Diablo 4 is gearing up to be the most technologically advanced entry in the series. With no loading screens between regions and a large sprawling open world, you’ll be able to see the jump between the third and fourth game. Because of that, Blizzard Entertainment has beefed a lot of Diablo 4. From NPC animations to the effects of your attacks, there’s quite a lot of effort into making the game look rather good. So this means the ARPG features high-resolution assets which can make things pop out more. This feature is optional and can be turned off, but read this guide if you should install Diablo 4’s high-resolution assets or not.
Diablo 4: Should you install high-resolution assets?
For starters, this boils down to how you want to play, and if you can play this way. Running high-resolution assets isn’t that big of a deal; it can make the game feel better. You may think you need a monitor that has 4K capabilities in order to run the game maxed-out settings. While yes, if you want the game to be on high with those assets running, having a high-end ring can be beneficial. On the other hand, if you don’t have one you can still use this feature,but just make sure you have space.
It’s not a requirement to have a fancy monitor that runs 4K and does your taxes, you still need the memory to accommodate. To make sure Diablo 4 runs well, ensure you have at least 16 GB of VRAM on your GPU. While your shiny new 4090 will make the game run very well — it won’t do much of a difference. On top of that, make sure you have enough space to hold these assets. With the high-resolution feature enabled, have at least 85 GB of space available.
Screenshot via Blizzard
So what’s the answer?
It comes down to how you want to play. During the Server Slam beta in May, I turned it on to see if it was worth it. There was a difference, but expect your computer to work overtime. It does pull you in and gets you immersed faster. But, because the game looks great without the high-resolution on, we recommend going without. This way, your rig will be less stressed out and will have fewer moments of lag. Also, playing without the high-resolution assets will cut the file size in half, sitting at just over 40 GB.
Diablo 4 is available for pre-order now via Battle.net.
