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Alan Wake II

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Alan Wake II
Alan Wake II cover
Developers
Remedy Entertainment
Publishers
Epic Games Publishing
Engines
Northlight
Release dates
Windows October 27, 2023
Reception
Metacritic 89
OpenCritic 89
IGDB 88
Taxonomy
Monetization DLC, One-time game purchase
Microtransactions Cosmetic
Modes Singleplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Survival horror
Art styles Realistic
Themes Detective/mystery, Horror
Series Alan Wake
Alan Wake II on HowLongToBeat
Alan Wake II on IGDB
Alan Wake II on MobyGames
Alan Wake II on Wikipedia
Alan Wake
Alan Wake 2012
Alan Wake's American Nightmare 2012
Alan Wake Remastered 2021
Alan Wake II 2023

Alan Wake II is a singleplayer third-person survival horror game in the Alan Wake series.

Availability • Link

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Epic Games Store
DRM-free after installation through Epic Games Launcher (notes may include more details)
 Deluxe Edition also available. DRM-free when launched using the -EpicPortal command line argument. DLC requires Epic Games Launcher.[Note 1]
Windows
Green Man Gaming
Epic Games Launcher
 Deluxe Edition also available.
Windows
Humble Store
Epic Games Launcher
 Deluxe Edition also available.
Windows

Version differences • Link

Epic Games Store versions purchased before October 27, 2024 includes the Alan Wake Outfit & "Alan's Messenger Bag" Backbling for Fortnite.
The Deluxe Edition includes the base game, the Expansion Pass, containing the Night Springs and Lake House Expansions, as well as the Nordic Shotgun Skin for Saga; the Crimson Windbreak and Lantern Charm for Saga, and the Celebrity Suit and Parliament Shotgun Skin for Alan.

Monetization • Link

Type Notes
DLC Several cosmetic add-ons, as well as an Expansion Pass containing additional story content is available for purchase.
One-time game purchase Alan Wake II requires an upfront purchase to access.

Microtransactions • Link

Type Notes
Cosmetic Additional cosmetic costumes, weapon skins and charms can be purchased.

DLC and expansion packs • Link

Name Notes
Deluxe Upgrade Includes all additional content available in the "Deluxe Edition" for owners of the Standard Edition.
Windows
Expansion Pass Contains two major story expansions, as well as a Nordic Shotgun Skin for Saga.
Included in the "Deluxe Edition".
Windows
Crimson Windbreaker Contains an additional outfit for Saga.
Included in the "Deluxe Edition".
Windows
Celebrity Suit Contains an additional outfit for Alan.
Included in the "Deluxe Edition".
Windows
Parliament Shotgun Skin Contains an alternate shotgun skin for Alan.
Included in the "Deluxe Edition".
Windows
Lantern Charm Contains a cosmetic charm for Saga, as well as an additional battery for Saga's flashlight.
Included in the "Deluxe Edition".
Windows

Game data • Link

Configuration file(s) location • Link

System Location
Windows %LOCALAPPDATA%\Remedy\AlanWake2\renderer.ini

Save game data location • Link

System Location
Windows %LOCALAPPDATA%\Remedy\AlanWake2\<user-id>\
The save path will use \Default-Epic-User\ instead of \<user-id>\ if using -EpicPortal to launch the game.

Save game cloud syncing • Link

System Native Notes
Epic Games Launcher

Video • Link

Graphics settings
Graphics settings

Graphics feature State Notes
Widescreen resolution
4:3 is also supported.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
Cutscenes and FMVs are pillarboxed 16:9. See Ultra-widescreen.
4K Ultra HD
Rendering resolutions up to 8K are supported.
Field of view (FOV)
There's a FOV multiplier in the settings. Use Flawless Widescreen for more.
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Exclusive fullscreen also available.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Referred to as "Texture Filtering" with a Low, Medium, and High setting.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
DLAA and FSR 2 Native. See Anti-aliasing (AA) to disable anti-aliasing.
High-fidelity upscaling
DLSS 4, FSR 2.2
DLSS Ray Reconstruction available.[3]
Update 1.2.8 added DLSS Legacy Mode toggle to switch between CNN model (on) and Transformer model (off).[4]
Frame generation
DLSS Frame Generation, DLSS Multi-Frame Generation
DLSS Multi-Frame Generation support was added in the v1.2.8 update.[4]
Vertical sync (Vsync)
As a toggle.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
Pre-rendered cinematics are rendered from a 30 fps source.[5]
High dynamic range display (HDR)
The game uses the Windows 11 HDR calibration data.
Ray tracing (RT)
Features both software and hardware ray and path tracing.[6]. Path tracing includes 1-3 ray bounces and RTAO on the last hit.[7]
Color blind mode
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Ultra-widescreen • Link

Set ultrawide cutscene restraints[8]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open renderer.ini with a text editor.
  3. Change "m_bUnlockAspectRatio": false, to "m_bUnlockAspectRatio": true
  4. Save the file and close it

Anti-aliasing (AA) • Link

Edit the configuration file to disable TAA[9]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open renderer.ini with a text editor.
  3. Edit the following line as follows: "m_eSSAAMethod": 0
  4. To disable the leftover sharpening filter, edit the following line as follows: "m_fSSAASharpening": 0.0
  5. Save the file and close it

High dynamic range (HDR) • Link

Set custom HDR nit peak[9]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open renderer.ini in a text editor.
  3. Edit "m_fHDRMaxOutputNitsOverride": -1.0 to the desired value.
  4. Save the file and close it.
Enable 16-bit HDR swapchain for increased quality
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open renderer.ini with a text editor.
  3. Edit "m_bPreferScRGBHdr": false to "m_bPreferScRGBHdr": true for 16-bit output.
  4. Save the file and close it.

Post-processing effects • Link

Edit the configuration file to disable effects
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open renderer.ini with a text editor.
  3. To disable depth of field, edit the following line as follows: "m_bDepthOfField": false.
  4. To disable lens distortion, edit the following line as follows: "m_bLensDistortion": false.
  5. To disable vignette, edit the following line as follows: "m_bVignette": false.
  6. Save the changes.
Use Flawless Widescreen
LOD and AO distance adjustment
Post-process/tonemap adjustment
Field of view (FOV) adjustment
Sample depth fix for very high FOVs

Internal rendering resolution • Link

The game offers only a handful of internal resolutions.
Set custom internal resolution[10]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open renderer.ini with a text editor.
  3. Change the numeric value in field: "m_iRenderResolutionX": for resolution width eg. 1600.
  4. Change the numeric value in field: "m_iRenderResolutionY": for resolution height eg. 900.
  5. Save the changes.

Notes

Make sure to maintain your preferred aspect ratio.

High frame rate • Link

Modify with hex editor[11]
  1. Open AlanWake2.exe with a hex editor such as HxD.
  2. Find (CTRL+F) and replace 00 00 00 00 00 00 6E 40 (240 FPS) with one of the following,
    • 00 00 00 00 00 00 3E 40 for 30 FPS.
    • 00 00 00 00 00 00 4E 40 for 60 FPS.
    • 00 00 00 00 00 00 5E 40 for 120 FPS.
    • 00 00 00 00 00 80 76 40 for 360 FPS.
    • 00 00 00 00 00 00 7E 40 for 480 FPS.
    • 00 00 00 00 00 80 86 40 for 720 FPS.
    • 00 00 00 00 00 00 8E 40 for 960 FPS.
  3. Save the changes.
If using DLSS Frame Generation, this should be set to half the desired output frame rate.

Input • Link

Gameplay settings
Gameplay settings

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Mouse sensitivity
As a slider from 0 to 100. Has separate options for general/horizontal/vertical sensitivity.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse input in menus
Keyboard and mouse prompts
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Controller sensitivity
As a slider from 0 to 100. Has separate options for general/horizontal/vertical sensitivity.
Controller Y-axis inversion
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
DirectInput-compatible controllers
PlayStation controllers
DualShock 4, DualSense, DualSense Edge
Nintendo controllers
Other controller(s)
Additional information

  • Controls settings

Audio • Link

Audio settings
Audio settings
Interface settings
Interface settings

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Master, Music, Sound Effects, Dialogue volume sliders. Options for Bass Reduction, Mono Audio and Hyperacusis Filters are also available.
Surround sound
Supports Dolby Atmos and DTSX.
Subtitles
Accessibility options for Speaker Name in Subtitles, Subtitles Background, Small/Normal/Large Subtitle Sizes, and Signage Subtitles are available.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio
All music tracks are DMCA-free.[15]

Localizations • Link

Subtitles in pre-rendered cutscenes for all languages ​​are out of sync
Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Czech
Fan translation; original, machine-translated.
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Polish
Brazilian Portuguese
Russian
Fan voice-over by «GamesVoice», download
Spanish
Latin American Spanish
Thai
Fan translation
Ukrainian

VR support • Link

3D modes State Notes
Native 3D
Sequential-View Rendering
Use NoMoreFlat + VRto3D.[16]
Nvidia 3D Vision
See Native 3D for Frame Sequential or Interleaved.

Issues fixed • Link

Error on first startup • Link

Close overlay software before starting[21]
  1. Disable overlay software such as MSI Afterburner, Special K or similar.
  2. Open the game and login into the Epic Game Store Account and link it.
  3. Use the overlay software as usual.

Notes

Only required once. Afterwards the overlay software can be used even on startup.

Game does not start on Linux (Wine/Proton) • Link

Install dependencies with Winetricks[22]
  1. Using Winetricks, select the default wineprefix and then install a Windows DLL or component.
  2. Install vcrun2022, d3dcompiler_43, and d3dcompiler_47.

Notes

Using a client like the Heroic Games Launcher, you can access Winetricks via the settings page for the game.

Missing textures on Linux (Wine/Proton) • Link

(AMD) Use a newer version of Mesa[23]

Notes

Update to a newer version of Mesa past 23.2.1 containing merge request patch 25659. This may require either building from source or using a package like mesa-git.

Stuttering every few seconds on Linux (Wine/Proton) • Link

(AMD) Set environment variable to zero out video memory[24]

Notes

Add the environment variable RADV_ZERO_VRAM=false, either in Heroic Games Launcher under the Settings menu and Advanced tab, or as a launch option on Steam as RADV_ZERO_VRAM=false %command%.
Lower in-game render resolution[25]

Game stuttering when DLSS Frame Generation is on • Link

Turn off RivaTuner Statistics Server framerate limiter. If framerate limiting is needed, use Nvidia Control Panel global/program "max frame rate" settings instead.

Other information • Link

API • Link

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 12 Requires DirectX feature level 12_0 / Shader Model 6.5 to start. Graphics cards with Mesh Shaders support required for best performance.
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
Requires a CPU with AVX2 instruction set support (e.g., Intel Haswell or AMD Ryzen 1000). Older processors lacking AVX2, such as the Intel Core 3000 or AMD FX series, are currently unsupported. Compatibility can be verified using the Intel Software Development Emulator (SDE).

Middleware • Link

Middleware Notes
Physics PhysX PhysX3_x64.dll (v3.4) in install directory
Audio Wwise Wwise logo shown in startup screens
Interface Coherent Gameface Startup screen for Coherent, and dll files in install directory

System requirements • Link

In March 2024 the minimum system requirements were updated with the release of 1.0.16.1 update.[26]
Windows
MinimumRecommendedRay Tracing MediumRay Tracing High
Target 1080p, Low @ 30 FPS1440p, Medium @ 30 FPS1080p, Medium @ 60 FPS (RT Medium, PT on)4k, High @ 60 FPS (RT High, PT on)
Operating system (OS) 10, 11
Processor (CPU) Intel i5-7600K
AMD Ryzen 5 1600		AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Intel Core i7-10700K
System memory (RAM) 16 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD) 90 GB (SSD)
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
6 GB of VRAM		Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
8 GB of VRAM		Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080
A 64-bit operating system is required.

  • Official system requirements chart on release

  • Updated official system requirements chart (March 2024)


Notes • Link

  1. Jump up ↑ Using this argument will prevent controllers and skipping cutscenes from working, and will use a \Default-Epic-User\ save folder instead.[1][2]

References • Link

  1. Jump up ↑ Verified by User:Future-proof on 2023-10-30
  2. Jump up ↑ Verified by User:Aemony on 2023-10-30
    Verified using a first run of the game.
  3. Jump up ↑ NVIDIA DLSS 3.5: Enhancing Ray Tracing With AI; Coming This Fall To Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Portal with RTX & More - last accessed on 2023-08-29
  4. ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 Alan Wake 2 Update Notes - Alan Wake official site - last accessed on 2025-08-22
  5. Jump up ↑ Digital Foundry - Alan Wake 2 PC Re-Tested: Massive Perf Boost on GTX 10-Series 'Pascal' GPUs - last accessed on 2024-03-10
  6. Jump up ↑ Alan Wake 2 4K NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 World Premiere - last accessed on 2023-08-29
  7. Jump up ↑ Alan Wake 2 - Technical Insight on RT implementation - last accessed on 2023-10-24
  8. Jump up ↑ Alan Wake 2 - Ultrawide Cutscenes Fix - last accessed on 2023-10-28
  9. ↑ Jump up to: 9.0 9.1 Verified by User:Fayaine on 2023-10-28
  10. Jump up ↑ Verified by User:Lyxenmodz on 2023-10-29
  11. Jump up ↑ Verified by User:MonkeyCrumpets on 2023-12-22
  12. Jump up ↑ The Anniversary Update explained - Alan Wake official website - last accessed on 2024-10-21
  13. Jump up ↑ X/Twitter - Kyle Rowley (Alan Wake 2 game director) confirming Gyro Aiming coming to PC. - last accessed on 2024-10-21
    "Also, Alan Wake 2 now has gyro aiming on the DualSense for both PS5 and PC with improved haptics and adaptive triggers 🥳"
  14. Jump up ↑ Verified by User:Netjeff on 2024-12-15
    Using mouse to look around at the same time as moving using an analog controller stick, the camera movement stutters. (as of version 1.2.6 from Epic Games Store, running on Windows 11 ver 23H2)
  15. Jump up ↑ The Alan Wake 2 Soundtrack Was Custom-Made To Expand The Lore - last accessed on 2023-10-28
  16. Jump up ↑ Alan Wake 2 3D/VR Compatibility Database - last accessed on 2026-01-13
  17. Jump up ↑ Base Installation - VRto3D GitHub
  18. Jump up ↑ Interlaced, Checkerboard, and Anaglyph Installation - VRto3D GitHub
  19. Jump up ↑ Frame Sequential Installation - VRto3D GitHub - last accessed on 2026-01-13
  20. Jump up ↑ SR (Simulated Reality) Displays - VRto3D GitHub - last accessed on 2026-01-13
  21. Jump up ↑ Verified by User:Fayaine on 2023-10-28
    Tested myself as i am using MSI Afterburner.
  22. Jump up ↑ r/linux_gaming - NothingProof's comment on Gaming on Linux EP#117: Alan Wake 2 - Linux vs Windows - 3700X 6600XT - last accessed on 2023-11-12
  23. Jump up ↑ GitHub - vkd3d-proton - Alan Wake II - Textures are missing - last accessed on 2023-11-12
  24. Jump up ↑ r/linux_gaming - Cryio comments on Does anybody know why Alan Wake 2 stutters every few seconds? - last accessed on 2023-11-12
  25. Jump up ↑ r/linux_gaming - DariusLMoore comments on Does anybody know why Alan Wake 2 stutters every few seconds? - last accessed on 2023-11-12
  26. Jump up ↑ X/Twitter - Optimizing the PC version of Alan Wake 2 - last accessed on 2024-11-04