PCSX2 Optimized Configs

Per-game configurations, auto-detection, and ReShade visual enhancement presets for PCSX2 — optimized for high-resolution upscaling on modern GPUs.

Every config is cross-referenced against PCSX2's official GameIndex.yaml to include all recommended HW fixes, clamp modes, and round modes — then tuned for visual quality at up to 6x native resolution.

Credits

Built by Claynetic with Claude (Anthropic). Every config, script, preset, and line of documentation in this project was developed through AI-assisted pair programming using Claude Code.

Quick Start

Automatic Setup (Recommended)

The setup script auto-detects your games, GPU tier, and generates optimized configs:

.\tools\setup.ps1 -PCSX2Path "C:\path\to\PCSX2"

What it does:

1. Scans your PCSX2 game library (existing configs, gamelist cache, game directories)
2. Parses GameIndex.yaml for each detected game's official recommended fixes
3. Detects your GPU and sets the appropriate upscale multiplier (3x-6x)
4. Generates per-game .ini configs with all HW fixes translated to PCSX2 format
5. Installs 24 pre-tested configs for known games (these override auto-generated ones)
6. Installs ReShade visual enhancement presets

Options:

.\tools\setup.ps1 -PCSX2Path "C:\PCSX2" -DryRun        # Preview without writing files
.\tools\setup.ps1 -PCSX2Path "C:\PCSX2" -SkipReShade    # Skip ReShade preset install
.\tools\setup.ps1 -Help                                   # Full usage info

Manual Installation

1. Copy .ini files from gamesettings/ into your PCSX2 gamesettings folder
2. Files are named SERIAL_CRC.ini — they apply automatically to the matching game
3. Launch the game and settings load automatically

What's Included

Auto-Detection Engine (tools/setup.ps1)

The setup script works with any PS2 game, not just the 24 pre-tested titles:

• GPU Detection — Identifies your GPU model and classifies it as low/mid/high tier to set appropriate upscale multipliers
• Game Library Scanning — Reads your existing PCSX2 configs, gamelist cache, and configured game directories
• GameIndex.yaml Parsing — Extracts every recommended fix for each detected game: gsHWFixes, gameFixes, clampModes, roundModes
• Config Generation — Translates GameIndex fixes to per-game .ini format with correct key names
• Performance Tuning — Automatically caps upscale for games with heavy fix stacks (CPU sprite rendering, GPU CLUT, etc.)
• RDNA Detection — Warns AMD RDNA2/3 users about the Vulkan timeout bug and recommends DX11

Pre-Tested Configs (gamesettings/)

24 hand-tuned configurations that go beyond GameIndex defaults with performance-tested visual enhancements:

Game	Serial	Key Fixes	Upscale
007: Everything or Nothing	SLES-52005	preloadFrameData, HPO 2	6x
007: From Russia with Love	SLUS-21282	textureInsideRT, HPO 4, blending 4, SW FMV hack	6x
24: The Game	SCES-53358	vuClampMode 2, autoFlush, roundSprite	6x
50 Cent: Bulletproof	SLUS-21315	roundSprite	6x
B-Boy	SCES-53960	autoFlush, HPO 4, nativeScaling	6x
Barnyard	SLUS-21277	HPO 2, autoFlush 2, nativeScaling	6x
Black	SLUS-21376	vuClampMode 3, blending 2, HPO 5, autoFlush 2, nativeScaling 2	6x
Def Jam: Fight for NY	SLUS-21004	HPO 4, nativeScaling 2	6x
GTA: Vice City Stories	SLES-54622	HPO 2	6x
Gun	SLUS-21139	VU1 round 0, blending 3, HPO 5, autoFlush, nativeScaling 2	6x
Guitar Hero	SLUS-21224	VU1 round 1	4x
Guitar Hero III	SLUS-21672	VU1 round 0, textureInsideRT, HPO 4, nativeScaling, autoFlush	4x
Guitar Hero 5	SLUS-21865	VU1 round 0, HPO 4, nativeScaling	4x
Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits	SLES-55544	VU1 round 0, cpuCLUTRender, HPO 4, nativeScaling, autoFlush	4x
Jackass: The Game	SLUS-21627	HPO 1	6x
Matrix: Path of Neo	SLUS-21273	HPO 2, autoFlush, nativeScaling 2	6x
Mercenaries	SLUS-20932	autoFlush 2, nativeScaling	6x
Red Dead Revolver	SLUS-20500	(no HW fixes needed)	6x
Reservoir Dogs	SLUS-21479	EETimingHack, textureInsideRT, HPO 2, nativeScaling	6x
Sims 2: Castaway	SLUS-21664	HPO 4	6x
Sopranos: Road to Respect	SLUS-21388	HPO 4, nativeScaling, texturePreloading	6x
The Getaway	SCES-51426	textureInsideRT, texturePreloading, HPO 2	6x
The Warriors	SLUS-21215	HPO 4, autoFlush 2, nativeScaling 2	6x
True Crime: New York City	SLUS-21106	eeClampMode 2, cpuSpriteBW, gpuTargetCLUT, HPO 5, nativeScaling 2, bilinearUpscale, triFilter	3x

Note on True Crime NYC: Heaviest fix stack in the collection. CPU sprite rendering and GPU CLUT fixes are extremely demanding — upscale is capped at 3x even on high-end GPUs.

Note on Guitar Hero titles: Upscale capped at 4x with hw_mipmap = false due to engine mipmap bugs that cause artifacts at higher resolutions.

Visual Enhancement Suite (tools/visual-suite/)

ReShade-based post-processing presets and management tools.

ReShade Presets (reshade-presets/)

6 presets for ReShade 6.x running in DX11 mode:

Preset	Effects	Best For
Default_Balanced	SMAA, LumaSharpen, Clarity, Vibrance, Curves	Everyday use — clean and sharp
Maximum_Clarity	SMAA, Smart_Sharp, Clarity, CAS, Levels, Curves	Maximum texture detail
Cinematic	SMAA, LumaSharpen, Clarity, HDR, LiftGammaGain, BloomingHDR, Vignette	Film-like atmosphere with bloom
Vibrant	SMAA, LumaSharpen, Vibrance, LiftGammaGain, Tonemap, Levels, Curves	Saturated, pop-out colors
Performance	FXAA, CAS, Curves	Minimal GPU cost
Retro_Warm	FXAA, LumaSharpen, DPX, LiftGammaGain, FilmGrain, Vignette	Nostalgic warm film look

Tools

Tool	Description
tools/setup.ps1	Auto-detection + config generation + installation
tools/switch_preset.ps1	Switch ReShade presets from CLI
tools/toggle_enhancements.ps1	Enable/disable ReShade (renames dxgi.dll)
tools/visual-suite/dashboard.html	Reference dashboard with controls, presets, and settings

ReShade Installation Guide

Step 1: Install ReShade

1. Download from reshade.me (standard version, not the add-on version)
2. Run the installer and click Browse
3. Navigate to your pcsx2-qt.exe
4. Select Direct3D 10/11/12 as the rendering API
5. Install these shader packages:
   • Standard Effects
   • SweetFX
   • qUINT
   • AstrayFX

Step 2: Configure ReShade.ini

After installation, edit ReShade.ini in your PCSX2 folder:

Critical settings:

[GENERAL]
AutoSavePreset=0

Without this, ReShade silently overwrites your preset files when you toggle effects in-game.

EffectSearchPaths — must include subdirectories (ReShade does NOT recurse):

EffectSearchPaths=.\reshade-shaders\Shaders,.\reshade-shaders\Shaders\SweetFX,.\reshade-shaders\Shaders\AstrayFX,.\reshade-shaders\Shaders\qUINT

TextureSearchPaths — same treatment for SMAA and other texture dependencies:

TextureSearchPaths=.\reshade-shaders\Textures,.\reshade-shaders\Textures\SweetFX,.\reshade-shaders\Textures\AstrayFX

Step 3: Install Presets

Copy the .ini files from reshade-presets/ into your preferred directory, then set PresetPath in ReShade.ini to point to your chosen preset.

Or use the CLI switcher:

.\tools\switch_preset.ps1 -List              # See all presets
.\tools\switch_preset.ps1 Cinematic          # Switch to Cinematic
.\tools\switch_preset.ps1 Default_Balanced   # Switch to Default

Step 4: Clear Shader Cache

After changing EffectSearchPaths, clear the ReShade shader cache:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp\ReShade\

Delete the contents of this folder, then restart PCSX2.

Recommended Global Settings

These global PCSX2.ini settings complement the per-game configs:

[EmuCore/GS]
Renderer = 3                    # DX11 — stable on AMD RDNA2/3
upscale_multiplier = 6          # 6x native (adjust for your GPU)
hw_mipmap = true                # Correct mipmap handling
CASMode = 1                     # Contrast Adaptive Sharpening
MaxAnisotropy = 16              # Maximum anisotropic filtering
texture_preloading = 2          # Full texture preloading
pcrtc_antiblur = true           # Remove PS2 blur
ScreenshotQuality = 85          # High quality screenshots

[EmuCore/Speedhacks]
vuThread = true                 # Multi-threaded VU1
vu1Instant = true               # Instant VU1

[EmuCore]
EnableThreadPinning = true      # Pin threads to cores
EnableFastBoot = true           # Skip BIOS intro

[SPU2/Output]
Backend = Cubeb                 # Required for ReShade compatibility

Why DX11?

Vulkan has known driver timeout issues on RDNA3 GPUs in PCSX2 (GitHub #10720). The PCSX2 team changed the Auto renderer default to OpenGL for RDNA2/3 (PR #12144). DX11 provides the best stability and ReShade compatibility.

Performance Notes

Game	Issue	Solution
Black	GameIndex recommends blending 4, causes ~5fps at 6x	Use blending 2 — still looks great
True Crime NYC	CPU sprite rendering + GPU CLUT + 7 other HW fixes	Cap at 3x upscale
Guitar Hero (all)	Engine mipmap bugs	Cap at 4x, disable hw_mipmap

GPU Tier Guide (auto-detected by setup.ps1):

Tier	GPUs	Default Upscale
High	RTX 4070+, RX 7800+, RTX 3080+	6x
Mid	RTX 3060-3070, RX 6700-6800, GTX 1070-1080	4x
Low	RX 6500-6600, GTX 1050-1060, older	3x

How These Configs Were Built

1. Every game's serial matched against GameIndex.yaml for all officially recommended fixes
2. HW fixes (gsHWFixes), clamp modes, round modes, and game fixes translated to per-game .ini format
3. Visual enhancements layered on top: upscaling, CAS sharpening, texture replacement support, anti-blur
4. Performance tested on RX 7800 XT — settings that dropped framerate were dialed back with documented reasons
5. ReShade presets built using verified shader technique names (technique names differ from filenames)
6. Internal-only GameIndex fixes (getSkipCount, beforeDraw) excluded — these only work inside GameIndex.yaml itself

Contributing

Report an Issue

Found a game that needs tweaking? Open an issue with:

• Game name and serial (e.g., SLUS-21376)
• CRC (visible in PCSX2's game list or log)
• What's broken and what you tried
• Your GPU model and PCSX2 version

Submit a Config

Pull requests with new per-game configs are welcome:

1. Cross-reference against GameIndex.yaml for official fixes
2. Test at your GPU's appropriate upscale multiplier
3. Strip personal settings (cheats, patches, UI preferences, memcard paths)
4. Include the game name and serial in a comment header:

   # Game Name
   # Serial: SLUS-XXXXX | CRC: XXXXXXXX

Improve the Auto-Detection

The setup script's GameIndex.yaml parser handles the most common fix types. If you find games where fixes aren't translating correctly, please open an issue with the serial and the expected vs. actual config output.

License

MIT