Conclusion
The first surprise this game throws our way is its Nvidia-oriented optimizations, particularly since Final Fantasy XV was originally developed to run on AMD-powered consoles. Nevertheless, a Radeon RX 580 proves to be faster than the GeForce GTX 1060 6GB in our benchmark (albeit with less stable frame times) with Medium and High graphics options. Once we step up to Very High, however, the GeForce jumps ahead, even if it cannot maintain a 60 FPS average.
Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition is resource-intensive when it comes to host and graphics processing. With all of its detail settings maxed out, the game won't run smoothly on the mid-range PCs we simulate in our performance tests. You're capped at 1920x1080 and Medium or High quality in order to avoid choppiness that makes the game less enjoyable. At 2560x1440 or 3840x2160, you need a seriously high-end machine for any hope of playable frame rates.
As far as Nvidia's GameWorks initiative goes, we wanted to test the impact those features have on GeForce and Radeon cards alike. Our Radeon RX Vega 64 and RX 580 just couldn't juggle the GameWorks features. It's a bit unfortunate that you have to have a GeForce card to enjoy what those options bring to Final Fantasy. But if you already own a high-end Nvidia GPU, the features become added value.
And don't forget to be mindful of who is watching when you play Final Fantasy XV. As the European classification agency (PEGI) confirms, the game is not recommended for anyone under 16 years of age due to certain violent scenes.
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