Should I Use DirectX 11 or Vulkan for Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3)?

After installing the massive game that is Baldur’s Gate 3 and then opening it up, you’ll be faced with your first dilemma of the game — should I use DirectX 11 or Vulkan as your choice of graphics API for Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3)?. The choice really comes down to the PC specs that you’re working with — are you running an Nvidia graphics card, an AMD graphics card, or something else entirely?

Which Graphics API is Better to Launch Baldur’s Gate 3 With Based on Your Hardware

Nvidia GPU

If you’re rocking with an Nvidia graphics card, then the best choice for you to run Baldur’s Gate 3 with will be DirectX 11. This API is much more optimized for Nvidia cards than Vulkan. And while both should work, chances are you’ll get better performance on DirectX 11 with your Nvidia system.

AMD GPU

AMD is another ball game, especially if you also have an AMD CPU. Vulkan is an API much more tailored to AMD systems, and as such you’ll generally find better performance and a more optimized game on Vulkan if you’re using an AMD system. DirectX 11 will likely work just fine as well, but generally Vulkan is the go to for AMD users for the best experience.

Other GPUs

If you’re using something else like an Intel GPU, most of the time you will find DirectX 11 to be the safer option to launch the game with. It’s a more generalized API, and it will likely perform better with an alternative GPU than Vulkan will.

That covers it for whether you should launch Baldur’s Gate 3 with DirectX 11 or Vulkan, it will come down to the PC specs you’re running for the best option for you to use and if you’re not use what you’re using just go with DirectX 11 as the safe option!

For more on BG3, check out our guides on how to respec your party members, as well as fixing any save bugs that might pop up. And if you’re just starting out, watch Destructoid’s excellent beginner’s guide to Baldur’s Gate 3.