How to fix XDefiant stuttering issues

How to fix XDefiant stuttering issues
Antony Terence Updated on by

Posted in Guides

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✓ At a glance
  • To reduce stuttering, lower your graphics settings, download drivers, verify game files, disable background tasks, and set the game to windowed mode.

Ubisoft’s new arena shooter just dropped and players are already reporting stuttering issues. While getting into a server was difficult at launch, you’re still likely to face some jitters after entering a match. Here’s how you can resolve these issues and get back to capturing objectives.

How to solve stuttering

These stuttering issues seem to affect PCs of all kinds, meaning that it might be an optimization issue that will be ironed out with updates and patches. Here are some solutions you can try:

  • Lower your graphics settings
  • Download the latest drivers
  • Verify your game files
  • Disable background processes
  • Switch to windowed mode
The settings menu, with most options set to low.
Tone down your settings to reduce stutters. Image captured by VideoGamer.

Lower your graphics settings

While the game does automatically set things up for you, lowering your visual quality can help minimize stuttering. Dropping to Medium or Low settings can help improve your frame rate and potentially fix the stutter. Remember to close your game and restart your system to ensure that things work as you’d expect them to. Ensure that your device meets the game’s system requirements as well. Performance is crucial, especially in the game’s trial of its Ranked Play mode.

The NVIDIA GeForce Experience application with the latest 555.85 driver.
Download drivers from NVIDIA’s GeForce Experience application. Image captured by VideoGamer.

Download the latest drivers

Getting the latest drivers from NVIDIA, Intel, and AMD could make the game more responsive. NVIDIA users can check for this via the GeForce Experience application. AMD users can check the official AMD support website while Intel users can check the official Intel Graphics page. NVIDIA’s 555.85 drivers specifically promise an XDefiant latency improvement of up to 58%. Updating your Windows operating system can help too. These steps should help minimize any issues you’re facing.

The Ubisoft Connect application with the verify files option highlighted.
Here’s how you can verify files on Ubisoft Connect. Image captured by VideoGamer.

Verify your game files

You can verify your game files on Ubisoft Connect if you’re playing on a PC. This will let you track down missing or corrupted files for your games. Here’s how you can do it:

  • Open the Ubisoft Connect PC application.
  • Head to the “Library” tab and pick the game you want to check.
  • Press the button with three dots next to the “Play” icon. Here, pick “Verify files.”
The Task Manager application.
Shut down unnecessary tasks via Task Manager. Image captured by VideoGamer.

Disable background processes

Third-party software can interfere with your game’s stability when it runs in the background. They might also take away processing power that the game could utilize. To resolve this, head to your Task Manager via the Start menu and clear out some applications. You can close any open windows that aren’t required as well. Running the game with Administrator rights can also help with crashes and freezes.

The XDefiant settings menu with the Display Mode option highlighted.
Here’s where you can change your display mode to Windowed. Image captured by VideoGamer.

Switch to windowed mode

While most games should run fine on fullscreen or windowed borderless mode, try switching to windowed mode to reduce stuttering. This option can be found in the Video and Graphics tab in the game’s Settings. Some players on X (formerly Twitter) note that they spotted improvements by switching their Display Mode.