Our verdict: ReShade is the standard tool for changing how a PC game looks without touching its files. It works with almost any DirectX, OpenGL or Vulkan game and has thousands of community presets. Expect some trial and error, a performance cost for heavy effects, and to check whether your online game allows it.
About ReShade
ReShade is a free, open-source post-processing injector developed by crosire. The installer places ReShade next to a game's executable; in the game it captures each frame's color and depth information and runs shaders on it. Typical effects are SMAA anti-aliasing, screen-space ambient occlusion, depth of field, film grain, sharpening and color correction. Access to depth is turned off automatically in multiplayer to prevent exploits.
Effects are written in ReShade FX, an HLSL-based shading language, and compiled for Direct3D 9 to 12, OpenGL or Vulkan, so one shader works everywhere. The setup can download popular shader packages, and an in-game overlay lets you toggle effects and edit settings live. A separate build with full add-on support exists for single-player games, since add-ons can be flagged by anti-cheat systems.
What it does well
- Works with most games. Supports Direct3D 9, 10, 11, 12, OpenGL and Vulkan.
- Depth-based effects. Ambient occlusion and depth of field using the game's depth buffer.
- In-game overlay. Toggle effects, tweak values and save presets while playing.
- ReShade FX language. Write a shader once and it compiles for every supported graphics API.
- Add-on support. A separate build loads add-ons that extend ReShade in single-player games.
Who it is for
Good fit
PC players and screenshot artists who want sharper, more colorful or more cinematic visuals in their games.
Look elsewhere
Competitive online players whose games' anti-cheat may not allow injectors, and anyone short on GPU headroom.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free and open source
- Works with nearly every PC game
- Large library of shaders and presets
- Live editing in an in-game overlay
Cons
- Heavy effects can lower FPS noticeably
- May conflict with anti-cheat in online games
- Setup per game and tuning take time
How to install ReShade
Run the setup, pick the game's executable, then choose its rendering API (DirectX, OpenGL or Vulkan) and the shader packages to download. .NET Framework 4.8 is required. In the game press Home to open the overlay; to remove ReShade later, run the setup again on the same game and choose uninstall. Use the standard build, not the add-on build, for online games.
Questions about ReShade
Is ReShade free?
Yes. ReShade is open source under the BSD 3-Clause license and free to use.
Can ReShade get me banned?
Some online games' anti-cheat may block or flag injectors. ReShade disables depth access in multiplayer, but check the rules of each online game; the add-on build is meant for single-player games only.
Which games does ReShade support?
Games that use Direct3D 9, 10, 11, 12, OpenGL or Vulkan, which covers the vast majority of PC games.
