Crysis Configuration Settings and Tweaks

In many ways, Crysis is the most advanced game for the PC out there right now. Fortunately, there are several ways to fine tune your settings and experience.

Running Crysis on Very High Instead of High Settings with DirectX 9

If you are missing one of the components needed for DX10 (either Windows Vista or a DX10 capable video card), you will run in DX9 mode with the limit of only choosing 'High' settings. You can replace certain config files in the Crysis folder and force the game to run under 'Very High' settings in DX9 mode. If you would like to try this, simply download the small .zip file below and follow the two steps in the readme.txt file.

Download the High to Very High configuration files here

This will give you "God Rays" and other effects like those mentioned in Screenshot 4b.

Remove Annoying Startup / Intro Videos

If you are tired of being forced to watching the endless stream of logo intro videos after you launch the game, this easy fix is for you. Simply navigate to your \CrysisDemo\Game\Localized\Video folder and delete the small files. If you think you'll miss these intro videos, create a backup folder and put them in there. The next time you run the game, you will go straight to the main game menu without facing any intro spam.

Running DX9 Mode on a DX10 Capable Windows Vista PC

If you have a DX10 capable card (such as a GeForce 8 series) and are playing the game under Windows Vista, it will default to playing under DX10 mode. If, for whatever reason, you would like to force the game to run under Vista's version of DX9, all you have to do is right click the game in your Game's menu and select that option:

Vista's game menu

You can Alt+Tab out and see that the Crysis no longer says "DX10" in the taskbar like it did when you ran in the default DX10 mode.

Useful Console Commands

Crysis has a very advanced console system with over 1600 commands. To access the console while playing the game, simply press the ~ key and it will drop down. Some of the more useful commands include:

Fix Vista 64-bit Startup Crash/Hang

Many people running 64-bit Windows Vista (and possibly 64-bit XP) have been forced into manually running the 32-bit exe because the game hangs immediately after startup. To fix this, access the Nvidia control panel (right click on desktop > Nvidia Control Panel). Select the "Manage 3D Settings" tab on the left. You should see "Global Settings" and "Program Settings" on the right; click "Program Settings". Scroll down in the list until you get to "Crysis (crysis.exe)" and click it. In the bottom settings box for Crysis, scroll to the very bottom and select "Vertical Sync" and change the setting from to "Force on" instead of using the global setting. You should now be able to run Crysis in 64-bit mode from the games menu.