Join the Discord! →

Join hundreds of racers just like you! We love to help answer questions and race together.


How to Enable Advanced Graphics in Iracing

Answers how to enable advanced graphics in iRacing for drivers. Clear steps to open Advanced Graphics, fix greyed-out buttons, update drivers and enable features fast.

If you’re asking how to enable advanced graphics in iracing, the short answer is: open iRacing’s Options → Graphics, click the “Advanced” button, change the settings you want, and apply them. If the Advanced button is missing or greyed out, update your GPU drivers, make sure you aren’t in Safe Mode, and run iRacing in fullscreen or with required DirectX support — steps below will get you there.

Quick Answer — how to enable advanced graphics in iracing

Inside iRacing open Options → Graphics and click the Advanced (or Advanced Graphics) button. Toggle the features you want, Apply, then restart iRacing if prompted. If that button is unavailable, update drivers, exit Safe Mode, and verify your GPU supports modern DirectX feature levels.

What’s Really Going On

“Advanced graphics” in iRacing is a secondary panel with finer controls (shadows, reflections, mirror quality, anti-aliasing, etc.) beyond the basic presets. iRacing hides or disables these controls when it detects a compatibility problem (old drivers, minimal GPU, safe/diagnostic mode) or when the sim is launched in a state that locks settings. Fixing the environment (drivers, display mode, updater) unlocks the advanced options.

Step-by-Step Fix

  1. Launch iRacing and click Options (top-right of the launcher or in-sim menu).
  2. Go to the Graphics tab and locate the Advanced (Advanced Graphics) button — click it.
  3. Change the settings you want (shadows, mirrors, reflections, anti-aliasing), then click Apply.
  4. If Apply requests a restart, close and restart iRacing to make changes stick.
  5. If the Advanced button is missing or greyed out, exit iRacing and update your GPU drivers (NVIDIA/AMD/Intel).
  6. After drivers update, relaunch iRacing in fullscreen (not windowed) and try Options → Graphics again.
  7. If still blocked: ensure you’re not running iRacing in Safe Mode, check Windows Update, and confirm your GPU supports DirectX feature levels (Feature Level 11 or higher usually required). If necessary, run the launcher as Administrator or reinstall the latest iRacing build.

Extra Tips / Checklist

  • Update GPU drivers before changing graphics — most problems come from old drivers.
  • Use Fullscreen Exclusive mode when testing advanced settings; windowed modes can limit options.
  • If you use VR, some advanced graphics are controlled in VR settings — check VR graphics separately.
  • Keep a baseline preset (Medium) and change one advanced option at a time to measure performance impact.
  • If a setting causes frame drops, lower Mirror Quality, Shadow Detail, and Reflection Quality first.

FAQs

Q: Why is the Advanced button greyed out?
A: Usually driver or compatibility issues, Safe Mode, or running windowed/limited mode. Update drivers, restart, and use fullscreen.

Q: Do I need a powerful GPU to use advanced graphics?
A: Some features are GPU-heavy (real-time shadows, mirrors). Basic toggles work on mid-range cards; high settings need stronger GPUs.

Q: Will changing advanced graphics affect my SR or iRating?
A: No. Graphics settings do not change skill rating (SR) or iRating; they only affect visuals and performance.

Q: Do I have to restart iRacing after changing advanced settings?
A: Often yes — iRacing can require a restart for some advanced options to apply cleanly.

Wrap-Up

Enabling advanced graphics is usually a quick menu action, and if it’s blocked the fix is almost always updating drivers and running iRacing in a normal (not Safe) fullscreen mode. Make changes one at a time and test performance so you get better visuals without losing FPS.