Over the last few years, numerous video games have started presenting players with the option of switching between graphics APIs for better compatibility and smoother performance. Baldur’s Gate 3 is no different. While it doesn’t use the latest DX12, upon launch players are given the option to either run Baldur’s Gate 3 on DirectX 11 or Vulkan mode.
While PC gaming enthusiasts won’t be confused by these options, if you are a relatively new user to the platform or don’t care about what’s under the hood when it comes to games, you would be rightly confused about DX11 vs. Vulkan modes for BG3. So, which option should you choose to run the game? Is DirectX 11 better or Vulkan for Baldur’s Gate 3? Let’s find out. Also, if you are looking for Best PC Settings on PC for best performance, you should check our guide on that as well.
What are DirectX 11 and Vulkan launch options?
The default API option is set to Valkan in Baldur’s Gate 3 when you launch the game. It provides you with better FPS than launching the game with DirectX 11. Vulkan gives you better performance output in Baldur’s Gate 3. It brings less load on the CPU memory and increases performance quality than DX11.
However, that is not always a given and typically, newer-generation systems, albeit lower-end ones, might benefit more from Vulkan than older ones.
Vulkan graphic API is made while thinking that the players have the most recent devices to play Baldur’s Gate 3. Vulkan is considered best for AMD Users since the company that developed Vulkan comes under the umbrella of AMD itself.
Whereas, DirectX 11 is for the old device users to play Baldur’s Gate 3. If you have Nvidia graphic hardware, we suggest that you use the DirectX 11 launch option as it performs better.
Should you use DirectX 11 or Vulkan for Baldur’s Gate 3?
At the end of the day, the choice boils down to your hardware and experience. If you are game is performing poorly on the chosen API, you should try switching. Considering how well BG3 is optimized, it is highly unlikely that you will suffer from performance issues unless your system doesn’t even meet the requirements for the game.
In my testing, both Vulkan and DX11 performed the same. The average FPS remained within 1-2 frames of each other regardless of the API chosen. Never had any crashes or stuttering, to begin with. Although keep in mind that my system is a pretty high-end machine so if your PC is somewhat close to the minimum requirements, I would suggest using Vulkan as your choice of API for Baldur’s Gate 3.
