The best FoV (Field of View) for Battlefield V
To determine the best Field of View in Battlefield V, I have surveyed 64 players on their preference. Find out pros and cons brought by a wide FoV.
Generally, there is not a “best” setting for the field of view, but it comes down to your personal preference, the size of your screen and how close you are to it.
You may think to the FoV as a camera zooming in and out. When you increase the FoV, the camera zooms out, improving your peripheral vision.
FoV pros and cons
According to the PC gaming myth, a high FoV value is always the best choice because you are able to look at a wider area, which helps to spot any incoming enemy.
The truth is that a high FoV brings both pros and cons.
A high FoV makes targeting more difficult. The wider the FoV, the smaller the enemy on the screen, so you need to be more accurate to hit them.
A low FoV helps your focus. Everything on the screen is bigger, so it is easier to focus on where you are aiming.
Very-low FoV values can also bring motion sickness and issues in close quarters combat as it is harder to keep a fast-moving target on your screen, while with a high FoV it is simpler to spot and keep track of enemies.
If performance is an issue, be aware that increasing the FoV will impact negatively your fps because your PC must work harder to render more on the screen.
Battlefield V uses a vertical Field of View
It is important to point out that in some games (like Overwatch and Apex Legends) the FoV is calculated horizontally, while in others (such as R6: Siege) it is calculated vertically. Do not forget this difference if you are trying to set the same field of view in all your games.
According to the in-game slider, 75 vertical FoV in BFV is equal to 91 horizontal FoV, 90 to 106, and 100 to 116.
As far as I know, 104 and 110 (horizontal FoV) are the values suggested by many pro players in other shooter games.
Data
I have surveyed 64 players on their Field of View preference in Battlefield V. The results are displayed in the graph and table below. They include both PC and console players.
| FoV | Votes | FoV | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 6 | 95 | 2 |
| 74 | 7 | 100 | 11 |
| 75 | 10 | 104 | 2 |
| 80 | 8 | 105 | 3 |
| 90 | 15 |
The default FoV value in BFV is 70, the minimum is 50, and the maximum is 105. None of the interviewed used a FoV lower than the default one.
In most online games, the players prefer to maximize the field of view to have a tactical advantage over the opponents, but it looks like this is not the case in Battlefield V. In my opinion, this is because of the fisheye lens effect, which is very visible at high FoV values.
The Fisheye Effect is a strong visual distortion that in photography is produced with an ultra wide-angle lens. You can occur in it on PC when using a very-high FoV value. Some players tolerate or don’t mind it, others (like me) just can’t stand it :).
The majority of the players prefers a FoV slightly wider than the default one: from 70 to 80.
90 is the most popular choice, while 110 is the value preferred by those who love a very wide FoV.
FoV on ultrawide monitors
Battlefield is powered by Frostbite Engine 3. The ultrawide support is excellent, and I believe this aspect ratio increases your immersion and helps your gameplay.
I play on a 34 inches ultrawide monitor at about 50-60 Centimeters / 1.6-1.9 Feet of distance, so I can share with you my personal experience.
The default 70 FoV works well, but after several tests I think that 75 and 80 are the best options. Considering the 21:9 display ratio, ultrawide users already enjoy a huge horizontal view.
On the other hand, while testing the game on a 16:9 monitor, I opted for a 80-90 FoV value.
FoV at 16:9 and 21:9
Below, you can find images of the same scene at 50, 70, 90, and 100 FoV, both in 16:9 and 21:9 aspect ratio. I took the screens on Rotterdam and Mercury.
The 16.9 monitor is a standard 24 inches one with a resolution of 1920x1080, while the ultrawide one is a 34 inches display that runs at 2560x1080.
How to disable the HUD
Launch Battlefield V.
Click Options and select the Key Bindings tab.
Go on Soldier and scroll down to Toggle HUD Visibility.
Set a key to toggle the HUD visibility on and off.
If you need it, do the same also for Vehicle Driver, Transport Driver, Pilot, Helicopter, Gunner, and Spectator.
16:9
21:9
FoV settings
ADS Field of View
ADS Field of View enables/disables the field of view scaling when aiming down iron sights.
This option depends on your personal preference, but I recommend putting it on Off as you will be able to zoom further away.
If enabled, it keeps your FoV setting also when ADS, so you will have a better view of your surroundings while aiming.
Vehicle 3P Field of View
I have not gathered data on the vehicle field of view, but generally you want it as high as possible because with high FoV values you can see the rear of the vehicle, so you will be able to notice a sneaky Assault trying to place dynamite.
The suggested FoV values for Vehicle 3P Field of View are 90 and 95.
Console FoV and game performance
We must be very grateful to the DICE developers because (although we are in 2019) only a limited number of games provides a FoV slider on console.
Generally, on console a wide FoV isn’t required because many people play on a TV placed across the room, but if you utilize a monitor positioned in front of you, I suggest increasing the FoV value.
Considering the data from the survey, I recommend trying a field of view value from 75 to 90.
Performance-wise, I read different threads on this topic, and no player complained about frame drops when increasing the FoV.
Related: How to increase FPS in BFV
