Wuthering Waves 3.6: DLSS 4.5, Vulkan & Performance Guide
The Version 3.6 patch notes, published August 20, are a rare thing for Wuthering Waves: a performance-focused patch. PC gets DLSS 4.5 with 5x and 6x frame generation on RTX 50-series GPUs, AMD GPUs get ray tracing support, mobile gets Vulkan on a wider range of chipsets plus frame generation on Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, and Kuro is rolling out a cross-platform performance optimization in stages. This guide breaks down each change, who it applies to, and what to actually turn on.
Three performance changes, one patch
The official Version 3.6 patch notes went up at the same time as the update went live on August 20, 10:00 (UTC+8). Read them as a whole and three things stand out:
- PC: NVIDIA DLSS upgraded to 4.5, with new 5x and 6x frame generation options for RTX 50-series cards.
- PC: Ray Tracing Megalights support extended to AMD graphics hardware.
- Mobile: the Vulkan renderer becomes available on more chipsets, and a separate frame generation option appears on Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 devices.
On top of those, Kuro is testing a cross-platform optimization that it describes as involving a change of programming language. It rolls out in stages, and not every device gets it yet. Details below.
PC: DLSS 4.5 with 5x and 6x frame generation
The headline change is the jump to DLSS 4.5. Frame generation now offers 5x and 6x rate options, up from what the game shipped with in earlier versions. The catch is the hardware list, which is short:
| Requirement | Detail (from the patch notes) |
|---|---|
| GPU | NVIDIA RTX 50 series |
| DirectX | DX12 enabled, with Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling first enabled in the system's graphics settings |
| Driver | NVIDIA driver 595.97 or newer |
If all three are met, the 5x and 6x options appear under Settings > Graphics > Advanced > Frame Generation. The official notes add a useful warning: enabling frame generation can raise the frame rate when the original rate is too low, but it may cause input lag or display issues. Treat the higher multipliers as something to test, not something to set and forget. If you play on an RTX 50 card, start at 5x and back off if aiming starts to feel floaty.
Everyone else on PC is not locked out of anything. DLSS itself still works the same as before 3.6; the new multipliers are the only DLSS-specific addition. The patch also fixes a pre-existing bug where the frame generation function might not work on PC, which is worth knowing if your framerate has been stuck below where it should be.
PC: ray tracing on AMD GPUs
Ray Tracing Megalights support now extends to devices with AMD graphics, per the patch notes. There is no separate Megalights toggle. It takes effect when ray tracing is enabled, and improves lighting in certain environments. If you own an AMD card and have ray tracing switched off from a previous version, this patch is a reasonable moment to flip it on and check the performance cost yourself, since the game only promises lighting improvements "in certain environments", not everywhere.
Mobile: Vulkan expands to more chipsets
Vulkan has been an option on some Android devices for a while. Version 3.6 widens the list and makes it the default on newer hardware:
| Processor | Vulkan status after 3.6 |
|---|---|
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Option now available |
| Dimensity 9200 / 9200+ | Option now available |
| XRing O1 | Option now available |
| Snapdragon 8 Elite / 8 Elite 2 / 8 Gen 5 | On by default |
| Dimensity 9500 | On by default |
The option lives under Settings > Graphics > Vulkan, and the game asks you to restart after enabling it for the change to take effect. Kuro's stated benefit is improved performance and lower power consumption on mobile. That combination matters more than the usual framerate talk, since heat and battery life are what actually limit long play sessions on a phone.
Note that the default-on list covers the newest chips, which makes sense: those devices were already fast enough that the renderer switch is a safe default. If your chip is on the "option now available" list and the game runs warm, Vulkan is worth a try.
Mobile: frame generation on Snapdragon 8 Gen 5
Separately from Vulkan, the patch extends self-developed frame generation to mobile devices with Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. It is enabled via Settings > Graphics > Frame Generation when the processor meets the requirement. This is a phone-side version of the PC frame gen idea, so the same caveat applies: generated frames are not free, and input lag is the usual trade-off on touch controls.
The staged cross-platform performance optimization
The most interesting entry in the notes is described as a performance optimization involving a change of programming language, rolled out in stages across all platforms in the form of online testing. Kuro says that on devices that meet the requirements, the game's overall performance and average frame rate "will improve to a certain extent". That phrasing is doing real work. This is a staged test, not the final state, and it is not available everywhere yet:
| Excluded for now | Detail |
|---|---|
| iOS | Devices with 4GB RAM or less; iPhone 14 series running iOS 16.0 / 17.0 / 17.1 / 17.2 |
| Android | Devices with 6GB RAM or less |
The notes are explicit that the testing schedule may change based on version stability, and that this optimization is at the testing stage and not the final version. If you want to follow the rollout, Kuro points to a notice titled "Version 3.6 Known Issues & Updates". The practical read: if your device is in the exclusion list, nothing is wrong with your setup, you are simply not in the first wave.
Storage and update size
None of these settings matter if the update does not fit. From the official maintenance notice published August 13: PC requires 50GB of free space for a 22GB package, and Android/iOS requires 33GB for a 13GB package. The extra space is used during the resource-merging step and is freed automatically once the update completes. The full pre-download timeline and step-by-step instructions are in our 3.6 pre-download guide.
Settings checklist by platform
Everything below is grounded in what the patch notes actually say, applied to the common setups:
- PC with an RTX 50 card and driver 595.97+: enable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling, then try 5x frame generation under Settings > Graphics > Advanced. Drop to lower multipliers if input lag shows up in combat.
- PC with any other GPU: nothing new to enable. If frame generation previously misbehaved, the 3.6 bug fix may have sorted it.
- AMD GPU on PC: ray tracing now works on supported cards. Test it once and compare thermals and framerate before keeping it on.
- Android with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or Dimensity 9200/9200+/XRing O1: enable Vulkan under Settings > Graphics, restart the game, and compare before and after.
- Android with 8 Elite / 8 Elite 2 / 8 Gen 5 / Dimensity 9500: Vulkan is on by default. You can turn it off if you prefer the old renderer.
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 phones: the frame generation toggle is under Settings > Graphics > Frame Generation.
- iOS with 4GB RAM or less, iPhone 14 on iOS 16/17.0-17.2, or Android with 6GB RAM or less: expect no performance-optimization boost yet. It is staged, not a snub.
One general tip that survives any graphics change: the maintenance compensation for 3.6 is Astrite x300 plus Crystal Solvent x2, with a separate Astrite x300 for bug fixes, both claimable from Mail until the next version update. Our patch day guide has the full first-day checklist.
FAQ
No. The 5x and 6x DLSS 4.5 frame generation options are the only RTX 50 exclusive. The game runs on the same hardware it ran on in 3.5, and the performance optimization rollout is a separate, staged test.
No, but the supported device list grows. 3.6 adds Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Dimensity 9200/9200+ and XRing O1, and turns Vulkan on by default for Snapdragon 8 Elite, 8 Elite 2, 8 Gen 5 and Dimensity 9500. Enable it under Settings > Graphics > Vulkan and restart the game.
The official patch notes warn that enabling frame generation may cause input lag or display issues, while noting it can raise the frame rate when the base rate is low. Start at 5x on PC and drop if combat feels off.
The optimization is an online test rolled out in stages. Currently excluded: iOS devices with 4GB RAM or less, iPhone 14 series on iOS 16.0/17.0/17.1/17.2, and Android devices with 6GB RAM or less. The schedule can change, per the notes, so follow the "Version 3.6 Known Issues & Updates" notice.
PC: 50GB free space (22GB actual package). Android/iOS: 33GB free space (13GB actual package). The extra reserved space is freed automatically after the update finishes.
Sources
- Patch Notes for Version 3.6: Lamplight in Mirage, Sword's Resolve in Heart (official, August 20, 2026)
- Version 3.6 Update Maintenance Notice (official, August 13, 2026)
- Wuthering Waves Update Content | Version 3.6 (official, August 18, 2026)