Baldur’s Gate 3 DirectX 11 or Vulkan: Which Should You Use to Play BG3? Answered

While you might have been prepared for Baldur’s Gate 3 to entail choices, one in particular likely caught you off guard. It’s an important one too, and if you make the wrong call, the rest of your play session could wind up being less than ideal. Fortunately for you, we’re here to help with a guide aimed at answering the question: Should you use DirectX 11 or Vulkan to play Baldur’s Gate 3?

Should You Use DirectX 11 or Vulkan to Play Baldur’s Gate 3? Differences Explained

The best choice of Graphics API comes down to two key factors: how old your graphics card is and what kind of visual experience you want to have.

In general, DirectX 11 is the best choice for anyone whose computer doesn’t meet the game’s minimum requirements. It’ll allow for a smooth playing experience with minimal performance issues that doesn’t put too much of a strain on your system. In exchange though, there is a higher chance of minor graphical hiccups, a lower frame rate, and a lower overall quality of images shown while you play.

Vulkan, meanwhile, is best reserved for play sessions on top of the line hardware. In exchange for being more demanding, it provides better graphical performance with minimal issues the majority of the time. However, if there are issues, then they’ll be substantially worse and more noticeable than they would be while running DirectX 11, especially if your computer isn’t equipped to run it properly.

With this in mind, you should use DirectX 11 to play Baldur’s Gate 3 in most instances unless you have a top of the line gaming PC. Doing so ensures your experience will be as smooth and enjoyable as possible, especially if more major graphical issues take you out of the experience. It’ll also put less of a strain on your hardware if you end up playing for several hours on end; which, considering the game’s massive size, is a likely scenario.

The choice is yours to make in the end though, and for now, you know everything we have to share in terms of whether you should use DirectX 11 or Vulkan to play Baldur’s Gate 3. For more on the game itself, we’ve got plenty of other guides you can peruse down below.