Frostpunk 2, the eagerly anticipated sequel to the acclaimed city-builder, challenges players to lead a society on the brink of extinction in a frozen wasteland. As with the original title, 11 Bit Studios has once again crafted a world that tests the limits of resource management and moral choices. However, this deep environment usually puts a lot of load on one’s system, especially the GPU.
Well, on that note, the game has received support for AMD’s FSR 3.1 (FidelityFX Super Resolution), promising better visuals and smoother performance. As per AMD, the new update lets players enjoy boosted framerate, sharper visuals, and reduced ghosting. All of this is across AMD’s wide range of GPUs, including their older cards. Now that’s a bold claim to make, and pretty amazing for players if true. Eager to test these claims, I ran Frostpunk 2 on my AMD Radeon 7900XT GPU, and the results did not disappoint.
Test Bench Specs:
CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K
RAM: 32GB Kingston FURY DDR5-7200MT/s
GPU: AMD Radeon 7900XT
Storage: XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade 1TB
Motherboard: MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk
PSU: MSI MAG A1000GL
Table of Contents
Game Settings and Features
Before diving into performance metrics, it’s worth exploring the game’s rich customization options. Frostpunk 2 features a robust suite of graphics settings, ensuring players can adjust the game to suit their hardware capabilities. This flexibility is crucial, as not all systems can handle the game’s demanding visuals at maximum settings.
Players can tweak the quality of textures, terrain, effects, shadows, fog, meshes, city details, as well as lighting. For those seeking a more simple and straightforward approach, pre-configured options like Very Low, Low, Medium, High, and Ultra High are available. Meanwhile, advanced users can dive into individual settings by switching to the Custom profile to fine-tune their experience.
One of the most noteworthy features is support for AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 3.1. This upscaling technology allows the game to deliver higher frame rates by rendering at lower resolutions and intelligently upscaling the image. Multiple FSR modes, such as Quality, Balanced, Performance, and Ultra Performance, cater to different priorities—whether that’s maximum visuals or peak frame rates. This ensures that Frostpunk 2 is accessible to a wide range of PC setups without compromising the visual grandeur of its frozen wastelands.
Performance Analysis
When it comes to performance, Frostpunk 2 truly shines, particularly on systems equipped with AMD GPUs. My test bench was an Intel Core i9-13900K processor coupled with 32GB of 7200MT/s Kingston FURY RAM. The highlight, though, was the AMD Radeon 7900XT GPU, with a whopping 20GB of GDDR6 VRAM. That’s a flagship GPU, so I decided to test the game out on both 1440p as well as 4K resolution.
As claimed by AMD, FSR 3.1 proves to be a significant boon for Frostpunk 2 performance. This cutting-edge upscaling technology not only enhances resolution but also significantly boosts frame rates. In my testing, enabling FSR 3.1 resulted in a substantial increase in performance, allowing me to maintain smooth gameplay even with demanding settings. At 4K ultra settings, the frame rate leapt from a mediocre 47 FPS to an impressive 120+ FPS.
The shift was even bigger when gaming at 1440p QHD resolution. Natively, with all settings cranked high, the game was averaging around the 90 FPS mark. However, with AMD FSR 3.1 enabled, I was averaging over 220 FPS in the game, which is almost a 2.5x improvement. A major credit for it also goes to AMD’s FSR 3.1 Frame Generation, which leverages AI-driven algorithms to interpolate frames, creating a smoother visual experience without taxing the GPU as heavily. This feature worked flawlessly during my testing, ensuring that even graphically intense moments, like large-scale events or extreme weather effects, ran seamlessly.
Gaming Experience
Beyond its technical prowess, Frostpunk 2 excels in delivering an immersive and emotionally charged gaming experience. The game’s intricate city-building mechanics and its harsh, snow-covered environments are brought to life with stunning detail. High frame rates and sharp visuals make every decision and action more engaging, whether you’re allocating scarce resources or responding to the unpredictable challenges of a frozen apocalypse.
The narrative is just as compelling as the gameplay. Frostpunk 2 forces players to grapple with difficult moral dilemmas while managing their society’s survival. This is very well complimented by the enhanced graphics and smooth performance amplifying the tension, particularly during critical moments, such as resource crises or harsh weather events. This combination of strategic depth, narrative intensity, and technical excellence makes Frostpunk 2 a standout title.
Verdict
Frostpunk 2 succeeds on all fronts, blending challenging gameplay with a gripping story and breathtaking visuals. It’s a much bigger game than the original title, while still being just as engrossing. The game is already well-optimized for PC, but the integration of AMD’s FSR 3.1 elevates its performance and accessibility. The significant boosts in frame rates and the ability to fine-tune graphical settings make AMD GPUs the ideal choice for enjoying this title at its best.
Editor’s Rating: 8.5 / 10
Pros:
- AMD FSR 3.1 significantly improves performance
- Frame Generation gives noticeable frame improvement
- Extensive graphics settings allow for customisation
Cons:
- Can be demanding on system resources
- Slight artifacts may pop-up
