk

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Must do

Before your first match

Tuning

System requirements & must-have settings (PC)

System requirements & must-have settings (PC)
Setting Value Why
Operating system Windows 10 64-bit (up to date) / Windows 11 recommended
Minimum Ryzen 5 1400 / i5-6600 · 8 GB RAM · RX 470 / GTX 970/1060 / Arc A580 · 3 GB VRAM
Recommended (90 FPS MP, High) Ryzen 5 3600 / i7-8700K · 16 GB RAM · RX 6600 XT / RTX 3060 Ti / Arc B580 · 8 GB VRAM
Storage 115 GB, SSD required HDD = streaming stutter. Keep another 20–30 GB free for the shader cache
CPU Intel/AMD with AVX only
API DirectX 12 only
Intel Arc Resizable BAR is mandatory
TPM 2.0 + Secure Boot Required from DMZ Early Access (20 Oct) UEFI instead of Legacy, GPT instead of MBR; Intel from 8th gen (PTT), AMD from Ryzen 2000 (fTPM). AMD fTPM version 3.x.0.x → BIOS update needed
Anti-cheat check PCs that fail the check end up in a separate matchmaking pool without console players
Memory integrity (HVCI/VBS) Not required Turning it off = security trade-off ( Risk )
Recommended Driver AMD 26.7.1 · NVIDIA 616.56 (new driver from 21 Oct) · Intel 32.0.101.8974 · GTX 900/1000: 581.80 (last supported)

Controller

Aim assist was weakened after the beta (the target is roughly a 50/50 split at 5–15 m).

Controller
Setting Value Why
Inner deadzone, left/right As low as possible Without the stick drifting (test for stick drift!)
Left Stick Max Around 65 Example value
Sensitivity, horizontal/vertical Personal Example: 1.65 / 1.65
ADS sensitivity multiplier 1.00
ADS transition timing Instant
Button layout Tactical Crouch/slide on the right stick
Slide/dive behavior Slide Only Stops accidental dives
FOV 100–105 (example: 103) Keeps targets bigger for stick aim. See also Movement & interface: up to 110 for more overview
Weapon FOV Default
Aim assist type / response curve Try it in the campaign or the firing range No reliable MW4 data ( Unconfirmed )
Vibration / trigger effects Off for competitive DualSense haptics on PC only work wired

Mouse & keyboard

Mouse & keyboard
Setting Value Why
Mouse acceleration / smoothing (if the menu has it) Off
ADS sens multiplier 1.00 Fine-tune per zoom level
Windows pointer speed 6/11, “Enhance pointer precision” off
Polling rate 1000 Hz is safe Very high polling rates can raise CPU load and stutter → test it
Config “mouse fix” via PitchSpeed/YawSpeed (sens × 0.022 × 1000) Does nothing for the mouse These keys only affect gamepad/keyboard turning ( Myth )
Adding MouseUsesRawInput by hand Not in the MW4 file (it's from older games); no clear recommendation (MW4: “true”, BO7: “false” against floaty aim) ( Unconfirmed , Risk )
Mouse wheel weapon switch delay (WeaponCycleDelay) 0 (default) Range 0–5000 ms

Movement & interface

Movement & interface
Setting Value Why
Tac Sprint MP: only with the Blood Rush perk · DMZ: on by default · Warzone S1: on by default (shorter duration)
Auto Sprint / Auto Tac Sprint Usually “on” for controller, M&K personal preference
Slide/Dive Slide Only
Camera movement / screen shake (1st/3rd person) Minimal/Reduced
FOV 100–110 Up to 110 gives more overview if your FPS allows it; Enhanced/Wide FOV costs about 20 % FPS. See also Controller: 100–105 for stick aim
ADS FOV Affected More consistent sens between hipfire and ADS
Telemetry Show FPS, CPU time and GPU time Higher ms number = bottleneck (matters for the GPUUploadHeaps/ReBAR decision)
HUD Minimap shape/size to taste Warzone S1 gets a cleaner HUD
Network info screen Don't open it while streaming It shows your public IP

Graphics (PC)

What costs FPS and what acts up

  • Upscaling can't be switched off completely; DLAA, FidelityFX CAS and SMAA T2X are “near native”
  • At 1080p, don't go below DLSS Quality (the image gets too soft); at 1440p and above, the Performance range works
  • Ray-traced reflections are the most expensive setting
  • Shadow filtering “High” costs a lot
  • Terrain “Very High” costs a lot for barely visible gain
  • World depth of field looked broken in the beta
  • Static reflections and “Persistent Effects” need a restart before changes apply
  • Turning water effects off gains FPS
  • The highest texture setting causes 1 % low drops even on high-end GPUs
  • On an RTX 5070 Ti, DLSS/XeSS/FSR 3 barely scaled (GPU limit 99 %); FSR 1 gave the most FPS but was clearly blurrier
  • FidelityFX CAS is blurry in motion → prefer DLSS or FSR 4 (Performance range at 1440p and above, Quality at 1080p)
  • Holding tactical equipment cost massive FPS in the beta (bug)

Recommended graphics settings (competitive/FPS)

Graphics (PC): Recommended graphics settings (competitive/FPS)
Setting Value Why
Display mode Fullscreen (Exclusive) Or borderless with “Optimizations for windowed games” on in Windows
V-Sync (game & menu) Off Options: 100/50/33/25 %
FPS limit Gameplay = monitor Hz − 3, menu 60, out of focus 30 Separate limits for gameplay / menu / out of focus
NVIDIA Reflex Enabled Only try Boost if you're CPU-limited
AMD Anti-Lag 2 / Intel XeLL On Built into the game, no risk
Upscaling DLSS (RTX) or FSR 4 (RDNA4), Performance range at 1440p; 1080p: Quality
DLSS model Transformer Try forcing preset K (or M) in the NVIDIA driver
Render resolution 100 % Up to 200 % is possible but only costs performance; without DLSS, the alternative is 75 % + CAS strength 60
VRAM target (VRAM Scale Target) 70–80 % If it stutters, try 50–60 %
Texture resolution One step below max 8 GB cards: Normal/Low
Texture filter 2x–8x Barely any performance difference, it's about looks
On-Demand Texture Streaming Minimal or Off Less pop-in and hitching
Ray tracing Off
Shadows / shadow filtering Low
Terrain Low/Medium
Water / caustics / weather volumes Off/Low
Particles, volumetrics, ambient occlusion, SSR Low/Off
Motion blur (world & weapon), depth of field, film grain Off
Frame generation (DLSS/FSR/XeSS) Off for competitive More latency, more VRAM, a cause of crashes
Shader preloading Leave it on Let it finish completely before your first match

Audio

Audio
Setting Value Why
Audio mix Headphones preset (or headphones with bass reduction) For footsteps
Music / War Tracks / cinematics (MusicVolume, WarTracksVolume, CinematicVolume) Off or very low
Hit marker volume 100 %
Windows Sonic (WindowsSonicEnable) Off Unless you deliberately use spatial audio
Channels (AudioWantedChannelsNumber) 2 With stereo headphones
Mono audio Off
Push to talk On Stops mic spam

Differences: MP / DMZ / Warzone

Differences: MP / DMZ / Warzone
Topic Multiplayer DMZ Warzone (from S1, 6 Nov)
Tac Sprint Multiplayer Only with the Blood Rush perk DMZ On by default Warzone (from S1, 6 Nov) On by default, shorter duration
Weapon tuning Multiplayer MP tuning DMZ Its own tuning, close to Warzone Warzone (from S1, 6 Nov) Warzone tuning
Maps Multiplayer Small/medium DMZ Large map (Hajin) + weather → highest VRAM/CPU load Warzone (from S1, 6 Nov) Hajin, Zodiac, Verdansk, Rebirth (Vondel from S2)
VRAM target Multiplayer 70–80 % DMZ 60–70 % (large map, streaming) Warzone (from S1, 6 Nov) 60–70 %
Texture streaming Multiplayer Minimal/Off DMZ Minimal/Off (less hitching while loading) Warzone (from S1, 6 Nov) Minimal/Off
FPS limit Multiplayer Hz − 3 DMZ More conservative (stable frametimes matter more than peak FPS) Warzone (from S1, 6 Nov) More conservative
Config Multiplayer Shared file DMZ Shared file Warzone (from S1, 6 Nov) Because of the shared CoD launcher, the MW4 file can affect Warzone → re-check after the Warzone integration

Config file: location, format, editing

Config file: location, format, editing
Setting Value Why
Folder (retail, Steam/Battle.net) %LOCALAPPDATA%\Activision\Call of Duty\players\
File (retail) s.1.0.cod26.txt
Duplicate file (.txt0 / .txt1) If you have two files: change both the same way BO6/BO7 had two copies that both had to be edited ( Unconfirmed )
Folder/file (beta) ...\Call of Duty\playersBeta\s.1.1.bt.cod26.txt Weekend 1: s.1.0.bt.cod26
Xbox app/Game Pass Same AppData path expected Not confirmed separately ( Unconfirmed )
Game EXE (beta/Steam) cod26-cod.exe For driver/Windows profiles
Line format Key@a;b;c = Value // allowed range – no quotation marks Old MWIII lines (Key:0.0 = "Value") do not work
documents\...\adv_options.ini MWII format, outdated for MW4 ( Myth )

Editing, step by step

  1. Launch the game once (it creates the folder), set your settings in the menu, then close the game completely (check the launcher process too).
  2. Back up the file(s) (e.g. copy them to the desktop).
  3. Open the file in Notepad / VS Code, find keys with Ctrl + F and change only the value – never touch the key name or the @... part.
  4. Save and launch the game. If it asks whether to reset your settings or apply the recommended ones → “No”.
  5. Let shader preloading run, then test (same mode, ~5 minutes, compare frametimes).
  6. Full reset: delete the players folder → it gets recreated on the next launch.
Config file: location, format, editing
Setting Value Why
Setting the file to read-only (Properties → Read-only) Better to check after every patch Patches can rename keys; an old, locked file then gets ignored or recreated ( May reset )
Pasting someone else's “optimized config” in full Take single values only Monitor, resolution, Hz, GPU and RendererWorkerCount are set for someone else's hardware ( Risk )
Changing lines marked “DO NOT MODIFY” Don't touch them Instability ( Risk )

MW4 config keys (with recommendations)

Every key here appears exactly like this in the MW4 files (retail s.1.0.cod26.txt, 163 entries; beta s.1.1.bt.cod26). “(×2)” = the key exists twice with a different @ index.

Show config keys Hide config keys 97 entries
System & performance (most important) 10 entries
MW4 config keys (with recommendations): System & performance (most important)
Key Range Recommendation Explanation
RendererWorkerCount Range -1 to 16 Recommendation Try 6–8; rule of thumb: Intel 12th–14th gen = number of P-cores (or −1), AMD = physical cores (or −1) Explanation Number of render threads. The default after a fresh install was 16 (too high). On an i9-14900KF, 6 was best and 8 raised CPU time ( May reset )
GPUUploadHeaps Range true/false Recommendation false when CPU-limited, true when GPU-limited (check telemetry) Explanation Uses ReBAR to load more data straight into VRAM. The config counterpart to ReBAR
VideoMemoryScaleMP Range 0.0 to 2.0 Recommendation 0.70 (try 0.50–0.80) Explanation Share of VRAM the game may use (multiplayer modes). Less = less stutter and fewer crashes when VRAM runs short
ConfigCloudStorageEnabled Range true/false Recommendation Try false if your settings keep getting overwritten Explanation Syncs local files with the cloud ( Unconfirmed )
DisableHWChangeDetection Range true/false Recommendation Try true if everything resets after driver updates Explanation Turns off auto-detection when the hardware changes ( Unconfirmed )
RecommendedSet Range true/false Recommendation Leave it true Explanation 0/false resets everything to “recommended”
EnableOfflineGameUpdater Range true/false Recommendation true Explanation Shader preloading
OfflineGameUpdaterUsage Range minimum/efficient/maximum Recommendation efficient (maximum = faster, more CPU load while preloading) Explanation How much the shader preload uses (retail only) ( Unconfirmed )
DetectedFrequencyGHz, DetectedMemoryAmountMB, GPUDriverVersion, LastUsedGPU Recommendation Don't change Explanation Marked “DO NOT MODIFY” ( Risk )
DisplayDriverVersion, DisplayDriverVersionRecommended, GPUName, LastSavedDriveType, ESSDI Recommendation Don't change Explanation Auto-detected values
FPS limit, latency, display 17 entries
MW4 config keys (with recommendations): FPS limit, latency, display
Key Range Recommendation Explanation
CapFps Range true/false Recommendation true Explanation Your own FPS limit is active
MaxFpsInGame Range 30–300 Recommendation Monitor Hz − 3 (e.g. 141/237) Explanation Limit in a match. Above 300 FPS only with CapFps = false
MaxFpsInMenu Range 30–300 Recommendation 60 Explanation Limit in menus
MaxFpsOutOfFocus Range 5–300 Recommendation 30 Explanation Limit when you Alt-Tab
NvidiaReflex Range Disabled / Enabled / Enabled + boost Recommendation Enabled (try Boost when CPU-limited) Explanation NVIDIA latency reduction
AmdAntilag2 Range true/false Recommendation true (AMD) Explanation AMD Anti-Lag 2 (in-game)
IntelXeLL (×2) Range true/false Recommendation true (Intel Arc) Explanation Intel Xe Low Latency
VSync, VSyncInMenu Range disabled, 100 %, 50 %, 33 %, 25 % Recommendation disabled Explanation V-Sync
DisplayMode Range Windowed, Fullscreen, Fullscreen borderless window, … extended window Recommendation Fullscreen Explanation Display mode
PreferredDisplayMode Range Fullscreen / borderless / extended Recommendation Fullscreen Explanation Preferred fullscreen mode
ResolutionMultiplier Range 0–200 Recommendation 100 (without an upscaler: 75 + CAS) Explanation Render resolution in %
DisplayGamma Range BT709_sRGB, BT709_BT1886 Recommendation BT709_sRGB (monitor) Explanation Color space
HDR Range Off / On / Automatic Recommendation Only with a real HDR monitor; run the Windows HDR calibration first Explanation HDR mode
AspectRatio Range auto … wide 32:9 Recommendation auto Explanation Aspect ratio
RefreshRate, Resolution, Monitor Recommendation Set them in the menu, don't copy them from other people's configs Explanation Monitor-specific
ConstrainMouse Range true/false Recommendation true with multiple monitors Explanation Keeps the mouse inside the window
FocusedMode, FocusedModeOpacity Range true/false · 0–1 Recommendation false Explanation Darkens the area around the image
Graphics keys (recommended for FPS) 42 entries
MW4 config keys (with recommendations): Graphics keys (recommended for FPS)
Key Range Recommendation Explanation
GraphicsQuality Range Minimum, Basic, Balanced, Ultra, Extreme Recommendation Gets overridden by the individual values
TextureQuality Range 0–3 (higher = lower resolution) Recommendation 1–2 (8 GB: 2–3)
TextureFilter Range aniso 2x / 4x / 8x / 16x Recommendation 2x–8x
ShaderQuality Range Default, Medium, Low Recommendation Low
ShadingQuality Range Low, High Recommendation Low
ShadowQuality Range Very_Low … Very_High Recommendation Very_Low
ShadowFilteringQuality Range Low, Medium, High Recommendation Low
ScreenSpaceShadowQuality Range Off, Low, High Recommendation Off
StaticSunshadowClipmapResolution Range 0 to 2147483647 Recommendation 0
SubdivisionLevel Range 0–8 Recommendation 0
Tessellation Range 0_Off, 1_Near, 2_All Recommendation 0_Off
VolumetricQuality (×2) Range QUALITY_LOW … QUALITY_VERYHIGH Recommendation QUALITY_LOW
WeatherGridVolumesQuality Range Off … Ultra Recommendation Off
WaterCausticsMode Range Off, Low Quality, High Quality Recommendation Off
WaterWaveWetness Range true/false Recommendation false
AmbientLightingQuality Range Off … Ultra Recommendation Off
DeferredPhysics Range Low / Medium / High Quality Recommendation Low Quality
ParticleQuality Range very low, low, medium, high Recommendation very low
ModelQuality Range Low / Medium / High Quality Recommendation Low–Medium
TerrainQuality Range Very Low … Very High Recommendation Very Low–Low
SSRQuality (×2) Range Off … High Recommendation Off
ReflectionProbeHalfResolution Range true/false Recommendation true
ReflectionProbeRelighting Range 1–4 Recommendation 1
WorldStreamingQuality Range Low, High Recommendation Low
STLodSkip Range 0–5 Recommendation 0 (default) Explanation ( Unconfirmed )
VRS Range true/false Recommendation true Explanation Variable Rate Shading, more FPS
PersistentDamageLayer Range true/false Recommendation false
DxrMode (×2) Range Off/On · Off…Ultra Recommendation Off
DxrDenoiser Range Default, FSR Ray Regeneration, DLSS Ray Reconstruction Recommendation Default Explanation Only matters with RT
MotionBlur Range Off, On, Cinematic Only Recommendation Off
WeaponMotionBlur Range true/false Recommendation false
EnableVelocityBasedBlur Range true/false Recommendation false
DofEnable Range Off, On, Script Recommendation Off
DofWeaponDisable, DofWorldDisable Range true/false Recommendation true / true
DepthOfFieldQuality Range Low, High Recommendation Low
SMAAFilmicAlphaStrength Range 0–1 Recommendation 0 Explanation Less ghosting blur
CorpsesCullingThreshold Range 0.5–1.0 Recommendation 0.5
CorpseLimit Range 0–28 Recommendation 0
DynamicSceneResolution, DynamicSceneResolutionTarget Range true/false · ms Recommendation false
AbsoluteTargetResolution Range 540P … native, none Recommendation none
CinematicEmissive, CinematicQuality Range true/false Recommendation Doesn't matter Explanation Cutscenes only
Sustainability*, UserEcoLowBatteryModeUI Range various Recommendation All off Explanation Power-saving features
Upscaling & frame generation keys 13 entries
MW4 config keys (with recommendations): Upscaling & frame generation keys
Key Range Recommendation Explanation
AATechniquePreferredMP Range SMAA, DLSS, XeSS, FSR AA Recommendation DLSS (RTX), otherwise FSR AA / XeSS
DLSSModeMP (×2) Range DLSS Recommendation DLSS
DLSSPerfModeMP Range Ultra Performance … Native Resolution Recommendation Maximum Performance (1440p) / Maximum Quality (1080p)
DLSSModelUI Range CNN, TRANSFORMER Recommendation TRANSFORMER
DLSSSharpnessMP Range 0–1 Recommendation 0.5–0.8 Explanation To taste
DLSSFrameGeneration, DLSSFrameGenerationmulti*, DLSSFrameGenerationDynamicMulti* Range various Recommendation Off
AMDFidelityFX (×2) Range Off, CAS, FSR 1, FSR 3 Recommendation Off, or CAS only without another upscaler
AMDContrastAdaptiveSharpeningStrength Range 0–1 Recommendation 0.6 when using CAS
AMDSuperResolutionQuality, AMDSuperResolution2Quality Range various Recommendation Balanced/Performance
FSRFrameInterpolation Range true/false Recommendation false
XeSSQuality Range Ultra Performance … Native Resolution Recommendation Balanced/Performance
IntelXeFG, IntelXEFGMulti Range true/false · 1–3 Recommendation false
NVIDIAImageScalingMP, …QualityMP, …SharpnessMP Range various Recommendation false
Visual/gameplay keys (grey area) 4 entries
MW4 config keys (with recommendations): Visual/gameplay keys (grey area)
Key Range Explanation
ShowBrass Range true/false Explanation Ejected shell casings (false = off) ( Grey area )
BulletImpacts Range true/false Explanation Bullet impact effects (false = off) ( Grey area )
ShowBlood, BloodLimit, BloodLimitInterval Range true/false · 1–2000 ms Explanation Blood effects ( Grey area )
MarksEntsPlayerOnly Range true/false Explanation Bullet marks only from your own shots ( Grey area )

Not marked “DO NOT MODIFY”, no bans known so far. They hide visual information, so use them at your own risk.

Interface, input, audio 11 entries
MW4 config keys (with recommendations): Interface, input, audio
Key Range Recommendation Explanation
SkipIntro, SkipSeasonVideo, SkipSeasonIntroVideo, ViewedSplashScreen Range true/false Recommendation true Explanation Faster startup
ShowFPSCounter Range true/false Recommendation true if you want it
EnableHUD Range true/false Recommendation true
UseOSCursors Range true/false Recommendation false
PitchSpeed, YawSpeed Range 0–280 (default 140) Recommendation Leave at default Explanation Only affects gamepad/keyboard turning; as a mouse fix it's a myth ( Myth )
WeaponCycleDelay Range 0–5000 Recommendation 0
VehicleMouseSteerSensitivity Range 0.01–10 Recommendation By feel
GamepadMenuScrollDelay* Range 0–1000 Recommendation Default
MapLocationSelectionCursorSpeed(Mouse) Range 0.001–1 / 2 Recommendation Default
InvalidCmdHint* Recommendation Default
Volume, EffectsVolume, HitMarkersVolume, MusicVolume, WarTracksVolume, CinematicVolume, TelescopeVolume, VoiceVolume, MicThreshold, VoicePushToTalk, WindowsSonicEnable, AudioWantedChannelsNumber, Sound/Voice*Device Range various Recommendation See the Audio section Explanation Audio keys

Ready-to-paste config block

How to do it

  • Close the game and make a backup. Then search for each line in your s.1.0.cod26.txt one by one (Ctrl + F for the key name) and replace only the value. Don't paste the block at the bottom of the file.
  • If you have .txt0 and .txt1, change both.
  • The @… parts come from the retail file. If yours differ (patch), keep your own @… parts and change only the value.

Must-change values: set RendererWorkerCount for your CPU; MaxFpsInGame = your Hz − 3; set GPUUploadHeaps depending on whether you're CPU- or GPU-limited.

s.1.0.cod26.txt · 60 lines 
// --- System / performance ---
RendererWorkerCount@0;51989;59387 = 7 // -1 to 16
GPUUploadHeaps@0;57752;20945 = false
VideoMemoryScaleMP@0;59710;7707 = 0.700000 // 0.000000 to 2.000000
EnableOfflineGameUpdater@0;57752;20945 = true
RecommendedSet@0;57752;48403 = true

// --- FPS limit / latency / display ---
CapFps@0;57752;20945 = true
MaxFpsInGame@0;13305;58861 = 237 // 30 to 300
MaxFpsInMenu@0;13305;27917 = 60 // 30 to 300
MaxFpsOutOfFocus@0;35936;15032 = 30 // 5 to 300
NvidiaReflex@0;33761;11445 = Enabled // one of Disabled, Enabled, Enabled + boost
VSync@0;55075;7764 = disabled // one of disabled, 100%, 50%, 33%, 25%
VSyncInMenu@0;55075;11445 = disabled // one of disabled, 100%, 50%, 33%, 25%
DisplayMode@0;22564;43096 = Fullscreen // one of Windowed, Fullscreen, Fullscreen borderless window, Fullscreen borderless extended window
PreferredDisplayMode@0;15994;11445 = Fullscreen // one of Fullscreen, Fullscreen borderless window, Fullscreen borderless extended window
ResolutionMultiplier@0;64786;30730 = 100 // 0 to 200

// --- Graphics (FPS-focused) ---
ShaderQuality@0;19450;7764 = Low // one of Default, Medium, Low
ShadowQuality@0;3981;58629 = Very_Low // one of Very_Low, Low, Medium, High, Very_High
ShadowFilteringQuality@0;43900;43096 = Low // one of Low, Medium, High
ScreenSpaceShadowQuality@0;42742;43096 = Off // one of Off, Low, High
StaticSunshadowClipmapResolution@0;21851;46253 = 0 // 0 to 2147483647
SubdivisionLevel@0;36080;58629 = 0 // 0 to 8
Tessellation@0;27349;11445 = 0_Off // one of 0_Off, 1_Near, 2_All
VolumetricQuality@0;4276;43096 = QUALITY_LOW // one of QUALITY_LOW, QUALITY_MEDIUM, QUALITY_HIGH, QUALITY_VERYHIGH
VolumetricQuality@1;4276;58629 = QUALITY_LOW // one of QUALITY_LOW, QUALITY_MEDIUM, QUALITY_HIGH, QUALITY_VERYHIGH
WeatherGridVolumesQuality@0;38459;58629 = Off // one of Off, Low, Medium, High, Ultra
WaterCausticsMode@0;41499;11445 = Off // one of Off, Low Quality, High Quality
WaterWaveWetness@0;57752;20945 = false
AmbientLightingQuality@0;20439;58629 = Off // one of Off, Low, Medium, High, Ultra
DeferredPhysics@0;6619;43096 = Low Quality // one of Low Quality, Medium Quality, High Quality
ParticleQuality@0;60198;58629 = very low // one of very low, low, medium, high
TerrainQuality@0;36295;58629 = Very Low // one of Very Low, Low, Medium, High, Very High
SSRQuality@0;63075;11445 = Off // one of Off, Low, Medium, High
SSRQuality@1;63075;43096 = Off // one of Off, Low, Medium, High
ReflectionProbeHalfResolution@0;57752;48403 = true
ReflectionProbeRelighting@0;42543;9045 = 1 // 1 to 4
VRS@0;57752;20945 = true
PersistentDamageLayer@0;57752;20945 = false
DxrMode@0;37334;7764 = Off // one of Off, On
DxrMode@1;8707;7764 = Off // one of Off, Low, Medium, High, Ultra
MotionBlur@0;37391;43096 = Off // one of Off, On, Cinematic Only
WeaponMotionBlur@0;57752;20945 = false
EnableVelocityBasedBlur@0;57752;20945 = false
DofEnable@0;29449;43096 = Off // one of Off, On, Script
CorpseLimit@0;18638;7094 = 0 // 0 to 28

// --- Power-saving features off ---
SustainabilityMenuSceneResolution@0;16519;11445 = off // one of off, min, full
SustainabilityReduceQualityIdle@0;44449;11445 = off // one of off, min, full
SustainabilityReduceQualityIdle@1;51018;9045 = off // one of off, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 1 minute, 30 seconds
SustainabilityPauseRendering@0;57752;48403 = false
SustainabilityPauseRendering@1;53673;7764 = 0 // 0 to 1

// --- Interface ---
SkipIntro@1;17649;20945 = true
SkipSeasonVideo@0;57752;20945 = true

Deliberately left out of the block

  • The grey-area keys (ShowBrass, BulletImpacts, ShowBlood)
  • The “DO NOT MODIFY” lines
  • Monitor-dependent values (resolution, Hz, monitor)
  • Upscaler values (better set in the menu)

Keys that no longer exist in MW4

From older games. If you add them anyway, the game may ignore them or act up.

Show removed keys Hide removed keys 15 entries
Keys that no longer exist in MW4
Old key From Status in MW4
VideoMemoryScale (without “MP”) From MWII/MWIII Status in MW4 Replaced by VideoMemoryScaleMP
MouseUsesRawInput From MWIII/BO6/BO7 Status in MW4 Missing from the game file (maybe in a separate profile file, not confirmed)
MouseAcceleration, MouseFilter, MouseSmoothing From Profile files of older games Status in MW4 Not found in MW4 files
AsyncCompute From MWII Status in MW4 Removed
ParticleLighting, ParticuleResolution, PixelPerLightmapTexel From MWII Status in MW4 Removed
SunShadowCascade From MWII/MWIII Status in MW4 Removed
SSAOTechnique, GTAOQuality From MWII/MWIII Status in MW4 Removed (ambient options are now AmbientLightingQuality)
SSRMode From MWII/MWIII Status in MW4 Replaced by SSRQuality
VirtualTexturingMemoryMode, VirtualTexturingLargeMemory From MWII/MWIII Status in MW4 Removed
ShadowMapResolution, SpotShadowCacheSize, SpotShadowQualityLevel From MWII Status in MW4 Removed
ClutterMaxDist, ModelLodQuality, ModelLodDistanceQuality From MWII Status in MW4 Removed
UiQuality, MuteAudioWhileOutOfFocus, ConfigCloudSavegameEnabled, AudioMix, FilmGrain, FilmicStrength From MWII/MWIII Status in MW4 Not in the MW4 game file
TextureFilter = NEAREST/LINEAR From MWII/MWIII Status in MW4 Only aniso 2x–16x is possible now
DeferredPhysics = Developer From MWII/MWIII Status in MW4 Option removed
adv_options.ini (version, VideoMemoryScale, RendererWorkerCount, ConfigCloudStorageEnabled) From MWII Status in MW4 Outdated format → myth for MW4

Also: BindToPhysicalCores, EnableMultiThreadedRendering, AimAssistLockOnSmoothing, FoliageQuality, ParticleLightingQuality, MaxFrameRateGameplay, MaxFPSMenu, ShaderPreload. In MW4, the last three are called MaxFpsInGame, MaxFpsInMenu and EnableOfflineGameUpdater.

Graphics drivers

NVIDIA Control Panel (program settings for MW4 or global)

Graphics drivers: NVIDIA Control Panel (program settings for MW4 or global)
Setting Value Why
Power management mode Prefer maximum performance
Shader Cache Size Unlimited (or ≥ 10 GB)
Low Latency Mode On If in-game Reflex is on, Reflex takes priority automatically. “Ultra in the driver instead of Reflex” is unconfirmed
Texture filtering – Quality High performance
Max Frame Rate Off if you use the in-game limit Don't cap twice
G-Sync/VRR To taste Combine it with a limit below your Hz
DLSS override (NVIDIA App) Try forcing model preset K (or M)
Everything else Leave at default No wild per-program overrides

NVIDIA Profile Inspector

Graphics drivers: NVIDIA Profile Inspector
Setting Value Why
rBAR – feature in the CoD profile Try it off; leave it on if you're heavily GPU-limited Often improves the 1 % lows when CPU-limited
MW4 profile Check after launch / the 21 Oct driver Didn't exist yet in the beta
“Enable Ansel” Off Otherwise it gets injected into every game

Resizable BAR (BIOS) & GPUUploadHeaps

Graphics drivers: Resizable BAR (BIOS) & GPUUploadHeaps
Situation Recommendation
CPU-limited (CPU time > GPU time, typical at 1080p/1440p) ReBAR off or GPUUploadHeaps = false, Reflex “Enabled + boost” if needed
GPU-limited (typical at 4K) ReBAR on, GPUUploadHeaps = true, Reflex “Enabled”
AMD GPU + Intel CPU ReBAR/SAM off doubled the 1 % lows
In-game benchmark Partly shows wrong 1 % lows with ReBAR → measure in real matches with a frametime tool
Intel Arc Never turn ReBAR off (required)

AMD Adrenalin

Graphics drivers: AMD Adrenalin
Setting Value Why
Anti-Lag 2 Turn it on in the game (AmdAntilag2) Built into the game, no ban risk
Driver Anti-Lag+ (old injection version) Don't use it Caused false bans in other games ( Risk )
Radeon Chill, Boost, Enhanced Sync, Fluid Motion Frames Off
Texture Filtering Quality Performance
Smart Access Memory Try on and off See ReBAR
FreeSync On With an FPS limit about 3 below your Hz
HAGS on AMD Try “off” if it stutters
Shader cache After a driver update, “Reset Shader Cache”, then let the game preload again

Intel Arc

ReBAR has to be on. IntelXeLL on, use XeSS instead of FSR. Driver 32.0.101.8974.

Clearing the shader cache

Clear it after a driver change, after shader crashes, or when the game stutters and then crashes. Afterwards, let the game preload shaders completely again.

Show cache paths Hide cache paths 9 entries
Clearing the shader cache
Area Path / method
NVIDIA %LOCALAPPDATA%\NVIDIA\DXCache
NVIDIA %LOCALAPPDATA%\NVIDIA\GLCache
DirectX %LOCALAPPDATA%\D3DSCache
NVIDIA (per driver) %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\NVIDIA\PerDriverVersion\DXCache
AMD Adrenalin → Graphics → Advanced → Reset Shader Cache
Windows Disk Cleanup → “DirectX Shader Cache”
Game Delete the shadercache folder in the install folder (also telescopeCache, xpak_cache if needed) ( Unconfirmed )
Game option “Restart shader preloading” Often didn't work reliably in BO6/BO7 – deleting the folder is safer
Full reset Delete the game shader cache + %LOCALAPPDATA%\Activision\Call of Duty (or players), set your settings again, re-enter the config values, let the shaders run

Windows tweaks

Worth it / test them

Windows tweaks: Worth it / test them
Setting Value Why
Game Mode On Helps with dual-CCD Ryzen X3D, among others
Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling (HAGS) On Required for DLSS Frame Generation; in BO7 about +10 FPS on average. AMD: try it off if it stutters
Optimizations for windowed games On if you play borderless
Fullscreen optimizations Disable them on the game EXE if it has trouble starting
Graphics settings → game EXE → “High performance” Required on laptops with an iGPU
Power plan High performance/Ultimate Performance (powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61) Usually only a small effect
Ryzen X3D dual-CCD Keep the chipset driver + Game Bar up to date, Game Mode on
CPU temperature Avoid thermal throttling An undervolt (same clock, less voltage) gave more stable frametimes
Disable MPO (only if you get flickering) HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Dwm → DWORD OverlayTestMode = 5, restart To undo: delete the value
E-cores (Intel 12th–14th gen) Test it yourself “All E-cores on + adjust RendererWorkerCount” vs. “count P-cores only”
Global timer resolution HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\kernel → GlobalTimerResolutionRequests = 1 Windows 11 only, effect in CoD unproven ( Unconfirmed )

Risky ( Risk )

Windows tweaks: Risky (Risk)
Setting Why
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers → DisableOverlays = 1 Caused crashes in Warzone/BO6/BO7
CPU priority via registry: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\<exe>\PerfOptions → CpuPriorityClass = 3 (High) The game often resets it; unclear how anti-cheat sees it; barely any benefit
Turning off Control Flow Guard (exploit protection) for the game EXE It's a security feature, in a game with kernel anti-cheat
Turning off memory integrity/VBS Security loss; not needed for MW4
Turning off TPM/Secure Boot No online play, or a separate pool
Forcing process affinity with a tool Can make frametimes worse; unclear how anti-cheat sees it
“Debloat” scripts / third-party optimizers Can break Windows features, no proven benefit for MW4

Myths / no effect ( Myth )

Windows tweaks: Myths / no effect (Myth)
Setting Why
Win32PrioritySeparation = 38 (0x26) The Windows default (0x2) already equals exactly this setting (short, variable, 3:1). Changes nothing before 24H2
SystemResponsiveness = 0 Windows resets it to the default of 20; games don't register with the MMCSS “Games” task
NetworkThrottlingIndex = FFFFFFFF No benefit, measurably higher network driver latency (more likely harmful)
Nagle tweaks (TcpAckFrequency, TCPNoDelay) They only affect TCP – CoD gameplay runs over UDP
Launch options -dx11 / -dx12 and the like MW4 is DX12 only; no launch option adds performance. At most a crash workaround
Setting the config to “read-only” as a permanent fix Useless or counterproductive after patches that change keys ( May reset )
Paid “secret” configs Every optimizer uses the same file; almost all that matters is RendererWorkerCount and GPUUploadHeaps/ReBAR
Briefly changing the desktop resolution against a “floaty mouse” Pure placebo, not CoD-specific

Network, ports & NAT

How to go about it

  1. Test 1: port forwarding off, UPnP on, check in the game.
  2. Test 2: UPnP off, port forwarding on, give the device a static local IP.
Network, ports & NAT
Platform TCP UDP
PC TCP 3074, 3075, 27015–27030, 27036–27037 UDP 3074, 4380, 27000–27036
Network, ports & NAT
Setting Value Why
Cable instead of Wi-Fi Always LAN
Windows Firewall (PC) Inbound/outbound rules for the ports above Especially with a third-party firewall
QoS on the router Turn it on, prioritize your gaming device
Bandwidth Avoid streaming/downloads at the same time
Check your NAT type Settings → Account & Network → Network Info Shows your IP!
Packet burst No client-side fix known
DNS changes, network adapter tweaks No proven benefit for MW4 ( Myth )
Ping Depends mainly on your ISP and the distance to the server

Crashes & DEV ERRORs

Show problems and fixes Hide problems and fixes 11 entries
Crashes & DEV ERRORs
Problem Fix
Crash right at launch Update Windows, GPU driver and BIOS; uninstall reWASD; close overlays/RGB tools/Afterburner; run Steam/Battle.net or cod26-cod.exe as admin; compatibility mode & fullscreen optimization off
0x00001338 (0x723AC2A5) at launch (a) A regional file is missing (sa_code_pre_gfx.ff): launch once with a VPN and let it re-download damaged files; (b) on Intel/AMD: try lowering the CPU clock
Random DEV ERRORs in a match GPU OC/undervolt back to stock; scan/repair files; clear the shader cache; clean-install the drivers with DDU
Crash after a few minutes / 8 GB cards VRAM target 80 % or lower, ray tracing off, textures one step down, frame generation off
Crash while installing shaders Clear the shader cache, don't interrupt preloading
Antivirus blocks the launch Ransomware protection/AV exception for the game folder
Laptop: game runs on the iGPU Windows graphics settings → High performance
Xbox app/Game Pass Install all content packs
Settings broken Delete the players folder (reset)
Crash logs for support Close the game → run CrashLogGenerator.exe in the install folder → the ZIP lands in “Documents”
Repairing files Battle.net: gear icon → Scan and Repair · Steam: Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity

Checked 18 Oct.

MP launch: 23 Oct 2026 · DMZ Early Access: 20 Oct 2026 · Warzone integration (Season 1): 6 Nov 2026.

MW4 hasn't launched yet. File names, keys, menus and defaults can change with the launch patch (23 Oct) and Warzone Season 1 (6 Nov); the config file was already renamed between the beta weekends. Keep a backup, change one thing at a time.

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