In brief
- TSR is a temporal upscaler designed to produce image quality approaching 4K from a lower internal resolution, such as 1080p.
- Lowering screen percentage can reduce GPU cost, but image details may take longer to accumulate.
- TSR statistics help you assess how much data is being fed into the image and how quickly it converges, alongside frame rate.
- Anti-aliasing options and some settings vary depending on the rendering path and platform.
Unreal Engine’s official documentation explains Temporal Super Resolution (TSR) and anti-aliasing settings as ways to balance scene performance and image quality. This guide is for anyone looking to test screen percentage in a controlled way, particularly in interior visualization and real-time presentation scenes. The documentation describes some of the settings workflow through Unreal Engine 5 project settings; as it does not specify a particular point release, the steps here are limited to the interface and options shown in the documentation.
1. Understand what TSR does—and its limitations
TSR renders an image at an internal resolution lower than the target display resolution, then upscales it using temporal data. Epic’s documentation says its comparison shows that an image upscaled from 1080p to 4K can approach native 4K quality while cutting GPU frame time in half. This result applies to the example in the documentation; it does not mean every project and hardware setup will see the same performance gain.
Because TSR uses information from previous frames, examining a static frame alone is not enough. The image can take time to settle during camera movement, on newly revealed surfaces, or around fine details. TSR includes features designed to reduce shimmering on complex geometry and ghosting over high-frequency backgrounds, but temporal upscaling does not produce every detail instantly.
First, check whether the project is actually using TSR. Find the anti-aliasing method under Window › Project Settings › Engine › Rendering. The documentation says desktop and console settings are under Default Settings, while mobile settings are in the Mobile section. Available methods depend on the rendering path and platform, so assess the options in the context of your project’s target.
2. Adjust screen percentage in a controlled way
Screen percentage determines the internal resolution rendered for each frame. Lowering it gives TSR fewer input pixels and increases the upscaling ratio. This can help reduce GPU load, but details may accumulate more slowly in a moving scene. Rather than choosing one fixed value, test settings based on how the scene will be used.
In the editor viewport, open the
Viewport Optionsmenu and findScreen Percentage. EnableCustom Overrideto enter your own value.During Play-In-Editor (PIE), check the
Play-In-Editor 3D Resolutioninformation and screen percentage controls inEngine Scalability Settings. The documentation says this area provides information about resolution, screen percentage, and the active viewport.First observe the scene in motion at its current setting, then repeat the same camera movement at a lower screen percentage. Compare the stability of fine edges, repeating surfaces, and areas newly revealed behind the camera.
Measure the change in GPU cost as well as image quality. The documentation describes comparing 100% and 50% screen percentage in the editor viewport to observe the performance difference.
| Setting | Recommended value | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Screen percentage | Compare values for your project; the documentation example uses 100% and 50% | A lower value reduces the internal resolution and the data fed to TSR; it helps measure changes in GPU performance. |
| Anti-aliasing scalability | Low, Medium, High, Epic, or Cinematic | Scales the GPU cost associated with anti-aliasing quality. |
| Anti-aliasing quality group console variable | 0: Low, 1: Medium, 2: High, 3: Epic, 4: Cinematic | Lets you select the TSR and anti-aliasing quality group from the console. |
3. Measure the results with statistics and adapt them to your project
To see how much data TSR accumulates across frames, enable TSR statistics in the editor under Viewport Options › Stat › Engine. Alternatively, use the console command:
stat tsrTSR feed shows the number of megapixels fed into TSR per second. TSR 1spp indicates the convergence time required for one sample per pixel. According to the formula in the documentation, this time is related to the square of the screen percentage and the frame rate. For example, the source shows a value of 66.6 ms at 50% screen percentage and 60 frames per second. These measurements help explain why details in newly revealed areas may take longer to resolve during movement.
To track GPU cost separately, enable GPU statistics under Viewport Options › Stat › Advanced. Compare the same scene and camera movement at different screen percentage values; don’t decide based on a single frame. The variable specified in the documentation for selecting the project-wide quality group from the console is:
sg.AntiAliasingQualityThe documentation defines quality levels from 0 to 4 for this variable. Project-specific scalability values can be edited in DefaultScalability.ini; the engine’s baseline settings are listed in BaseScalability.ini under [Unreal Engine Root]/Engine/Config. Changing values in these files is an advanced workflow. Test any changes alongside your project settings and target quality profile.
For architects, interior designers, and visualization teams, the benefit is the option to run a real-time scene at a lower internal resolution while targeting the desired output size. In scenes featuring Nanite geometry and Lumen lighting in particular, TSR is intended to balance performance and visual detail; actual results depend on the scene, frame rate, and hardware. The documentation states that TSR runs on desktop hardware supporting Shader Model 5 or higher, as well as on the specified platforms. Before delivery, verify compatibility and moving-camera performance on the system you’ll use.
4. Common mistakes
Evaluating only a static image: Since TSR is temporal, inspect camera movement and newly revealed surfaces too.
Automatically choosing the lowest screen percentage: A lower value can help performance, but may affect convergence and detail formation. The documentation recommends considering extreme upscaling below 50% only in specific situations.
Looking only at FPS:
TSR feedandTSR 1sppprovide additional information about temporal accumulation.Assuming anti-aliasing methods are the same across all rendering paths: For example, according to the documentation, MSAA is available only on mobile and desktop/console when using the Forward Renderer; it is configured through its own project setting or console variable.
The safest workflow is to set the quality group and screen percentage first, then measure image stability and GPU cost together in the same scene.
Sources
2 sourcesSource texts are not republished; short quotes are marked, everything else is our own summary and commentary.
For architecture and visualization studios in Turkey, TSR’s practical value is the option to approach the target image while running a scene at a lower internal resolution. But it shouldn’t be treated as an automatic performance boost for every project; camera movement, frame rate, and fine details in the scene all affect the result.
Before buying new hardware, a sounder starting point is to measure different screen percentages in the same scene and record GPU statistics. Teams should also verify the interface in their Unreal Engine version, the rendering path, and compatibility with the target platform, then test setting changes at delivery quality.
Frequently asked questions
What does Unreal Engine TSR do?
TSR upscales frames rendered at a lower internal resolution using temporal data. Its goal is to reduce total GPU frame cost while attempting to preserve image quality.
How do I enable TSR statistics?
In the editor, enable TSR statistics under `Stat › Engine` in the `Viewport Options` menu. Alternatively, use the `stat tsr` command in the console.
Does lowering screen percentage always improve performance?
A lower screen percentage can reduce the internal-resolution data TSR receives, but it may also slow the temporal accumulation of details. Test the results with your scene and frame rate.
