What is Shader Compilation Mode in Marvel Rivals?

Shader Compilation Mode is an experimental feature that arrived with Marvel Rivals Season 2. This feature is part of NetEase’s efforts to optimize the game for different hardware and make it run faster. Unfortunately, it’s in the early stages of development, which is why it could cause more harm than good if you enable it.

In this guide, we will take a deeper look at Shader Compilation Mode in Marvel Rivals and explain whether you should enable it or not.

Should I enable Shader Compilation Mode in Marvel Rivals?

Marvel Rivals is currently available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. While the gaming consoles have uniform hardware, PC parts may vary. Due to this, the game may not run smoothly on certain graphics cards or processors. Shader generation plays an important role in video game optimization, and we’ll explain everything you need to know about it below.

To enable the feature, you need to check it in the launcher. As soon as you do this, the shaders will be compiled next time you run the game, and you won’t have to do it until the next game or driver update.

For now, let’s answer if you should enable the new Shader Compilation Mode in Marvel Rivals. The short answer is yes. Even if the game runs smoothly on your system, you will want to enable this option to compile shaders only once for every update. With the option turned off, your system will need to compile shaders on every launch of the game, which can be time-consuming.

You will also want to enable the option if you have performance issues with the game, such as increased memory consumption, stuttering, or crashes. Turning Shader Compilation Mode on does not guarantee any improvement in the performance. However, you should give it a shot and see what kind of impact it will have on your gaming system.

NetEase has clarified that the experimental Marvel Rivals feature may cause additional stutters on low-end CPUs combined with AMD FSR3 Frame Generation. Due to this, you shouldn’t expect big improvements if you are using this type of hardware. In any case, you should enable the new Shader Compilation Mode and test it on your system. If it causes more problems, you can disable it with a single click.

Season 2 of Marvel Rivals brings tons of new content, including many free skins and a new map. The new hero, Emma Frost, is a fantastic Vanguard who can protect her team while also taking down enemies from a distance. With all of these additions, it’s no surprise that NetEase has brought optimization fixes as well, and we hope that they will make the game run better for all players.

What is shader generation and why does it slow down my system?

Shaders are small programs that run on your graphics card. They control how objects are generated in the game, including textures, lighting, and shadows. Now, shaders are mostly pre-compiled on gaming consoles, since they all have the same hardware. But that is not the case on personal computers, which is why it’s necessary to compile them on the go.

Considering that modern games, including Marvel Rivals, have thousands of shaders, compiling them can take a lot of time. Fortunately, the new feature will only compile them once a game or a graphics card driver gets an update. This will make the game launch faster and have fewer issues, which is certainly a step in the right direction.