Kenji-NX Graphics Settings Explained: What Every Option Actually Does
Kenji-NX inherits its graphics pipeline from Ryujinx and adds a handful of Android-specific options on top. The good news: the defaults are sensible, and most players never need to touch anything. This guide explains every graphics setting in plain English — what it does, whether you should change it, and when — so you only adjust things when you have a reason to.
If you are setting up the emulator for the first time, start with our setup guide, then come back here to fine-tune.
The One Rule of Emulator Settings
Change one setting at a time, test, and only keep the change if it helps. Stacking five tweaks at once makes it impossible to know which one fixed — or broke — your game. If a game already runs well, leave everything alone.
| If you want… | Change this | Leave alone |
|---|---|---|
| Higher frame rate in a stuttering game | Lower Resolution Scale to 0.75x | Everything else |
| To fix a game that crashes on boot | Turn OFF Threaded Rendering | Resolution, NCE |
| Smoother frame pacing | Try VSync on/off | Resolution |
| Less stutter the longer you play | Keep Disk Shader Cache enabled | — |
| Steadier performance in demanding games | Force Maximum Clocks (short sessions) | — |
Docked Mode
What it is: A real Nintendo Switch behaves differently when docked to a TV — it runs at higher GPU clocks and games may target higher resolutions. The Docked Mode toggle tells games your “Switch” is docked, unlocking that higher-performance profile.
Should you turn it on? On a phone, usually not — handheld mode is the safer default and runs cooler. Turn it on if you play on a tablet, a TV box, or with active cooling, or if a specific game only renders correctly in docked mode. Expect more heat and battery drain; see our lag and stutter fixes if things get hot.
Resolution Scale
What it is: A multiplier on the game’s internal rendering resolution. 1x is roughly the native target, 0.75x renders lighter, 2x and above renders sharper.
What to use: Start at 1x. If a 3D game stutters, dropping to 0.75x is commonly reported as the single biggest frame-rate lever on weaker GPUs. Only raise the scale on a flagship chip (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or better) with a light game — and watch thermals.
VSync
What it is: Synchronizes rendered frames with your screen’s refresh rate. On: less screen tearing and steadier pacing. Off: potentially lower input latency, but tearing and uneven pacing may appear.
What to use: Leave it on unless you notice tearing-free but “laggy-feeling” input, in which case try turning it off for that game.
Threaded Rendering (added in 2.1.0-pr.1)
What it is: Spreads rendering work across multiple CPU threads. Normally this means better performance.
When to turn it OFF: The 2.1.0-pr.1 release notes explicitly added this toggle because disabling threaded rendering fixes crashes in some games. Keep it on by default; if a specific game crashes on boot or shows broken graphics, turning it off is one of the first troubleshooting steps to try — at the cost of some performance. More crash fixes live in our crashing guide.
NCE (Native Code Execution)
What it is: Runs game code more directly on your phone’s CPU instead of translating it first. On strong chips this can be faster.
What to use: Leave it at the default. It is a compatibility trade-off: some games behave worse with it enabled. Only toggle it per-game if you are chasing a specific issue.
Disk Shader Cache
What it is: When a game draws something new, its shaders must be compiled — that compilation hitch is the classic “first-time stutter.” The disk shader cache stores compiled shaders on your phone, so areas you have already visited stutter less on repeat visits.
What to use: Keep it enabled. If a game shows persistent graphical glitches right after an emulator or game update, clear the cache once and let it rebuild naturally as you play.
Force Maximum Clocks
What it is: Prevents your phone from downclocking its CPU/GPU to save power while emulating.
What to use: Helpful for demanding games in shorter sessions — performance stays steadier instead of sagging as the phone tries to save battery. The trade-off is real: more heat and faster battery drain. Do not combine it with charging in a hot room unless you enjoy thermal throttling.
ASTC Texture Recompression
What it is: Recompresses game textures into a phone-friendly format, saving video memory and potentially reducing stutters on memory-tight devices.
Note: Availability varies by build. If you do not see this option, your build handles textures automatically and there is nothing to configure.
Settings Cheat Sheet
| Setting | Default | Change it when… |
|---|---|---|
| Docked Mode | Off | Playing on a tablet/TV or a game needs the docked profile |
| Resolution Scale | 1x | A game stutters (try 0.75x) or you have headroom (try higher) |
| VSync | On | You notice tearing (on) or laggy-feeling input (off) |
| Threaded Rendering | On | A game crashes or shows broken graphics (turn off) |
| NCE | Default | Chasing a per-game compatibility issue |
| Disk Shader Cache | On | Almost never — clear once after a glitchy update |
| Force Maximum Clocks | Off | A demanding game sags mid-session (short sessions) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Will higher resolution make every game look better?
Not necessarily. Raising the scale sharpens the image but costs GPU power — on a mid-range phone it usually just turns a smooth game into a stuttery one. Resolution helps most in light or 2D games.
Why does my game stutter only the first time I enter an area?
That is shader compilation. With Disk Shader Cache enabled, the stutter should fade as the cache builds up over your first hour or so of play.
Should I copy someone’s settings from YouTube?
Use them as a starting point, not gospel. Settings interact with your exact chip, driver, game version, and emulator build — what works on one phone may not on yours. Change one thing at a time.
Do I need a Turnip driver for these settings to matter?
The settings work with any driver, but on Snapdragon phones a current Turnip driver (see our driver guide) often matters more than any single setting.
The game was fine yesterday and broken today — what changed?
Usually an emulator update, a game update, or a stale shader cache. Clear the shader cache once, and check our troubleshooting hub.
Where are per-game settings?
Kenji-NX lets you tune settings per game so a fix for one title does not affect the rest. Use per-game settings for problem titles and keep global defaults sane.