The PC version of GRID (2019) looks and plays quite poorly “out of the box”. I had it for a while before I realised that there was a good game in there somewhere. After scouring the internet for clues on how to make it better, I gathered the following information. I provide it here so that others can improve their experience with the game.

Codemasters really shot themselves in the foot by making TAA the only antialiasing option in the Video settings of the game. This makes GRID playable on relatively low-end PCs but blurs the visuals across the board. As one review notes:

Another thing that's worth mentioning is that GRID's only anti-aliasing option is TAA; and that the effect has a substantial blurring effect on the game. While it does its job by eliminating Aliasing, some players will see the game's loss of sharpness as a major downside. This makes the game's lack of AMD's FidelityFX, which F1 2019 features, all the more disappointing.

- “GRID PC Performance Review and Optimisation Guide, Conclusion & Video - The upsides and downsides of GRID's PC version”, Mark Campbell, October 11, 2019.
https://overclock3d.net/reviews/software/grid_pc_performance_review_and_optimisation_guide/12

If you have a gaming rig and want to see GRID in its full glory, I recommend the following graphics tweaks. Before you begin, make sure that you have TAA enabled in-game (Options>Video>Advanced>Antialiasing>TAA).

1. Edit the configuration file

(a) Go to Documents\My Games\GRID 2019\hardwaresettings\hardware_settings_config.

(b) Make a backup copy of this XML file and save it somewhere else (in case anything goes wrong).

(c) Open the original file with Notepad.

(d) Change the following lines to include some or all of the settings I have underlined (total of 13). These are just my preferences so experiment with other parameters if you wish.

<anisotropic_filter level="16" />
<lod_quality lodBias="0.0" crowdLodBias="0.0" />
<lighting quality="4" />

<postprocess motionBlur="false" godRays="true" depthOfField="false"
lensStreak="false" lensFlare="false" lensDust="false" bloom="false" />

<particles enabled="true" distanceScale="4.0" rate="1.0" high="true" />
<ground_cover enabled="true" grassFlattening="true" drawDistance="240.0" />
<dynamic_hair quality="2" />

(e) Save the changes by selecting File>Save.

(f) Right click on the file and select Properties. Tick the Attributes: Read-only box at the bottom and then click Apply. If you don’t do this, in-game settings may undo your changes. Note that if you want to make further changes, you will have to reverse this process.


2. Use a quality HDMI cable

(a) If you are playing on a high-end 4K or 8K TV, connect it to your GPU with an Ultra HDMI 2.1 cable (48 Gbps). This will allow you to play at 120 fps on maximum settings.

(b) Open the NVIDIA Control Panel and go to Display>Change resolution>3. Apply the following settings>Use NVIDIA colour settings.

(c) Select the following parameters:

Desktop colour depth: Highest (32-bit)
Output colour depth: 12 bpc
Output colour format: RGB
Output dynamic range: Full

Click Apply.


NOTE: AMD cards may have something similar in AMD Radeon Settings.


3. Decide on HDR

If you enable HDR in Windows, that option will also appear in the Video settings of the game. Personally, I don’t like it and leave it off.



4. Install ReShade

(a) Install ReShade. (https://reshade.me/) During installation, select the effect package, qUINT by Marty McFly.

(b) Start the game and open ReShade by pressing the Home key on your keyboard.

(c) In ReShade, select the DELC_Sharpen filter.

(d) In the settings, drag the sharpening slider for DELC_Sharpen all the way to the right. Leave the other values as they are.

The improvement from this is massive with none of the artifacts caused by other ReShade sharpening filters. This simple procedure makes the game look how it should.

DELC Sharpen: Depth-enhanced local contrast sharpen is an image sharpen filter that leverages both depth and color to increase local contrast in desired areas, while avoiding many common artifacts usually found in sharpen algorithms, such as haloing around objects.

https://github.com/martymcmodding/qUINT

FINAL NOTE: There are two executables in the game directory. Always use the DX12 one to run the game – either directly or with a shortcut.

Most of the cars steer like a pregnant cow on the default settings because Codemasters chose to leave all of the tuning options at midway points. This has created a very bad impression for casual players who may never think to change them. Here's how to improve the handling for all cars in the game.

1. Set in-game steering parameters

Options>Controls>Advanced Input>Xbox Controller (or whatever you use)>Edit:

Steering sensitivity: 100
Steering linearity : 0

2. Set in-game assists

Gameplay>Difficulty:

ABS: 5
Traction Control: 5
Stability Control: 5

3. Tune the cars

Go to Profile>Garage and tune each and every car you intend to use in the game. If you’re playing through the Career and Seasons, you’ll need to do them all. It’s a tedious process but well worth it. Move the top slider (Gear Ratio) and the next three sliders (Springs, Dampers, Anti-Roll Bars) all the way to the right. Leave the bottom slider (Brake Bias) in the centre as per the following screenshot.


That’s it. Enjoy your new and vastly improved GRID!

1. “GRID PC Performance Review and Optimisation Guide”, Conclusion & Video - The upsides and downsides of GRID's PC version”, Mark Campbell, October 11, 2019.
https://overclock3d.net/reviews/software/grid_pc_performance_review_and_optimisation_guide/12

2. “GRID Legends Visual Settings + Disable post processing effects”, April 9, 2022. https://steamsplay.com/grid-legends-visual-settings-disable-post-processing-effects/

3. “Can someone explain LOD Bias, Texture Filtering, MipMaps and SGSSAA to me and why my textures seem to shimmer / flicker?”. First answer by Kromaatikse.
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/433c5x/can_someone_explain_lod_bias_texture_filtering/

4. “Slaying the Cable Monster: What You Need to Know About HDMI Cables”, Will Greenwald , January 28, 2021.
https://au.pcmag.com/home-entertainment/60751/slaying-the-cable-monster-what-you-need-to-know-about-hdmi-cables

5. “Grid Car-set up & Tips & Tricks part 1.”, Alex Norway, October 11, 2019.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw3gl8K_aVs