Improving FPS

Improving FPS means reducing lag and making CIT run more smoothly by changing CIT settings, MTA graphics settings, and unnecessary visual extras.

FPS notes

The main ways to improve FPS in CIT are:

lower graphics heavy settings
keep draw distance lower
disable visual extras you do not need
avoid HD mods
reduce sound load when FPS drops
keep background apps closed

If you want a stable setup, it is better to aim for a steady FPS instead of chasing a very high uncapped number.

Quick setup

For a simple low lag setup:

open /settings
go to Graphics > FRAME RATE
set a reasonable minimum and maximum FPS
lower graphics and sound settings
keep Max distance around 300
disable heavy Graphics you do not need
keep weather and blur effects off
open Sound Performance and disable sounds when FPS is low
avoid HD mods
close background apps
update your drivers

CIT settings

FPS section

To change FPS settings:

open /settings
go to Graphics > FRAME RATE

The general server maximum is 144 FPS. In Graphics > FRAME RATE, Maximum FPS accepts 36 to 144 and defaults to 144. Races enforce 70 FPS.

Use the FPS settings to keep your game stable instead of chasing a very high number.

Recommended FPS target

Use Maximum FPS under /settings > Graphics > FRAME RATE to set your cap between 36 and 144. The default is 144; a chosen cap does not guarantee your computer will reach it. Minimum FPS controls when CIT reduces effects, not a guaranteed frame rate.

Race FPS limit

While you are inside a race, the maximum FPS is:

70

The cap exists because higher FPS makes you drive slightly faster. That is unfair for players with less FPS.

Graphics settings

Max distance

One of the biggest FPS settings is view distance.

A practical setup is:

keep Max distance around 300

Lower draw distance usually helps performance because fewer distant objects need to be rendered.

Graphics

Disable heavy shader effects you do not need.

disable heavy Graphics you do not need

FXAA Shader

FXAA Shader is the lighter anti aliasing option in CIT.

Options are:

Off
Low
Normal
High (Sharp)

If you need more FPS, keep it on a lower setting or turn it off.

Weather and visual effects

The following visual settings can be turned off:

Enable Speed Blur
Enable Clouds
Enable Heat Haze
Enable Rain

Keeping these off can help reduce extra visual load.

Vivid Shader

Vivid Shader makes the game more colorful.

If you are trying to maximize FPS, keep unnecessary visual shaders disabled.

Sound settings

Sound Performance

If FPS drops, you can reduce sound load.

To do that:

open /settings
go to Audio > SOUND PERFORMANCE
choose which sounds should be disabled when FPS is low

You can also mute or lower normal sound categories in /settings.

MTA Graphics settings

Useful areas to test are:

draw distance
FX quality
anti aliasing
resolution
advanced loading settings

If your FPS is low, lower these first before adding more visual effects back.

Draw Distance

MTA uses a draw distance slider in the Video tab. Higher draw distance keeps objects visible from farther away and can increase rendering load.

Asynchronous Loading

MTA also supports Asynchronous Loading.

This can reduce the small pauses that happen when new models load for the first time, but models may appear slightly later. It is worth testing if your issue feels like stutter or loading hitches more than low raw FPS.

Mods and custom content

Avoid HD mods

If you want better FPS, avoid heavy HD mods.

avoid HD mods

This is especially useful on lower end PCs or when the server already loads many custom objects and effects.

Background programs and drivers

Outside the game:

update drivers
lower GPU 3D settings
close background apps

These steps can help if your game is stuttering even after lowering in game settings.

Practical low lag preset

A simple low lag preset can look like this:

set a stable FPS cap instead of running extremely high
keep Max distance around 300
set FXAA Shader to Off or Low
disable Speed Blur
disable Clouds
disable Heat Haze
disable Rain
disable heavy shader graphics
use Sound Performance to reduce sound load
avoid HD mods
close browser tabs, overlays, and background apps before launching the game

Commands

Command	Use
`/settings`	Open the CIT settings menu
`/fps_limit=0`	Remove your personal FPS cap. The server maximum is still `144 FPS`.

FPS details

GTA SA was designed to run at 36 FPS. CIT does not allow unlimited FPS because very high FPS can cause bugs and an unfair advantage.
A stable FPS is usually better than a higher but inconsistent FPS.
In races, the maximum FPS is capped at 70.
If your game feels like it freezes briefly when entering new areas, test lower draw distance and Asynchronous Loading.

Graphics and sound thresholds

Open /settings and go to Graphics > FRAME RATE, which contains Minimum FPS and Maximum FPS. Maximum FPS sets your frame rate cap; its default is 144 and its accepted range is 36 to 144. Activities can enforce a lower cap, such as 70 FPS while racing.

Find Minimum FPS in /settings under Graphics > FRAME RATE. The default is 30, and the accepted range is 10 to 999. Set it to 999 for the highest FPS possible.

When FPS drops below your chosen minimum, CIT temporarily disables visual features and re-enables them according to your settings when FPS recovers. The full list is shown in /settings. It includes:

Good Textures, Detail Shader, other players' custom skins and clothing, Player Hats, graffiti textures
the water, car reflection, bloom, road shine, sky, FXAA, shadow, ambient occlusion and color grading shaders
vehicle neons, weapon lasers, falling snow, fireworks and explosion effects

Your own custom skin and clothing and the skin of the vehicle you are in stay visible. The game can also lower view distance. This setting does not guarantee that your computer will achieve the chosen FPS.

Minimum FPS also turns off, for a while: custom skins of vehicles you are not in, animated entrance markers (the markers stay visible), floating world images, group speaker range outlines, medic cross icons at criminal events and above injured peds, emergency vehicle headlight flashing updates, and extra molotov explosion visuals. It also blocks new tear-gas blur effects, disables custom billboards after FPS stays low for a while, and reduces the update rates of the minimap and of other players' parachutes.

Open /settings and go to Audio > SOUND PERFORMANCE. Each of these settings disables its sound category when FPS falls below the entered number. Each accepts 1 to 999.

Setting	Default
`Disable All Sounds When FPS Below`	`10`
`Disable Foot Steps When FPS Below`	`35`
`Disable Gun Shots When FPS Below`	`20`
`Disable Idle Engine Hum When FPS Below`	`999`
`Disable Ped Sounds When FPS Below`	`20`

The all sounds control covers GTA:SA world sounds. Set it to 999 to keep those world sounds disabled. Ped sounds include character injury and bumping sounds. These numbers are FPS thresholds, not volume levels.

Open /settings > General > GENERAL VEHICLE SETTINGS and set Neon upgrades on vehicles to No to turn off the neon display. Neons are CPU intensive, so disabling them can improve FPS. The default is Yes.

Ambient Occlusion Shader is under Graphics > VISUAL EFFECTS in /settings. It adds light screen space contact shadowing in corners and creases. It is a visual approximation, so keep it Off if you prefer maximum FPS. The options are Off, Subtle, Balanced, and Strong. The default is Off.

Find FXAA Shader in /settings under Graphics > VISUAL EFFECTS. It is a lightweight anti aliasing effect for players who keep MTA's own Anti-aliasing (ESC > Settings > Video) off. The choices are Off, Low, Normal, and High (Sharp); the default is Off. CIT describes Normal as improving jagged edges with no performance impact. When comparing FXAA levels, keep MTA's Anti-aliasing off.