Keywords: granblue fantasy relink pc, granblue fantasy relink pc settings, granblue fantasy relink system requirements, granblue fantasy relink fps fix, granblue fantasy relink beginner guide
What Is Granblue Fantasy: Relink?
Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a standalone action RPG developed by Cygames, released simultaneously on PC (Steam), PS4, and PS5 in February 2024. It's based on the long-running Granblue Fantasy mobile gacha game, but requires zero prior knowledge — it tells a complete, self-contained story.
You play as the Captain (Gran or Djeeta, male or female protagonist) leading a crew of skyfaring adventurers across the floating islands of the Zegagrande Skydom. The core loop combines a single-player story campaign with deep co-op quest missions, a gacha-style character system with no real-money purchases, and a Mastery board that lets you build each character extensively.
Relink stands out on PC for two reasons: it launched with strong PC optimization (no DRM, high frame rate support, extensive settings) and its co-op mode (up to 4 players online) is one of the best in modern action RPGs. The game has 20+ playable characters at launch, each with a completely unique combat style, weapon, and skillset.
PC System Requirements
| Tier | CPU | GPU | RAM | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum (720p/30fps) | Intel Core i7-8700 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600 | NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB / AMD RX 5500 XT 8GB | 16 GB | 60 GB SSD |
| Recommended (1080p/60fps) | Intel Core i7-10700 / AMD Ryzen 5 5600X | NVIDIA RTX 2080 / AMD RX 6800 | 16 GB | 60 GB SSD |
| High (1440p/60fps) | Intel Core i9-9900K / AMD Ryzen 9 5900X | NVIDIA RTX 3080 / AMD RX 6900 XT | 32 GB | 60 GB SSD |
| Ultra (4K/60fps) | Intel Core i9-12900K / AMD Ryzen 9 7900X | NVIDIA RTX 4080 / AMD RX 7900 XTX | 32 GB | 60 GB NVMe |
OS: Windows 10 64-bit (version 2004+) or Windows 11.
Note: The minimum spec is higher than expected because Relink loads most of its crew data into RAM simultaneously — 8 GB systems struggle with longer sessions.
How to Download & Install
- Open the Steam client and search "Granblue Fantasy: Relink".
- Purchase and click Install. Download size is approximately 50 GB.
- Steam will verify all files after download.
- On first launch, the game runs a brief shader compilation pass (2–5 minutes). This is displayed as a progress bar on the title screen — wait for it to complete before entering the main menu.
- No additional launcher, DRM, or account required beyond Steam.
PC Graphics Settings — What to Adjust
#1 FPS Lever: Rendering Mode (Deferred Rendering)
Relink defaults to Deferred Rendering, which is required for many of its lighting effects. If you're GPU-limited and below minimum spec, switching to Forward Rendering in the graphics menu drops visual fidelity but can recover 20+ FPS. On any recommended-spec GPU, leave this at Deferred.
#2 FPS Lever: Shadow Resolution
Under Display Settings → Shadow Resolution, dropping from Ultra to High saves meaningful GPU load during the densest combat sequences (multi-character co-op with particle effects + enemies). The difference between Ultra and High is subtle in real gameplay.
#3 FPS Lever: Particle Effects (Co-op)
In 4-player co-op, 4 characters all casting abilities simultaneously is the most GPU-intensive scenario in the game. Dropping Particle Quality to Medium in these sessions is the fastest fix for frame drops without affecting the campaign experience.
Recommended Settings by Tier
| Setting | GTX 1060 / RX 5500 XT | RTX 2080 / RX 6800 | RTX 3080+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 1080p | 1440p | 1440p / 4K |
| Rendering Mode | Forward | Deferred | Deferred |
| Shadow Resolution | Medium | High | Ultra |
| Texture Quality | High | High | Ultra |
| Particle Quality | Medium | High | High |
| Anti-Aliasing | TAA | TAA | TAA |
| Ambient Occlusion | Medium | High | Ultra |
| Motion Blur | Off | Off | Off |
| V-Sync | Off | Off | Off |
| Frame Rate Limit | 60 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
DLSS / FSR / XeSS Support
Relink supports DLSS 3 (NVIDIA RTX), FSR 3 (AMD/any GPU), and XeSS (Intel/any GPU). For 1080p gaming on a GTX 1060, enable FSR Quality — this is the most impactful single change for minimum-spec users and recovers 20–30 FPS.
Controller Support
Granblue Fantasy: Relink was originally a console game, and it shows — controller play is highly polished.
| Controller | Support Level |
|---|---|
| DualSense (PS5) | Full (rumble, adaptive triggers via USB/BT) |
| DualShock 4 (PS4) | Full (rumble; no adaptive triggers) |
| Xbox controllers | Full (automatic button prompts) |
| Generic XInput | Full |
| Keyboard + Mouse | Functional; requires rebinding for comfortable play |
The game auto-detects your input device and switches button prompts. For keyboard-and-mouse play, rebind Skill 1–4 from the default positions (they're spread across the keyboard in a way designed for gamepads). Mouse-aiming helps with ranged characters like Io and Yodarha.
Story Overview (No Spoilers)
The Captain and their crew — including the blue dragon Vyrn and the mysterious girl Lyria — are escorting a young girl named Lyria (wait, that's the same person) to the island of Estalucia, the Island of the Astrals. Their journey through the Zegagrande Skydom leads them into conflict with a primal beast crisis threatening the sky realm.
The cast of playable characters includes series mainstays:
- Gran / Djeeta (Captain) — balanced melee, starts with a sword
- Zeta — spear user, aggressive red-fire combo playstyle
- Io — staff mage, powerful area spells
- Vane — tank, parry-focused heavy armor style
- Katalina — paladin-type, sword + shield
- Charlotta — tiny paladin, explosive burst damage
- Rackam — gunner, long-range stance switching
- Eugen — veteran gunner, artillery-style
- Rosetta — rose garden magic, debuffs and support
- Plus 10+ additional characters unlocked through story and post-game
Each character plays completely differently — "the roster" in Relink functions more like a roster of different games packed into one, with unique mechanics per character.
Core Combat System
The SBA Chain — Skybound Arts
Every character has a Skybound Art (SBA) — a super move triggered when their SBA gauge fills (hold Triangle/Y or your mapped button). The key mechanic: Link Attacks.
When multiple characters use their SBA in quick succession (within a window), they chain a Link Burst that deals massive damage and knocks down large enemies. In co-op, coordinating SBAs with your party is the primary skill expression of late-game content.
Stagger and Break
Most bosses have a Break Gauge (visible as a second HP bar). Deal enough stagger damage during a window and the boss enters a Break state — frozen in place, taking 50% more damage. This is the window to dump SBAs and burst skills. Missing the Break window on hard bosses is the #1 reason parties fail raids.
Overdrive Countering
Some bosses enter Overdrive (a rage mode). You can interrupt Overdrive with a well-timed SBA chain — doing so deals bonus damage and cancels the Overdrive attack. In difficult raids, managing the Overdrive counter is the team's primary objective.
Perfect Dodge (Sidestep)
All characters have a dodge with a perfect dodge window (similar to Bloodborne / Sekiro but with more generous timing). A perfect dodge triggers slow-motion, fills the SBA gauge slightly, and opens a free follow-up attack. Mastering perfect dodge dramatically reduces damage taken on harder difficulties.
Mastery Board — Character Progression
Each character has a Mastery Board — a hex grid of passive upgrades unlocked with Mastery Points (Masupi). Mastery Points drop from quests, especially Proud (hard) difficulty raids.
Priorities for any character:
- Unlock all four active skills first (the hex nodes near the center of the board).
- Max damage nodes for your primary attack type.
- Unlock Ougi (Link Burst) enhancements — these boost your SBA contribution in co-op.
- Fill health/defense nodes last; offense dominates in Relink's meta.
Some characters have multiple Mastery Boards (Page 1, Page 2 unlocked via story/post-game). Page 2 boards are always worth completing for endgame content.
Progression Path
Chapter 1–11 (Main Story)
Play through the story with your preferred Captain. Difficulty is manageable with default AI companions — you don't need online co-op for the campaign. Use whatever character you find fun; you'll unlock more as the story progresses.
Chapter 11+ (Post-Game Opens)
Completing Chapter 11 unlocks the full post-game structure:
- Proud Difficulty Quests — the true endgame, raids and boss fights scaled for maxed parties
- Sigil crafting — equip Sigils (passive stat-boosters) on each character
- Additional characters unlock via post-game events
- Lucilius Raid — the hardest content in the game, requires coordinated 4-player co-op
Sigils — Gear System
Sigils are passive upgrade items equipped in character slots (each character has multiple slots). Key Sigils:
- Damage Cap Up — the most universally valuable Sigil; without it, damage hits the cap before skills can reach full potential
- Critical Hit Rate / Damage — core DPS Sigils for all attack-type characters
- Uplift — reduces skill cooldowns, important for skill-heavy characters
- Garrison — reduces healing delays, important for support builds
Farm Sigils from Proud quests. Don't equip story-dropped Sigils on post-game characters — they're underleveled.
Multiplayer (Co-op Mode)
Relink's online co-op is one of its strongest features:
- Up to 4 players in quest co-op (the quest format, separate from story chapters)
- Cross-platform: PC players can co-op with PS5 players
- Quick Join: matchmake for any quest you've unlocked
- Room system: create a private room with password for friend groups
- AI fills empty slots: if you queue with 1–3 players, AI controls the remaining party members
Online co-op is only for Quests — the story campaign is single-player only (AI party). Once Chapter 11 is complete, Quests are the entire game loop, so co-op becomes the primary activity.
Common PC Errors & Fixes
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Crash on startup | Antivirus blocking executable | Add Steam install folder to antivirus exclusions |
| Stuttering on title screen | Shader compilation in progress | Wait for the shader bar to complete; do not skip or force-quit |
| Low FPS in co-op vs solo | Particle effects from 4 characters | Drop Particle Quality to Medium in settings |
| Game won't launch (missing DLL) | DirectX/Visual C++ not installed | Run vcredist.x64.exe from the game's install folder (\CommonRedist) |
| 60fps cap won't remove | Frame rate limiter in-game | Settings → Display → Frame Rate → Unlimited |
| Controller not recognized | Generic controller not XInput | Install DS4Windows (for DualShock) or use Steam Input |
| Co-op: unable to join rooms | NAT type restriction | Enable UPnP on router; open UDP port 3478 |
| Corrupted save | Steam sync conflict | Disable Steam Cloud for Relink; restore from local backup (%APPDATA%\GBFRelink) |
Should You Play Relink Without Knowing Granblue Fantasy?
Yes — and you're not alone. The majority of Relink's PC playerbase came in with zero mobile game knowledge. The game introduces all characters, lore, and world-building without assuming prior knowledge. References to the mobile game exist but are treated as bonus context, not requirements.
If you enjoy Relink and want more lore, the mobile game (Granblue Fantasy) and anime adaptation (Granblue Fantasy: The Animation, available on streaming) provide deeper backstory for the major crew members.
Quick FAQ
Q: Is this related to Granblue Fantasy Versus (fighting game)? A: Same universe, different game. Versus/Versus: Rising is a 2D fighter. Relink is a full action RPG. The characters overlap, but the games are completely separate.
Q: Is there a free trial? A: No free trial, but Steam's refund policy (under 2 hours played) applies. The first hour gives a clear read of whether the gameplay loop clicks for you.
Q: How many hours is Relink? A: Main story: 15–20 hours. Full post-game completion (all Proud quests, all character Masteries): 80–150 hours depending on grind tolerance.
Q: Is the post-game all grinding? A: It's a mix. Post-game quests have genuinely challenging mechanics — it's not purely stat-check grinding. The Lucilius Raid in particular is a mechanics-first fight that requires execution even with max stats.
Q: Can I play solo post-game without co-op? A: Yes — all content is soloable with AI companions. AI is competent enough for most Proud difficulty content. Only the hardest raids truly require human coordination.
Q: Does it have New Game+? A: No traditional NG+, but post-game content effectively serves the same purpose — you replay harder versions of quests for better rewards.
Q: Is there more content planned (DLC)? A: Cygames has released additional playable characters as free updates post-launch. Check the roadmap on their official site for the current lineup.
Q: Does it have anti-cheat that affects performance? A: No invasive anti-cheat. The game is played offline or via Steam's online infrastructure without rootkit-level DRM.