Kingdom Come 2: Console Performance Impresses

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (KCD2) promises impressive performance across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms, offering players a range of customizable settings to optimize their experience. Let's delve into the performance details across all platforms.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2: Performance Across Platforms

Photorealism Powered by CryEngine

Early tests and reports indicate strong performance for KCD2 across various platforms. PlayStation and Xbox consoles deliver smooth gameplay with both 30fps and 60fps options. The PS5 Pro, in particular, leverages its capabilities to enhance the game's already impressive visuals. KCD2's distinctive photorealistic rendering is achieved through the use of CryEngine, a choice driven by the developers' familiarity and desire to build upon its features.

Warhorse Studios' continued use of CryEngine, also utilized in the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance (KCD1), allows for focused optimization and enhancement. PC Gamer highlights CryEngine's unique approach—old-school rendering with a focus on performance, prioritizing efficient shaders and lighting techniques. Despite this approach, KCD2 achieves remarkable photorealism through its use of physically based materials. Eurogamer points to CryEngine's Sparse Voxel Octree Global Illumination (SVOGI) as a key contributor, creating realistic indirect lighting effects, enhancing the realism of light sources like torches and reflections on metallic surfaces.

Console Options: Fidelity vs. Performance

PS5 and Xbox Series X offer two modes: a Fidelity mode (30fps at 1440p) prioritizing visual fidelity, and a Performance mode (60fps at 1080p) prioritizing frame rate. Xbox Series S runs exclusively in Fidelity mode. The PS5 Pro offers a single, high-performance mode (60fps at 1296p, upscaled to 4K using PSSR).

Fidelity mode on PS5 and Xbox Series X enhances visuals with increased foliage detail and improved shadow casting, creating more immersive outdoor environments and better ambient occlusion. The PS5 Pro further refines these features, adding sharper visuals, enhanced ambient occlusion, improved object quality, and an overall boost to image quality.

PC: Customizable Upscaling and Performance

As expected, the PC version of KCD2 offers extensive customization options. Upscaling is entirely optional, with support for FSR and DLSS. XeSS (for Intel cards), sharpening options, and frame generation are not included.

While CryEngine's performance focus is evident, running KCD2 at 4K with maximum settings will still demand a powerful GPU. However, the game's highly scalable graphics, with five quality presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra, and Experimental), ensure players can find the optimal balance between visual quality and performance based on their system specifications.

KCD2 provides a comprehensive guide to help players prepare their systems, detailing CPU, RAM, GPU, and storage requirements. This ensures a smoother launch experience for all players.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 launches February 4, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Visit our Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 page for more details.