9 Ways to Fix Dota 2 Stuttering, Lagging, or Freezing on PC

Dota 2 is a very popular online multiplayer game published by Valve. In Dota 2, players are divided into two teams, each with five members. These teams must combat each other to defend their base on the Dota 2 map. They have to fight and destroy the opponent’s base land for this game strategy. Due to this game style, the gameplay is highly addictive, and Dota 2 is getting popular quickly. Many users are complaining that many issues occur in the game after the recent update, such as Stuttering, Lagging, or Freezing in gameplay.

However, apart from this, talking about the Dota 2 is one of the most incredible games. It has a variety of gameplay, learning new skills among thousands of heroes. Most importantly, new heroes constantly update, making the game more exciting. This is a long-standing classic that never gets boring and continuously evolves.

Anyway, now, no worries because we are here with some of the best fixes to help you eliminate the stuttering, lagging, or freezing while playing Dota 2. Therefore, let’s get started with the guide.

How to Fix Dota 2 Stuttering, Lagging, or Freezing in Gameplay

Here, we have mentioned some fixes that will help you get rid of Dota 2 stuttering, lagging, or freezing in gameplay. So, make sure to follow them carefully, step-by-step. Therefore, let’s get started with them:

Fix 1: Check Minimum Requirements

It is imperative to check if your PC meets the minimum system requirements. Therefore, we suggest you verify the requirements to run Dota 2 as we mentioned below:

1. CPU SPEED: Intel or AMD Dual-core processor at 2.8 GHz
2. RAM: 4 GB
3. VIDEO CARD: Nvidia GeForce 8600/9600GT or similar with DirectX Compatible
4. OS: Windows 7 or newer
5. P-SHADER: 4.0
6. V-SHADER: 4.0
7. FREE SPACE: 15 GB
8. VRAM: 256 MB

Fix 2: Reboot Your System

So, now you have checked whether your PC is compatible with the game. Therefore, if you are still getting the stuttering, lagging, or freezing error, then there is a possibility that the error may not occur due to compatibility issues. However, in such a case, the error behind this may be some technical bugs and glitches due to the temporary files stored on your PC.

Meanwhile, you need to remove those temporary files to remove these glitches, done only when you reboot your system. Many users reported that this aids them to resolve the stuttering, lagging, or freezing issue. So, once you reboot your system, run the game and check whether the issue gets resolved.

Fix 3: Update Your GPU Driver

Yeah! You read it right; an older GPU driver may also be the main cause behind this error. With every game update developer changing the requirements, it may not be possible to perform well for an older GPU driver version. Therefore, keeping your GPU driver is the most important thing, especially when you are a gamer and loves to play PC games.

Well, in order to update your GPU driver, there are two methods. The first method is to update your driver from the Device Manager and the second method is from the official GPU manufacturer website. So, let’s take a look at the guidelines:

1. Firstly, open the Device Manager and expand the Display Adapter tab.
2. Thereafter, right-click on the GPU manufacturer name and then, from the drop-down list, select the Update Driver option.

That’s it. Now, wait until the driver gets updated. However, suppose in case you didn’t find any update using this method, then you can use the second method. Yes, you can simply hover to your GPU manufacturer’s official website and there check if for your device there is any update available or not. Well, after updating your GPU driver, rerun the Dota 2 game and check if the issue gets resolved or not.

Fix 4: Check For System Update

There are chances that your system may have some pending OS updates. It is possible because this kind of issue generally occurs when our PC is running on an older version of the operating system. Therefore, we have to make sure that our system OS is up-to-date. That’s why we recommend you regularly check for update and update it if available. Well, in case you don’t know how to check for system updates, then follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Initially, open the Windows Search bar and search for the Windows Update.
2. Thereafter, open the first option from the list of results.
3. Then, select the Check For Updates button and wait until it searches for the update. Once done, make sure to open the game and play for some time to check if the stuttering, lagging, or freezing issues get resolved or not.

Fix 5: Close Background Applications

If many apps run in the background, then they consume a lot of resources. Now, these things are really bothering us while multi-tasking. Therefore, closing them will be the right choice. So, we also suggest you disable all the unnecessary background processes. However, there are possibilities users don’t know the necessary steps; therefore, below we have mentioned the needy steps:

1. First of all, launch the Task Manager; to do so right-click on the Start menu and select the Task Manager from the drop-down menu.
2. After that, switch to the processes tab from the Windows Task Manager.
3. Then, check the current CPU and memory usage and select them. After that, hit the End Process button.

So, that’s it. Now, make sure to reboot your PC and run the game. Then, check if the stuttering, lagging, or freezing issue gets resolved or not.

Fix 6: Change Your Power Plan

Changing the power plan of your Windows 11 PC will be the right choice for you. There are several players who have reported that after changing their power plan, the stuttering, lagging, or freezing issue gets resolved. Therefore, we also suggest you try this out and check if this helps you or not. So, let’s take a look at the necessary guidelines that will help you change your power plan:

1. Firstly, go to the Control Panel and click on the Large icons located under the View By.
2. Then, hover over to the Power Options and select the High Performance. Once done, reboot your system and run the game to check if the issue gets fixed. 

Fix 7: Change Proxy Settings

Changing the proxy settings will be the right choice for you, as many users previously reported that this helps them to resolve the stuttering, lagging, or freezing issue while playing Dota 2. Therefore, let’s take a look at the necessary steps:

1. Initially, open the Internet Options from the Windows Search bar.
2. After that, click on the Connections tab and hit the LAN settings button.
3. Thereafter, locate the box situated beside the Automatically detect settings and uncheck it. Then, hit the Ok button and run the game to check if the issue gets resolved or not.

Fix 8: Clear Steam Cache and Cookies

For many users clearing the Steam cache and cookies helped them to fix the stuttering, lagging, or freezing issue on Dota 2. Therefore, why not try this out. So, let’s take at how to do it: 

1. First of all, open the Steam app using the admin privilege. 
2. Then, navigate to the Steam icon and go to the Settings. 
3. After that, from the left pane, click on the Web Browser and hit the Delete Web Browser Cache button.
4. Now, on the next screen, hit the Ok button followed by the Delete Web Browser Cache button and hit the Ok button.
5. Then, switch to the Download tab and tap on the Clear Download Cache. Then, hit the Ok button and reboot your system. Now, you’ll notice that the issue gets automatically gets fixed. 

Fix 9: Reinstall The Dota 2 Game

Now, in case none of the methods helped you fix this error. Then, we suggest you reinstall the Dota 2 game on your device as it reinstalls all the game files by deleting the existing ones. Therefore, try this out and again to check if the stuttering, lagging, or freezing issue gets fixed. 

From Author’s Desk

So, that’s it on how to fix Dota 2 stuttering, lagging, or freezing in gameplay. We hope the fixes we have mentioned in this guide helped you. Therefore, perform them and let us know if you have any further questions.