Fallout 3 with DXVK: install, Intel Arc and stutter

Before you start

Find the real game program: open the folder that holds Fallout3.exe. FalloutLauncher.exe only starts the game and is not the file to target. The Game Checker tells them apart. DXVK 3.1.1 has no built-in profile for this game in the list we extracted, so nothing is configured for you.

Install

To undo it, delete the DLLs you copied (F12): see the uninstall guide. The general steps, with the checklist and warnings, are on the Windows install page.

Use 3.0.1 or newer (the MSAA white-dots bug)

The release is dated 5 July 2026 (DXVK 3.x has the rest of what 3.0.1 changed). If you are on an older GPU that cannot run 3.x, see DXVK 1.10.3 and Sarek.

Intel Arc: the game will not start

Users report in issue 3029 that Fallout 3 refuses to launch on Intel Arc cards, because the game rejects graphics cards it does not know. The workaround people describe is to make DXVK report a vendor the game accepts, with d3d9.customVendorId in a dxvk.conf. We proved the option changes the vendor ID a Direct3D 9 program sees (F27). We did not run the game, own an Arc card, or find the exact value that works, so we publish none.

Stutter: graphics or audio?

“Fallout 3 stutter” searches mix several problems. This table is our reading of community reports, not a test result.

To cap the frame rate in DXVK, use dxvk.maxFrameRate in a dxvk.conf section named for the exe; DXVK_FRAME_RATE no longer works (F21). See Limit FPS.

Mods and conflicts

ENB uses a d3d9.dll of its own, which collides with DXVK’s: only one tool can own that file name. See overlay and mod conflicts. Fallout 3 shares an engine with Fallout: New Vegas, but only some advice carries over; see the New Vegas page and do not copy anything that is specific to that game. We did not test FOSE or any mod.

Remove DXVK

Delete the DLL from the game folder (F12).

What we have not tested

• Any run of the game: FPS, stutter and crashes are unmeasured, so we make no speed claim.
• The MSAA white-dots bug and its fix: reported, not reproduced.
• Intel Arc: no card, no tested vendor value.
• Whether DXVK is better or worse than the game’s normal Direct3D on your GPU.
• Mods: ENB, FOSE and others.

Check your own copy

The Game Checker reads your .exe on your device and tells you its bitness and Direct3D version. Our checker also flags files in the game folder that use the same name as DXVK’s DLLs.