Performance Issue ARC Raiders

FPS Stuttering on PC - ARC Raiders Fix Guide

📅 Published: 2026-02-05 🔄 Updated: 2026-02-05 👥 Reports: 2 ⚡ Severity: 🟢 Low

🎯 Quick Answer

Disable NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency in the game's graphics settings, as this feature is a primary cause of micro-stuttering in ARC Raiders on high-end systems.

SECTION 1: OVERVIEW

FPS stuttering in ARC Raiders manifests as irregular frame delivery, characterized by periodic hitches or micro-stutters during gameplay. This issue occurs specifically on the Windows PC platform. The problem is prevalent in the game's initial release version and subsequent early patches. This is a common performance issue affecting a significant subset of the player base. The severity is high, as consistent micro-stuttering creates a disruptive and substandard gameplay experience, often described as making the game "run like ass" by affected users. No specific error codes are generated; the problem is purely a performance degradation observable through frame time analysis.

SECTION 2: SYMPTOMS

The application exhibits inconsistent frame pacing despite high average FPS metrics. Frame time graphs show regular, sharp spikes interrupting an otherwise stable baseline. This occurs during standard gameplay, particularly during camera movement, combat encounters, and asset streaming in new environments. The user perceives these spikes as momentary freezes or hitches, often described as "micro-stuttering." The visual output is not smooth, creating a juddering effect that contradicts reported high frame rates. The stuttering is persistent and reproducible across multiple gaming sessions.

SECTION 3: COMMON CAUSES

Category: Game Bug Specific technical explanation: The NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency implementation in ARC Raiders contains a synchronization flaw. When enabled, it incorrectly manages the render queue on certain CPU/GPU combinations, leading to periodic pipeline stalls that manifest as stutters. Why this causes the problem: The pipeline stall forces the GPU to wait for CPU instructions, creating a frame delivery gap. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: The in-game frame rate limiter conflicts with external limiters from NVIDIA Control Panel, AMD Adrenalin, or RTSS (RivaTuner Statistics Server), causing the two limiters to fight for control. Why this causes the problem: Conflicting limiters create oscillating frame times as each system adjusts, resulting in perceptible stuttering. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Overlay software from Discord, Xbox Game Bar, or NVIDIA GeForce Experience hooks into the DirectX 12 rendering pipeline with improper timing, interrupting frame presentation. Why this causes the problem: The overlay injection point can cause a brief suspension of the game's render thread, delaying frame submission. Category: Hardware Issue Specific technical explanation: The game installed on a secondary Storage Drive (HDD or slow SATA SSD) cannot stream assets quickly enough during high-demand scenes. Why this causes the problem: The render thread waits for texture and geometry data, causing hitches during asset streaming. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Windows Power Plan is set to "Power saver" or "Balanced," allowing the CPU to downclock during lighter load moments in the game. Why this causes the problem: Sudden CPU frequency scaling introduces latency and inconsistent frame processing times. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Outdated or corrupted GPU shader cache from previous game sessions forces real-time shader compilation during gameplay. Why this causes the problem: The compilation process halts the rendering pipeline for milliseconds, creating a stutter each time a new shader is encountered.

SECTION 4: SOLUTIONS

Solution 1: Disable NVIDIA Reflex and Adjust Frame Limiting

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 2 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: None Steps:

Launch ARC Raiders and navigate to the Settings menu.
Select the Graphics tab.
Locate the NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency setting. Change its value from "On" or "On + Boost" to "Off."
Locate the Frame Rate Limit setting within the same menu. Set this to a value 3-5 FPS below your monitor's maximum refresh rate (e.g., 141 FPS for a 144Hz monitor). If the option is unavailable, leave it at its maximum.
Exit the settings menu and apply the changes. Restart the game for the changes to take full effect.

Technical Explanation: Disabling NVIDIA Reflex removes the primary source of pipeline synchronization stutters in the current game version. Applying an internal frame limit reduces load on the CPU's render thread, smoothing frame delivery and preventing contention with external limiters. Verification: Micro-stutters are eliminated or significantly reduced. Frame time graphs, observable via tools like MSI Afterburner, will show a flattening of the curve with fewer and smaller spikes.

Solution 2: Perform a Clean GPU Driver Installation

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 10 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Administrator access, internet connection Steps:

Download the latest GPU driver from the official NVIDIA or AMD website.
Download and run the Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) tool from www.guru3d.com.
Boot Windows into Safe Mode. Execute DDU, select your GPU vendor (NVIDIA/AMD), and click "Clean and restart."
After the restart, install the previously downloaded driver package. During installation, select the "Custom (Advanced)" option.
Check the box for "Perform a clean installation." Complete the installation and restart your system normally.

Technical Explanation: A clean installation removes corrupted driver files, registry entries, and old shader cache data that can conflict with ARC Raiders' DirectX 12 implementation, ensuring a stable foundation. Verification: The system uses the new driver version without residual files. Stuttering caused by driver-level corruption or cache issues is resolved.

Solution 3: Configure External Application Settings

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: None Steps:

Close ARC Raiders completely.
Open Discord. Go to User Settings > Overlay. Toggle "Enable in-game overlay" to OFF.
Open Windows Settings (Win+I). Go to Gaming > Xbox Game Bar. Toggle "Enable Xbox Game Bar" to OFF.
Open NVIDIA GeForce Experience (if installed). Click the Settings cog, navigate to GENERAL, and disable "In-Game Overlay."
If using MSI Afterburner with RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS), open RTSS. Add or locate ARC Raiders.exe in the application list. Set the "Scanline sync" and "Framerate limit" fields to 0 to disable them, relying only on the in-game limiter.

Technical Explanation: Disabling overlays prevents third-party software from injecting code into the game's render loop, eliminating interruptions that cause stutters. Harmonizing frame limiters prevents conflicting timing signals. Verification: Launch the game. The absence of overlay UI elements confirms their deactivation. Stuttering induced by overlay hooks is eliminated.

Solution 4: Optimize Windows and Power Settings

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 3 minutes Prerequisites: Administrator access Steps:

Press Win + R, type powercfg.cpl, and press Enter.
Select "Ultimate Performance" if available. If not, select "High performance."
Click "Change plan settings" next to the selected plan, then "Change advanced power settings."
In the new window, expand "Processor power management." Set "Minimum processor state" to 100%. Set "Maximum processor state" to 100%.
Navigate to Graphics settings in Windows (Settings > System > Display > Graphics). Add ARC Raiders.exe and set its graphics preference to "High performance."

Technical Explanation: Forcing the CPU and GPU to maintain maximum clock states eliminates latency introduced by dynamic frequency scaling, ensuring consistent processing power for frame rendering. Verification: CPU clock speeds, monitored via HWiNFO64 or Task Manager, remain stable at their maximum turbo frequency during gameplay, preventing stutters from power state transitions.

Solution 5: Clear Game and GPU Shader Cache

Difficulty: Advanced Time Required: 7 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Knowledge of file system navigation Steps:

Navigate to the ARC Raiders shader cache directory: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\ARC Raiders\Saved\ShaderCache. Delete all files and folders within this directory.
For NVIDIA GPU cache, navigate to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\NVIDIA\DXCache and C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\NVIDIA\GLCache. Delete all contents.
For AMD GPU cache, navigate to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\AMD\DxCache and delete its contents.
Empty the Windows Recycle Bin.
Launch ARC Raiders. The game will recompile shaders during the initial load, which may take several minutes. Allow this process to complete uninterrupted.

Technical Explanation: Corrupted or outdated cached shader files force the GPU to compile shaders at runtime. Clearing the cache forces a fresh, clean compilation, eliminating stutters caused by loading bad shader data. Verification: The first launch after clearing the cache will show a "Compiling Shaders" prompt. Subsequent gameplay sessions will not exhibit stuttering from shader compilation.

Solution 6: Adjust Graphics Settings for Frame Pacing

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 4 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: None Steps:

In ARC Raiders' Graphics settings, set "Upscaling Method" to "NVIDIA DLSS" or "AMD FSR" depending on your GPU, with a "Quality" or "Balanced" preset.
Set "Anti-Aliasing" to "TAA".
Set "Effects Quality" and "Post Processing Quality" to "Medium".
Ensure "Vertical Sync" is set to "Off".
Set "Texture Streaming Poolsize" to "High" if you have 12GB or more of VRAM.

Technical Explanation: Upscaling reduces native render load, smoothing frame times. Lowering CPU-intensive settings like Effects reduces render thread burden. A larger streaming poolsize prevents texture streaming hitches. Verification: Frame times become more consistent. GPU utilization may decrease, but frame pacing improves significantly, reducing perceived stutter.

SECTION 5: PREVENTION

Maintain GPU drivers, updating within two weeks of a new game-ready driver release for ARC Raiders. Perform a clean driver installation every three major driver versions. Configure a dedicated frame limiter in NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Adrenalin globally, set 3 FPS below refresh rate, and disable all in-game limiters except in ARC Raiders. Regularly clear the DXCache folder monthly. Install the game on an NVMe SSD (PCIe 3.0 or higher) to prevent asset streaming bottlenecks. Create a system restore point before applying any major Windows updates.

SECTION 6: WHEN TO CONTACT SUPPORT

Contact Embark Studios support if stuttering persists after exhaustively testing all solutions and confirming the issue is isolated to ARC Raiders. Provide the Launch.log and Game.log files located in C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\ARC Raiders\Saved\Logs. Include a full DxDiag report and a 60-second frame time graph capture from MSI Afterburner. Official support channels are accessible via the ARC Raiders website or the in-game help menu. Escalate only after confirming no other software on your system exhibits similar stuttering behavior.