Custom versions of Special K tailored to certain games are available. These versions sometimes features more in-depth changes or fixes that might not exist in the main branch, or are essentially “frozen” versions of Special K known to have the highest compatibility with their respective game for the specific game version it targets.
Compatibility between Special K and games can go either way; a game that continues to receive updates after these custom “frozen” versions might see the support for Special K diminish or end entirely. Similarly, the main Special K project might see compatibility with older games suffer as the main project undergoes continuous development. Because of this it might be worth trying both the “frozen” Special K version as well as the latest version of the main Special K project, see Local (game-specific).
Almost all game-specific mods and tweaks are usually eventually embedded into the main Special K project.
A full list of embedded game plug-ins in Special K can be found over in the souce code. Each file correlates to one game plug-in embedded in the main Special K project.
In the below table, Archive refers to a game-specific mod that requires the user to manually download, install, and update the mod. SKIM refers to a game-specific mod which supports automatic installation through the Special K Install Manager as well as auto-updates post-install.
| Game | Mod Name | Install Type | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disgaea PC | Pretty Prinny | SKIM | Focuses on render, usability, performance, and stability enhancements. |
| Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen | Agnostic Dragon | Archive | Fixes UI/aspect ratio scaling for ultra-widescreen resolutions. |
| Elden Ring | Special K | Global | Unlocks the FPS and lets you use Playstation Button Prompts |
| Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster | Untitled Project X (UnX) | Installer | A ton of changes, improvements, and features. |
| Final Fantasy XV | FFXV Performance Fixes | Local | Improves frame pacing / Fix thread scheduling |
| .hack//G.U. Last Recode | .hack//G.P.U. | SKIM | (semi-obsolete) Fixes texture shimmering, performance issues, and over-powered bloom lightning. Under [Steam.Log] set Silent=true otherwise the game will crash when opening the SK menu. Can be replaced with a newer regular Local or Global install. Also, the in-game display mode may need to be set to Windowed mode. |
| Lego City Undercover | LEGO City Recovered | Global, Local | Solves issues with fullscreen mode, uncaps the framerate, and fixes multi-threading performance problems. |
| NieR: Automata | Fix Automata Resolution (FAR) | Global, Local | Performance improvements, loading times speed-ups. Supports both Steam and Microsoft Store versions. |
| NieR: Replicant | Radical Replicant | Global, Local | Performance improvements, frame rate unlocker, DualShock 4 button prompts. |
| Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice | Sekiro Fix | Global, Local | Nvidia HDR improvements, improved FPS limiting |
| Star Ocean: The Divine Force | Special K | Global, Local | Remove Blur / Depth of Field |
| Tales of Berseria | Tales of Berseria “Fix” (TBFix) | Installer | A ton of stuff. |
| Tales of Symphonia | Tales of Symphonia “Fix” (TSFix) | Installer | A ton of stuff. |
| Tales of Vesperia | Tales of Vesperia “Fix” (TVFix) | Installer | Eliminate most micro-stutter, disable DoF, Bloom, and Blur. adds MSAA support and HDR display output. |
| Tales of Zestiria | Tales of Zestiria “Fix” (TZFix) | SKIM | A ton of stuff. |
| Yakuza 0 | Yakuza 0 | Archive | Toggles for disabling blur, depth of field, ambient occlusion. Allows HUD-less screenshots. |
| Yakuza Kiwami 2 | Yakuza Kiwami 2 | Archive | Toggles for disabling depth of field and various other minor stuff. |
Do the following:
Does not support modern versions of the Steam client, so is unable to detect installed games if they reside in a secondary Steam library.
Download and run the following installer:
Select one of the following game-specific mod in the product list:
| Product | Game | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| .hack//G.P.U | .hack//G.U. Last Recode | |
| Pretty Prinny | Disgaea PC | |
| Tales of Zestiria “Fix” | Tales of Zestiria | TZFix |
| Product | Game | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Souls “Unsqueezed” | Dark Souls III | v 0.5.0 can result in a ban — v 0.4.0 is known to be more compatible. |
| Ni no Stutter | Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom | Not fully functional since v1.03 of the game. |
| Fallout 4 “Works” | Fallout 4 | Use latest Local (game-specific) version instead. |
| “FAR” (Fix Automata Res.) | NieR: Automata | See the updated instructions instead. |
| Tales of Berseria “Fix” | Tales of Berseria | TBFix. See the updated instructions instead. |
| Tales of Symphonia “Fix” | Tales of Symphonia | TSFix. See the updated instructions instead. |
| “Untitled” Project X | Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster | UnX. See the updated instructions instead. |
This is a list of all Special K based standalone game mods which are not recommended and should not be used any longer. It is instead recommended to use the latest versions of Special K through a regular Local or Global install.
| Game/Mod thread | Install Type | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Assassin’s Creed Odyssey | Archive | (obsolete) — Thread scheduling changes. |
| Dark Souls III | SKIM | (avoid) — Focuses on render and usability enhancements. The versions v 0.5.0 and v 0.6.0 of the mod are known to cause bans, and many recommend using v 0.4.0 instead. |
| Fallout 4 | SKIM | (obsolete) — Improves frame pacing. This mod is one of the very first versions of Special K dated 2016. Use latest Local (game-specific) version instead. |
| Monster Hunter: World | Archive | (obsolete) — Enables HDR10/scRGB output, improves frame pacing and CPU utilization. Use latest Global version instead. |
| Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom | SKIM | (obsolete) — Fixes timing issues and frame pacing. Not fully functional since v1.03 of the game. |
| NieR: Automata | SKIM | (obsolete) — Performance improvements, loading times speed-ups. Use latest Global or Local version instead, see FAR for more information. |
| Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice | Archive | (obsolete) — Nvidia HDR improvements, improved FPS limiting Use latest Global or Local version instead, see Sekiro for more information. |
| Shenmue I & II | Archive | (obsolete) — Anisotropic filtering, mipmap generation, pillarbox remover for cutscenes. |