Should You Run Civilization 7 in DX12 or Vulkan?

Every time you run Civilization 7 on PC, you’ll see an option to run it in DX12 (DirectX12) or Vulkan. Both are different APIs designed to do the same thing – help improve performance by utilizing the hardware more efficiently.

Most if not all games have either DX11/DX12 or Vulkan options to run their games. For Civilization 7, what should you choose for the best performance?

The Difference Between Running Civilization 7 on DirectX12 and Vulkan

Both APIs are designed to make your games run more efficiently by pushing aside the OS and letting the hardware focus on running the game smoothly. DirectX12 is Microsoft’s API, while Vulkan is open-source, directly inspired by AMD’s Mantle project.

Regarding game performance, Vulkan is known to use hardware resources more efficiently on PC. The hardware usage of CPUs, GPUs, and RAM are all well-balanced compared to DirectX12.

However, through much testing with different games, Vulkan achieves a better minimum FPS, making it better for PCs with lower specifications. However, DirectX12 performs extraordinarily better regarding maximum FPS, giving players with stronger PC builds even better graphics and performance.

Generally, DirectX12 should be better on powerful hardware, while Vulkan helps sustain quality FPS with lower-end systems.

There’s also a slight difference when using a different combination of hardware, such as AMD or NVIDIA. Some say AMD systems perform better using Vulkan, while some say there’s barely any difference. The best way to get results is to benchmark Vulkan and DirectX12 versions.

Civilization 7 is heavy on CPU and RAM, so you should try reducing the graphics settings if you struggle with Vulkan and DX12. You can also lower the resolution and play on fullscreen to improve performance even more.

If you want to use a different device or PC to play Civilization 7, you can grab your saved file and transfer your progress.