If your games look blurry and not as pretty as they should, even though you have a fancy graphics card like an AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT or a 7800 XT, the problem might not always be the game itself. There are a bunch of reasons why this could be happening. This article is going to help you figure out what’s up and give you some tips to make your games look sharper. We’re mainly talking about issues with the AMD Radeon RX 6000 or 7000 series cards.
Also see: Radeon Stutters and Freezes with DX11 Games and Chrome
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Check your display setup
Playing at native resolution
A common oopsie is not playing games at the native resolution of your monitor. For example, playing on a 4K monitor but at a lower resolution will make the image look blurry. Make sure your game’s resolution matches your display’s for the best look.
Popular question: 16:10 vs 16:9 Aspect Ratio for Gaming: Which is Better?
Monitor and GPU color profiles
If your monitor and GPU are not speaking the same color language, your games might look washed out. AMD GPUs usually talk in a full RGB color language (0-255), but if your monitor or TV only understands a limited range (16-235) and gets a full range signal, things can look off. Make sure your monitor’s settings are on the same page as your GPU’s output.
Fullscreen mode
Another thing to check is if you’re playing in fullscreen mode. Some games start in a borderless windowed mode, which can mess with resolution and sharpness. Switching to exclusive fullscreen mode can often give you a better, clearer image.
Pro tip: How to Allocate More RAM to a Game in Windows 11 or 10
In-game settings and optimization
Anti-aliasing and image sharpening
Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TAA) can make your game look softer, which might seem blurry. If TAA is on, try adjusting the image sharpening feature in the AMD Radeon Software to make things look crisper. Bumping up the sharpness and playing with saturation and contrast can really help.
Also, trying a different anti-aliasing method or lowering the anti-aliasing level, like Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing (FXAA), might give you a clearer picture compared to TAA.
Useful guide: Force App or Game to Use Nvidia GPU or Integrated Graphics
Disabling bloom and screen space reflections
Some in-game effects like screen space reflections can make the game look grainy or blurry. Turning it off can help if you don’t really need it.
Bloom effect adds a glow around light sources in games but can also make things look washed out. Turning off bloom might make the image pop more and look less blurry.
FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR)
AMD’s FSR helps your game run smoother by playing at a lower resolution and then pretending it’s your display’s resolution. It might make things less sharp, but using AMD’s Image Sharpening with FSR can make a big difference.
Radeon Boost and Chill
Some features like Radeon Boost and Radeon Chill try to make your game run smoother but might blur things a bit. If things look fuzzy when these are on, you might want to turn them off.
Radeon Anti-Lag
Radeon Anti-Lag is mainly for making your game respond faster, but some folks say it also makes their game look sharper. You can turn it on in the Radeon Software under the Gaming tab.
Suggested read: GPU 100% Usage When Idle or Gaming (Good or Bad)
Graphics software settings
AMD Radeon Software filters
Sometimes, the default settings in the AMD Radeon Software can mess with how your game looks. Check if any filters like sharpening or color adjustments are on and tweak them if needed.
Ensuring GPU and game API compatibility
Switching between graphics APIs in your game settings (like Vulkan to DX12) can change how good or bad your game looks and performs. Some game engines are best friends with certain APIs, so playing around with these settings can help find the best look and performance for your game.
Addressing specific games and engines
Some games or game engines naturally look a bit blurry or have a certain style that makes them look softer. It’s important to know that not all visual issues can be fixed with settings if they’re part of the game’s design.
Related concern: Is it bad to have monitors with different refresh rates?
Other tips to fix blurry graphics in games
Utilizing built-in game sharpening settings
If the game has its own sharpening settings, use those instead of the GPU’s software options. They’re usually more suited to that game.
Playing at a lower resolution
Even though the AMD Radeon RX 6000 and 7000 series are powerful, they might not handle everything perfectly at the highest settings. Playing at a slightly lower resolution, like 1440p, might give you a smoother experience with clearer visuals.
Finding the right resolution for your games
While 4K gaming is all the rage, not every setup can handle it without some compromises. It’s key to find a balance between resolution and other settings for a sharp look without losing smooth gameplay.
Potential display issues
A problem with your display can also make your games look blurry. If you have another monitor and the issue isn’t there, you might need to check for hardware problems or settings on your main display.
Learn more: How to Tell If It’s Your Monitor or GPU That Is Dying
Summing things up
Blurry and washed-out graphics in games can often be fixed by double-checking your settings, like making sure your display’s resolution matches the game’s and tweaking in-game settings for a clearer look. However, keep in mind that some games are made to look a certain way on purpose, and not all visual quirks can be tweaked away. It’s also a good idea to see if other gamers are having the same issue and what they recommend doing about it.
