The Sinking City 2 screen tearing fix and audio settings

Screen tearing in The Sinking City 2 can ruin the atmospheric dread of Arkham's flooded streets, especially when you're scanning the horizon for Dagon's influence during a downpour. This The Sinking City 2 screen tearing fix guide walks you through the exact settings that eliminate visual撕裂 while keeping input latency low, so you can focus on survival rather than distracting horizontal splits across your monitor. Because the game runs on Unreal Engine 5 with dynamic resolution scaling enabled by default, the right combination of V-sync, frame capping, and display mode matters more than you might expect.

The good news is that most tearing issues trace back to just three culprits: an uncapped frame rate exceeding your monitor's refresh rate, a mismatch between the in-game frame limiter and your GPU driver's control panel, or the default TSR upscaler behaving inconsistently at certain resolutions. We'll address each one systematically, then move into the audio configuration that makes the game's soundscape genuinely terrifying, plus keyboard and mouse refinements for precise aiming during combat encounters.

Understanding the Root Causes of Screen Tearing

TSR Upscaling vs. Native Resolution for Tear-Free Output

Frogwares' official targets treat upscaling as the baseline, not a compromise: the minimum spec (GTX 1070 / RX 5700 8GB) is certified for 1080p/30fps on Low with TSR enabled, while native rendering at that tier will exceed the frame budget and reintroduce tearing. At 1440p/60fps Medium, the recommended RTX 4070 Ti / RX 7900XT 12GB still assumes TSR is active. For a tear-free image, lock your frame rate to your display's refresh via the in-game cap, then enable TSR at 50% resolution scale; this keeps frame pacing stable and eliminates the micro-stutter that V-Sync alone cannot mask.

DirectX 12 and the 70GB SSD Requirement

The Sinking City 2 runs exclusively on DirectX 12, which means older GPU drivers that default to DX11-style frame presentation can cause tearing. Ensure your driver is updated to the latest Game Ready branch, as DX12's explicit multi-adapter features require current driver support. Additionally, the 70GB SSD requirement is not just about load times—UE5's texture streaming on a hard drive causes hitches that manifest as visible screen tears during fast camera rotation. Installing the game on an NVMe SSD ensures texture streaming keeps pace with movement, eliminating tear-like artifacts that V-Sync cannot fix.

Screen tearing happens when your GPU pushes frames faster than your display can refresh, causing the monitor to show parts of two or more frames in a single scan. In The Sinking City 2, this becomes particularly noticeable during fast camera pans across the flooded streets of Arkham or when the TSR upscaler transitions between dynamic resolution states. The game's default settings target 1080p at 30fps on minimum hardware and 1440p at 60fps on recommended hardware, according to the official Steam store page for The Sinking City 2, which means the engine expects a locked frame rate rather than an uncapped one.

Your monitor's refresh rate plays the deciding role here. If you're playing on a 60Hz display but your rig pushes 90-120fps in less demanding indoor sections, tearing will appear every time the camera moves horizontally. The same problem occurs on 144Hz monitors when the frame rate fluctuates between 100 and 144fps, because the display can't synchronize with the inconsistent output. The solution isn't necessarily to cap at your monitor's exact refresh rate, though — sometimes a cap slightly below that threshold produces a more stable frame pacing, which we'll cover in the configuration table below.

Frame pacing is the hidden variable most players overlook. Even with V-sync enabled, if your GPU can't sustain a consistent 60fps and dips to 55, the engine's frame pacing becomes erratic and tearing can sneak back in. This is why the combination of a frame rate cap set slightly below your average performance and V-sync enabled in the driver control panel often works better than relying on the in-game toggle alone.

Step-by-Step Screen Tearing Fix Configuration

Start by opening the game's video settings and working through this exact sequence, because the order matters for Unreal Engine 5 titles. First, set the display mode to Fullscreen rather than Borderless Windowed — the latter forces the Windows compositor into the rendering path, which can introduce an extra frame of latency and occasionally bypass your GPU driver's V-sync enforcement. Next, disable the in-game V-sync toggle and enable V-sync through your GPU control panel instead, which gives you more consistent frame delivery across different scenes.

The third step involves the frame rate limiter, and this is where you need to match your hardware capability. If your system meets the recommended requirements — an Intel Core i5-14600K or AMD Ryzen 5 7600X with an RTX 4070 Ti or RX 7900XT — you can target 60fps at 1440p with Medium TSR settings. For systems closer to the minimum spec (Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X with a GTX 1070 or RX 5700), a 30fps cap with Low TSR settings provides the most stable experience, since the game targets 1080p at 30fps on that hardware tier.

Dynamic resolution scaling in The Sinking City 2 can work against you when trying to eliminate tearing, because the engine adjusts internal resolution on the fly to maintain frame rate. While this helps prevent stuttering, the resolution transitions themselves can trigger brief tearing artifacts. Setting the resolution scale to a fixed value — 100% if your GPU can handle it, or 75% if you need headroom — removes this variable from the equation entirely.

Fine-Tuning V-Sync and Frame Capping

The most reliable configuration for a 60Hz monitor involves capping the frame rate at 58fps rather than 60. This odd-sounding choice works because the engine's frame pacing in Unreal Engine 5 titles often produces micro-stutters at an exact 60fps cap when the GPU load fluctuates. A 58fps cap gives the renderer a small buffer, which results in smoother frame delivery and zero tearing in most scenarios. For 144Hz displays, try a 138fps cap for the same reason.

• Enable V-sync in your GPU control panel (NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Adrenalin)

• Set the frame rate cap to 58fps on 60Hz displays, or 138fps on 144Hz displays

• Disable the in-game V-sync toggle to avoid double-synchronization conflicts

• Set TSR resolution scale to a fixed percentage rather than dynamic

• Verify G-Sync or FreeSync is active in your monitor's OSD menu

If you're using an NVIDIA GPU, you can also experiment with Low Latency Mode set to On in the control panel, which reduces input lag without interfering with V-sync. AMD users have a similar option called Anti-Lag in Adrenalin. These features don't directly affect tearing, but they compensate for the slight input latency that V-sync introduces, keeping the game responsive during combat encounters where precise aiming matters.

Audio Settings for Maximum Immersion

The Sinking City 2's audio design is one of its strongest elements, with Frogwares layering environmental sounds, distant whispers, and the constant presence of water to build tension. Getting the audio settings right enhances both atmosphere and gameplay awareness, because you'll often hear enemies before you see them in the fog-shrouded streets. The game's default audio configuration works reasonably well, but a few adjustments can significantly improve clarity.

Set the master volume to around 80% and keep the music volume slightly lower at 70%, which prevents the orchestral score from masking important environmental cues. The dialogue volume should stay at 100% because character conversations frequently contain clues about your next objective, and missing a line can send you wandering in the wrong direction. Sound effects at 100% are non-negotiable — the game's audio cues for enemy proximity and environmental hazards are critical for survival.

The dynamic range setting deserves special attention. If you're playing with headphones, select the Headphone dynamic range option, which compresses the audio slightly to preserve quiet details that might otherwise get lost. For speaker setups, the Wide dynamic range setting provides better spatial separation. According to player reports on the game's community subreddit, the Headphone setting also helps with directional audio during chase sequences, making it easier to tell whether footsteps are approaching from the left or right.

Keyboard and Mouse Settings for Precise Control

Frame Pacing and V-Sync on the Steam Deck OLED

The Steam Deck's 90Hz OLED panel requires a different tearing strategy than a 60Hz monitor. Set the refresh rate to 60Hz in Gaming Mode and enable the built-in frame limiter at 60fps, then pair it with in-game V-Sync. This prevents the panel's variable refresh from conflicting with UE5's frame pacing, which is the primary source of tearing on portable hardware. Avoid using the Deck's 40Hz/40fps mode for The Sinking City 2, as the survival horror pacing benefits from a locked 60fps to keep camera panning smooth during Arkham's flooded street exploration.

The Sinking City 2 shifts toward survival horror mechanics compared to the original's investigative focus, which means combat encounters demand more precise aiming and faster reaction times. The default keyboard and mouse settings work adequately, but adjusting a few parameters can make aiming feel significantly more responsive. Start with the mouse sensitivity setting, which defaults to a value that feels sluggish during combat — most players report better results with sensitivity increased by 15-20% from the default.

The aim down sights sensitivity multiplier deserves particular attention because it controls how much your aim slows when you're lining up a shot. Setting this to around 0.7 provides a good balance — slow enough for precise targeting but not so slow that tracking moving enemies becomes frustrating. Mouse acceleration should be disabled, since it introduces inconsistency that makes muscle memory useless. The game also offers separate sensitivity options for horizontal and vertical aiming, and setting vertical slightly lower (around 90% of horizontal) helps with recoil control during sustained fire.

Key binding adjustments can improve your combat efficiency significantly. The default key for the dodge maneuver sits awkwardly for many players, and remapping it to a side mouse button or the Shift key reduces reaction time during enemy attacks. Similarly, moving the interact key closer to your movement keys — such as from E to F — lets you pick up items and open doors without breaking your movement flow. These small changes compound over a full playthrough, especially during the game's more intense sequences.

If you're experiencing input lag that makes aiming feel floaty, check whether the frame rate cap and V-sync settings from the earlier section are properly configured, because input latency directly correlates with frame pacing. A stable 60fps with V-sync enabled adds roughly one frame of latency, which is acceptable for most players, but the 58fps cap trick reduces this slightly by giving the renderer more headroom to complete frames on time.

Steam Deck Compatibility and Portable Settings

The Sinking City 2's Steam Deck compatibility has been a topic of discussion since the game's announcement, and the current situation is more nuanced than a simple yes or no. The game's official system requirements list Windows 11 x64 as the minimum operating system, which technically excludes the Steam Deck's Linux-based SteamOS. However, community testing on the r/TheSinkingCity subreddit suggests the game runs through Proton with varying degrees of success, though performance on the base Deck model remains marginal.

For Steam Deck users, the primary concern is whether the hardware can maintain a playable frame rate. The Deck's APU sits well below the minimum PC requirements (GTX 1070 / RX 5700), which means you'll need to run the game at the lowest settings with TSR upscaling engaged aggressively. Based on community reports, the game can hold around 30fps at 800p with Low settings and TSR set to Performance mode, though frame pacing issues may cause occasional dips during water-heavy scenes.

Steam Deck settings that work best include disabling V-sync in-game and relying on the Deck's built-in frame limiter set to 30fps, which produces more consistent frame pacing than the game's internal limiter. The refresh rate should be set to 40Hz with a 40fps cap if you're using the OLED model, since that provides a smoother experience than 30fps while still being achievable on the hardware. The LCD model should stick with 30fps, since 40fps exceeds what the APU can sustain in most areas.

If you're planning to play extensively on Steam Deck, the Steam Deck performance guide covers additional optimization strategies for Unreal Engine 5 titles on Valve's hardware, including shader pre-caching and thermal management tips that can prevent performance degradation during longer sessions. The game's survival horror pacing actually suits the Deck's portable format well, since the slower exploration segments give the hardware breathing room to recover from demanding combat sequences.

PC Requirements and Performance Targets

Understanding the game's performance targets helps you calibrate your settings realistically, because The Sinking City 2's Unreal Engine 5 foundation demands more from your hardware than the original game did. The official system requirements, listed on the Steam store page, specify that minimum hardware targets 1080p at 30fps with Low settings and TSR upscaling, while recommended hardware targets 1440p at 60fps with Medium settings.

The minimum configuration calls for a Windows 11 x64 system with an Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, 16GB of RAM, and a GTX 1070 or RX 5700 with 8GB of VRAM. The game requires 70GB of SSD storage and DirectX 12 support. The recommended configuration steps up to an Intel Core i5-14600K or AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, 32GB of RAM, and an RTX 4070 Ti or RX 7900XT with 12GB of VRAM, which is a substantial jump that reflects the game's ambitious visual direction.

If your hardware sits between these tiers, the CPU requirements guide breaks down how different processor generations affect performance in CPU-bound areas like the dense city streets, which can help you decide whether to prioritize visual quality or frame rate stability in your settings. The game's dynamic weather system and volumetric fog are particularly demanding, so expect performance to fluctuate more during storm sequences regardless of your hardware tier.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best V-sync setting for The Sinking City 2?

Disable the in-game V-sync toggle and enable V-sync through your GPU driver control panel instead. This provides more consistent frame delivery because the driver-level synchronization works with your specific monitor's refresh cycle. Combine this with a frame rate cap set slightly below your monitor's refresh rate, such as 58fps on a 60Hz display, to eliminate tearing while minimizing input latency.

Does the game support G-Sync or FreeSync?

Yes, The Sinking City 2 supports both G-Sync and FreeSync. Enable the technology in your monitor's OSD and GPU driver, then disable traditional V-sync in-game. This prevents tearing when your frame rate stays within your monitor's adaptive sync range, which is crucial given the game targets 30fps on minimum-spec hardware.

Can I play The Sinking City 2 on Steam Deck?

Yes, The Sinking City 2 is playable on Steam Deck, but only via Proton with significant visual compromises. On the base LCD model, expect roughly 30fps at 800p using Low settings with TSR in Performance mode. The OLED model's 40Hz refresh rate provides a smoother 40fps experience, though both require accepting reduced graphical fidelity.

What audio settings improve enemy detection?

Set sound effects to 100% and enable the Headphone dynamic range option to preserve quiet cues like footsteps and distant whispers. Keep music at 70% so the score never masks enemy audio, which telegraphs threats before visual contact. This matters most during Arkham's flooded streets where ambushes rely entirely on sound.

Will the screen tearing fix affect my frame rate?

No, the fix won't hurt your FPS. Capping at 58fps on a 60Hz display gives the Unreal Engine 5 renderer headroom to finish frames on time, reducing micro-stutters versus an uncapped 60. You'll trade a slight input latency increase, which Low Latency Mode can offset.