Network Issue Fortnite

Fortnite FPS Lag Spikes After Update - Fix Guide

📅 Published: 2026-02-05 🔄 Updated: 2026-02-05 👥 Reports: 6 ⚡ Severity: 🟢 Low

🎯 Quick Answer

Clear the Epic Games Launcher and Fortnite cache to resolve post-update FPS lag spikes caused by corrupted temporary data.

SECTION 1: OVERVIEW

The Fortnite FPS lag spike error is a performance degradation event characterized by sudden, severe drops in frames per second (FPS) to near-zero levels, followed by recovery. This error manifests specifically on the Windows PC platform following a game client or engine update. The issue occurs in the live game version post-update, where the previous version exhibited stable performance. This is a common occurrence following major updates that introduce new engine features or asset streaming changes. The severity is game-breaking, as FPS drops to 0-10 for multiple seconds render gameplay non-competitive and disrupt core mechanics. No specific error code is generated; the failure mode is purely performance-based within the game's rendering pipeline.

SECTION 2: SYMPTOMS

The primary symptom is an intermittent but severe drop in FPS from a stable high value (e.g., 120-200 FPS) to a value between 0 and 10 FPS. This drop persists for 2-10 seconds before the framerate recovers. The event repeats at irregular intervals during standard gameplay. The application does not terminate or generate a crash report. System monitoring confirms GPU and CPU utilization drops concurrently with the FPS loss, indicating a rendering pipeline stall. The issue begins immediately upon launching the game after a patch update, with no prior history of instability on the same hardware and driver set.

SECTION 3: COMMON CAUSES

Category: Game Bug / Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Corrupted or outdated local cache files from the Epic Games Launcher and Fortnite client conflict with new game data introduced in the update. Why this causes the problem: The game engine attempts to read from cached asset data that is incompatible with the updated version, causing the DirectX 12 rendering pipeline to stall while it falls back to disk reads. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Outdated or corrupted Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables and DirectX runtime libraries required by the updated game engine. Why this causes the problem: The game's new code paths call functions in these runtime libraries that are missing or mismatched, leading to delayed execution and frame time spikes. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: In-game graphics settings, particularly those related to DirectX 12 features (Nanite, Lumen, Virtual Shadows), automatically reset or enable after an update on hardware that experiences driver-level incompatibility. Why this causes the problem: The enabled advanced features demand memory and compute resources in a pattern that triggers a driver time-out and recovery cycle, manifesting as an FPS drop. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Background processes, including outdated RGB control software (ICUE, Armoury Crate, SignalRGB) or overlay applications (Discord, Xbox Game Bar), hook into the game's process post-update and cause scheduling conflicts. Why this causes the problem: These applications inject DLLs that interfere with the game's new memory allocation patterns, causing brief stalls in the main render thread. Category: Game Bug / Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Shader compilation stutter occurring in real-time due to the post-update shader cache being invalidated and not rebuilding correctly. Why this causes the problem: Each time a new asset or effect is encountered, the rendering thread halts to compile the necessary shaders, dropping FPS to near-zero for the duration of the compilation. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Windows Power Plan or NVIDIA/AMD control panel settings reverting to a balanced or power-saving mode after a driver or system update. Why this causes the problem: The CPU and GPU are not allowed to maintain sustained high-performance states, causing sudden clock speed drops that directly correlate to FPS spikes.

SECTION 4: SOLUTIONS

Solution 1: Clear Epic Games and Fortnite Cache

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Fortnite and Epic Games Launcher must be fully closed. Steps:

Press Windows Key + R, type %localappdata%, and press Enter to open the Local AppData folder.
Locate and delete the EpicGamesLauncher folder.
Navigate to the Temp folder within the Local directory (path: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Temp) and delete its contents.
Press Windows Key + R again, type %programdata%, and press Enter.
Locate and delete the Epic folder.
Restart your computer. Upon reboot, launch the Epic Games Launcher. It will rebuild its cache.

Technical Explanation: This procedure forces the launcher and game to regenerate all local configuration and temporary asset files from scratch, eliminating conflicts between old cached data and the new game version's requirements. Verification: Launch Fortnite and monitor FPS stability for one full match. The severe, multi-second drops to 0-10 FPS should be eliminated.

Solution 2: Perform a Clean Graphics Driver Reinstall

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 10 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Internet connection to download driver, administrator rights. Steps:

Download the latest GPU driver from NVIDIA (https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx) or AMD (https://www.amd.com/en/support).
Download and run the Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) utility from https://www.guru3d.com/download/display-driver-uninstaller-download/.
Boot Windows in Safe Mode. Restart your PC, and during startup, press F8 (or use System Configuration > Boot > Safe boot).
Run DDU in Safe Mode. Select your GPU vendor (NVIDIA/AMD/Intel) and click "Clean and restart".
After the PC restarts to normal Windows, install the graphics driver downloaded in Step 1. Select "Custom Installation" and check "Perform a clean installation".

Technical Explanation: A clean installation removes all previous driver files, registry entries, and configuration profiles that may contain incompatible settings or corrupted files triggered by the game update. Verification: Open the NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Software to confirm the new driver version is active. Check Fortnite performance.

Solution 3: Reset Fortnite Graphics Settings to Default

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 3 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: None. Steps:

Launch Fortnite and navigate to the Settings menu.
Select the Video Settings tab.
At the bottom of the Graphics Quality section, locate and click the Reset to Default button.
Apply the changes and restart the game.
After restarting, manually reconfigure only essential settings: set Window Mode to Fullscreen, Rendering Mode to DirectX 12 (or try DirectX 11), and Frame Rate Limit to your monitor's refresh rate. Leave advanced features like Nanite, Lumen, and Virtual Shadows disabled initially.

Technical Explanation: This resets any graphics profile corrupted by the update process, especially problematic settings for Global Illumination or Shadow detail that can cause pipeline stalls on specific driver versions. Verification: The FPS drop severity should reduce. If stable, you can cautiously re-enable advanced settings one at a time to identify the culprit.

Solution 4: Disable Full-Screen Optimizations and Overlays

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 4 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Administrator rights may be required. Steps:

Navigate to the Fortnite executable. Default path: C:\Program Files\Epic Games\Fortnite\FortniteGame\Binaries\Win64\FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe.
Right-click the .exe file, select Properties.
Navigate to the Compatibility tab.
Check the box for Disable full-screen optimizations.
Click Change high DPI settings. At the bottom, check Override high DPI scaling behavior and select Application from the dropdown.
Additionally, disable the Xbox Game Bar. Press Windows Key + I, go to Gaming > Xbox Game Bar, and toggle it Off. Disable any overlays in Discord, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, or Steam.

Technical Explanation: Full-screen optimizations force a borderless windowed mode that can introduce composition latency. Overlays inject code into the game process, which can conflict with anti-cheat or rendering threads post-update. Verification: Launch the game. The system should engage true exclusive fullscreen mode, reducing latency and potential thread interference.

Solution 5: Adjust Windows Power & Graphics Performance Settings

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 3 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: None. Steps:

Press Windows Key + R, type powercfg.cpl, and press Enter.
Select the Ultimate Performance power plan (if visible) or High Performance. If not visible, create it by opening Command Prompt as Administrator and running: powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61.
Press Windows Key + I, go to System > Display > Graphics.
Click Browse and navigate to the Fortnite client .exe (path in Solution 4, Step 1). Add it.
Click on the added Fortnite entry, select Options, and set it to High performance.

Technical Explanation: This ensures the CPU and GPU maintain maximum clock speeds and prevents aggressive power-saving states that can cause sudden performance drops during gameplay. Verification: Monitor CPU and GPU clock speeds using a tool like HWiNFO64 during gameplay; they should remain consistently high without significant down-throttling.

Solution 6: Verify Game Files via Epic Games Launcher

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5-15 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: None. Steps:

Open the Epic Games Launcher.
Navigate to your Library.
Locate Fortnite, click the three dots (...) below the game title.
Select Manage.
Click the Verify button. The launcher will compare all game files against the latest version and redownload any that are corrupted or missing.

Technical Explanation: This process identifies and replaces individual game files that failed to update correctly or were corrupted during the patch download/installation process. Verification: The launcher will display a confirmation message. A successful verification should result in stable performance if the issue was caused by a specific corrupted game asset file.

Solution 7: Temporarily Disable Anti-Virus Real-Time Scanning

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 2 minutes Success Rate: Low Prerequisites: Administrator rights, knowledge of your AV software. Steps:

Identify your anti-virus software (e.g., Windows Defender, McAfee, Norton).
Open the anti-virus application's dashboard.
Locate real-time protection or scanning settings (e.g., in Windows Security: Virus & threat protection > Manage settings > toggle Real-time protection Off).
Disable real-time scanning temporarily.
Launch Fortnite to test performance. Crucially, re-enable protection immediately after testing.

Technical Explanation: Overly aggressive real-time scanning can hook into the game's memory writes (particularly for shader compilation), causing significant stalls when the updated game exhibits new file access patterns. Verification: If FPS spikes cease with AV disabled, add the Fortnite installation directory (C:\Program Files\Epic Games\) and the .exe file to your anti-virus exclusion list.

SECTION 5: PREVENTION

To prevent recurrence after future updates, implement a standard pre-update routine. Manually clear the Epic Games Launcher cache (Solution 1) before installing a major patch. Create a restore point in Windows before updating GPU drivers. Maintain a documented baseline of stable in-game graphics settings. After any game or driver update, immediately verify game files through the launcher. Schedule a monthly review of background processes and disable non-essential startup applications. Monitor system temperatures and performance metrics using a logging tool to establish a performance baseline for rapid anomaly detection.

SECTION 6: WHEN TO CONTACT SUPPORT

Contact Epic Games Support only after exhaustively testing all solutions in this guide and confirming the issue persists across multiple system restarts and game launches. Required diagnostic information includes the full output of the Fortnite crash logs located in %localappdata%\FortniteGame\Saved\Logs, your DxDiag report (run dxdiag and Save All Information), and a detailed performance log from monitoring software. Provide your Epic account ID and the specific build number of the Fortnite update that introduced the problem. Official support channels are accessible via https://www.epicgames.com/help/en-US/.