I've been playing Valorant on a 60Hz monitor and did pretty well, even reaching high ascendent ranks. Now that I switched to a 144Hz monitor, I feel like my performance has dropped drastically! My reaction time feels slower, and my aim is off. What's causing this issue, and how can I improve my gameplay with the new setup?
7 Answers
It could just be that you're still adjusting. The jump from 60Hz to 144Hz can be a huge visual change. I went from 60Hz to 240Hz, and my eyes took a few days to adapt. Be patient with yourself; you'll get used to it!
Check if your new monitor has a higher resolution than the 60Hz one. More pixels might mean you need to readjust your DPI settings. Also, don't forget to disable mouse acceleration as sometimes Windows can turn it back on by itself.
You might want to limit your FPS to 60 or set the monitor back to 60Hz temporarily. It could help you regain that familiar feeling while you adjust. For other non-competitive games, enjoy the 144Hz, though!
Is your monitor capable of switching refresh rates? You can change the settings back to 60Hz if needed. You might have gotten used to predicting movements at 60Hz, so everything might seem off now that it's faster!
There might be something off with your setup. I remember feeling amazed the first time I tried a high refresh rate monitor. It was like seeing the game in a completely new way! You might just need a bit of time to adapt to it.
Make sure you turn off mouse hardware acceleration; it's a common mistake that can really affect gameplay. After that, dial in your DPI and look sensitivity. I play at 800 DPI for Valorant and it works great!
You might want to tweak your DPI settings. A higher DPI with a lower sensitivity can help increase accuracy, especially with a 144Hz monitor. I usually play with 1800 DPI and a system sensitivity of 0.4. Also, if you’re using Windows 11, be sure to check your mouse settings!
Do you have mouse smoothing turned off? It makes a big difference! I prefer using direct mouse input to avoid any weirdness with sensitivity.
Where do I even find those settings? Are they game-specific or part of Windows?
Every monitor should support that! Just check the settings in Windows to change the refresh rate.