Lightyear Frontier FPS Drops on PC, How to Fix Performance?

FRAME BREAK and Amplifier Studios have done a tremendous job releasing the online co-op farming simulator title with mechs in March 2024. Both Windows and Xbox console gamers are having a great time with the Lightyear Frontier game due to its overall gaming experience as well as stunning visuals. However, the Early Access release is causing multiple issues with the performances as of now. Meanwhile, several players have encountered Lightyear Frontier FPS Drops on the PC since its appearance.

We already know that online co-op titles are mostly prone to bugs such as lags or frame drops during gameplay sessions. Well, the Lightyear Frontier title is no exception here because it’s also having issues with the FPS drops at times even after using compatible system requirements. Though the game is new in the market and developers are actively working on resolving common issues, we may have to wait for a couple of patch updates to settle down. However, FPS drops can happen due to multiple reasons that you should know before performing workarounds.

Steps to Fix Lightyear Frontier FPS Drops on PC

The chances are high that somehow your PC is having issues with the minimum system requirements to handle the pressure while running the Lightyear Frontier game. An outdated game version, an outdated graphics driver, corrupted game files, conflicts with the system software version, incorrect DirectX version, problems with the overlay apps, not using the high-performance graphics card, temporary system glitches, corrupted Steam library, etc might cause performance decreases in gaming.

It might also be possible that your graphics card isn’t compatible with the Direct3D Hardware Feature Level 11.0 GPU, unnecessary background tasks, conflicts with the startup apps, security software blocking issues, problems with the shader cache, lower virtual memory on the system, problems with the Steam cloud services, and more can trouble a lot of players when it comes to framerate drops on the Windows computer.

Luckily, we’ve shared with you some workarounds that should come in handy. You should check all troubleshooting methods until the problem has been fixed. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into it.

1. Power Cycle the PC

We mostly suggest our readers perform the power cycle method or a normal system reboot to refresh any kind of potential system glitches. Sometimes the Windows system updates to the latest version in the background but the system restart becomes pending at times. Therefore, it’s a better idea to use the power cycle method on your PC by following the steps below.

• Go to the Start menu > Click on Power.
• Click on Shut Down to power off the system.
• Unplug the power cable from the source.
• Now, wait for at least a minute.
• Reconnect the power cable to the source.
• Then power on the computer and run the game.

2. Check for System Requirements

The chances are high that your PC configuration becomes outdated or incompatible respective to the game’s system requirements. Here we’ve mentioned the minimum system requirements so that you can check if your PC specs meet the requirements or not. Compatibility issues can lead to performance drops so often.

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i3-4170 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
• Memory: 12 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1050 / AMD Radeon RX 460
• Storage: 10 GB available space
• Additional Notes: Low settings, 720p, 30 fps

3. Check for the Graphics Driver Update

Another thing you can try is checking out the graphics driver update at your end to prevent potential graphical glitches with heavy video games. Corrupted or outdated graphics drivers might cause issues with the framerate drops. You can follow the steps below to do so:

Recommended Update:

• Open the Start menu > Search and open Device Manager.
• Double-click on Display Adapters.
• Right-click on the dedicated graphics card.

• Select Update Driver > Click on Search automatically for drivers.
• If an update is available, the latest driver will be installed automatically.
• Once done, restart the system to apply changes.

Manual Update:

In case, you don’t get any pending updates, visit the official website of the respective manufacturer for the graphics card model. Download the latest graphics driver on the PC and run the installer to get it installed. Once done, reboot the PC. You can jump to the link below to do so:

• Nvidia GPU
• AMD GPU
• Intel GPU

4. Run Lightyear Frontier as an Administrator

The chances are possible that not having the system admin permission for the game application is troubling a lot of PC gamers. Without the system admin access, your game program may not run properly or sometimes encounter performance issues. So, you should allow the system admin access to the game by following the steps below.

• Open the Steam client.
• Go to the Library.
• Right-click on Lightyear Frontier.
• Click on Manage.
• Next, click on Browse local files.
• Head over to the installed game directory on the PC.
• Right-click on the LightyearFrontier.exe file.
• Click on Properties > Go to the Compatibility tab.

• Turn On the Run this program as an administrator option.
• Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.

5. Update Lightyear Frontier

You may also check for the available game updates on your PC by following the steps below. If available, install it to allow the game to run smoothly. An outdated game patch version might reduce the gaming performance whatsoever.

• Open the Steam client > Go to the Library.
• Click on Lightyear Frontier from the left side.
• Hit the Update button, if available.
• Once done, reboot the PC to apply changes.

6. Verify the Integrity of the Game Files

Sometimes corrupted or missing game files installed on the PC may trouble players a lot when it comes to running the game properly. You should check the steps below to verify the integrity of the game files via Steam which should help in fixing potential glitches.

• Run the Steam client > Click on the Library.
• Right-click on Lightyear Frontier from the list.
• Click on Properties > Go to the Local Files files.

• Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
• Wait for it to complete and then restart the PC.
• Now, launch the game & check for the issue.

7. Use High-Performance Graphics

In case, you’re using the dedicated (external) graphics card on your Windows computer, you might need to use the high-performance graphics card for the specific game. This method will use the dedicated graphics card to run the selected game without using onboard HD graphics. Several players have already found this trick helpful. Now, follow the steps below to do so.

For Nvidia GPU:

• Right-click on the desktop screen.
• Click on NVIDIA Control Panel.
• Click on 3D Settings > Select Manage 3D Settings in the left pane.
• Select the Program Settings tab.
• Choose Lightyear Frontier from the list.
• Now, select a High-performance NVIDIA processor.
• Save changes and reboot the PC to apply changes.

For AMD GPU:

• Right-click on the desktop screen.
• Select AMD Radeon Settings from the context menu.
• Now, click on System > Select Switchable Graphics.
• Save changes and reboot the PC to apply changes.

8. Remove Recently Installed Windows Updates

If you’ve recently installed a software update or security patch update on Windows then the chances are high that the new version is buggy. It’s better to uninstall that specific patch version manually by following the steps below to check if the problem persists.

• Go to the Start menu > Click on Settings
• Next, go to Windows Update from the left side.
• Click on Update History.
• Click on Uninstall Updates from the bottom.
• Now, you’ll see a newly installed update version.
• Click on Uninstall next to the update package.
• Confirm the action and wait for a while to complete it.
• Once done, your system will reboot automatically.
• Finally, run the game to check for the issue.

9. Delete the Temporary Files from your PC

You’ll need to manually delete the temporary files stored on the Windows system which may cause multiple conflicts with the game running. Check out the steps below to remove the temporary files.

• Press the Win+R keys on your keyboard to open the RUN program.
• Now, type %temp% and press Enter to open the Temporary folder.
• Select all files by pressing the Ctrl+A keys.
• Next, press the Shift+Delete keys to permanently remove all the files.
• In some cases, a few temporary files can’t be deleted.
• That’s a normal thing. You can leave those files.
• Once done, reboot the system to check for the issue.

10. Close Background Running Processes

Another thing you can do is to close the background running program tasks manually by following the steps below. You should head over to the Task Manager and close processes individually which aren’t necessary enough.

• Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.
• Go to Processes > Click on the unnecessary tasks (third-party) in the list.
• Click on End Task to close it.
• Close tasks individually which aren’t necessary. (avoid system processes)
• Once done, reboot the system to apply changes.

11. Disable Overlay Applications

You might also need to manually disable the third-party unnecessary overlay applications on the PC by following the steps below. It will help in fixing the overall game performance and improve the framerate count. So, check out the following steps to turn off overlay apps.

Game Mode:

• Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Click on Gaming > Go to Game Mode.

• Turn Off the Game Mode toggle.
• Once done, restart the PC to apply changes.

Steam In-Game Overlay:

• Open the Steam client > Click on Library.
• Right-click on Lightyear Frontier.
• Click on Properties.
• Go to General.
• Turn OFF the Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game option.
• Once done, reboot the PC to change the effects.

Xbox Game Bar:

• Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Click on Gaming > Go to Game Bar.
• Turn Off the Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using the Game bar option.

Discord Overlay:

• Launch the Discord app.
• Click on the gear icon at the bottom.
• Select Overlay under App Settings.
• Turn On the Enable in-game overlay.
• Click on the Games tab.
• Select Lightyear Frontier.
• Turn Off the Enable in-game overlay option.
• Ensure to reboot your PC to apply changes.

Nvidia GeForce Experience:

• Open the Nvidia GeForce Experience app.
• Click on Options (gear icon) from the top right side.
• Turn Off the In-Game Overlay option.
• Run the game to check for the issue.

12. Turn Off Antivirus

We also recommend our readers manually add an exception of the game program in Antivirus so that the security protection feature can’t affect the gaming performance. Ensure to follow the steps below to disable the antivirus protection at your end.

• Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Go to Privacy and Security.
• Click on Windows Security.
• Click on Virus and Threat Protection.
• Now, click on Manage Settings.
• Turn Off the Real-time Protection toggle.
• Turn Off the Dev Drive Protection toggle.
• Also, turn off the Cloud-delivered Protection toggle.
• Next, turn off the Tamper Protection feature.
• Once done, restart the computer to apply changes.
• Finally, run the game to check for FPS drops.

13. Update Windows

You might also need to install pending Windows updates that help in fixing the system conflicts or bugs. A new update brings new features and improvements that fixes plenty of issues. You can check the steps below to manually check for the Windows updates on your PC.

• Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Click on Windows Update.
• Select Check for updates.
• If an update is available, select Download and Install.
• Wait until the software update is complete.
• Once done, restart your computer to apply changes.

14. Disable Startup Apps (Clean Boot)

Some of the apps and their services may start automatically while booting the system right away. In that case, those apps or services will gonna use a lot of internet connection as well as system resources. If you’re also feeling the same, make sure to perform a clean boot on your computer to check for the issue. To do that:

• Press the Win+R keys to open the Run dialogue box.
• Now, type msconfig and hit Enter to open System Configuration.
• Go to the Services tab > Enable the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.

• Click on Disable all > Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
• Now, go to the Startup tab > Click on Open Task Manager.
• The Task Manager interface will open. Here go to the Startup tab.
• Click on the particular task that has a higher startup impact.
• After selecting, click on Disable to turn them off from the startup process.
• Do the same steps for each program that has a higher startup impact.
• Once done, ensure to restart your PC to apply changes.

For instance; Microsoft Edge Startup Boost, Adobe Updater, OneDrive, Razer Synapse, MSI Microsoft Teams, Microsoft To Do, Phone Link, MSEdge, Steam, Telegram Desktop, WhatsApp, Spotify, Logitech software, and more are some of the most common startup programs that you should turn off using this method.

15. Turn Off Steam Cloud

The Steam Cloud backup feature defaults on the Steam platform and can be enabled or disabled for every video game. In case, this feature is turned on at your end for the Lightyear Frontier game then ensure to disable it manually.

• Open the Steam client.
• Go to the Steam menu at the top left side.
• Now, click on the Settings menu.
• Click on the Cloud tab from the left pane.
• Turn Off the Enable Steam Cloud toggle.

16. Repair the Steam Library Folders

Sometimes issues with the Steam library folders like missing or corrupted files on the system might cause several conflicts with the game running. You can follow the steps below to easily repair the Steam library folders manually.

• Open the Steam client > Click on the Steam tab at the top-left corner.
• Click on Settings > Go to the Downloads option.
• Now, click on Steam Library Folders.
• Search and right-click on the Lightyear Frontier game directory.
• Select Repair Library Folder.
• If prompted, allow the permissions to start the repairing process.
• Wait for a while to complete the process.
• Once done, restart your computer to change the effects immediately.

17. Run the DirectX Installer

You’ll need to download and run the DirectX installer file on the PC via the official Microsoft website. Just grab the installer and run it to install the version. Updating the DirectX version on the system might help a lot to reduce FPS drops.

18. Force Run DirectX 11 on Steam

It’s also recommended to forcefully run the game in the DirectX 11 version using the command option. If your PC is running an outdated DirectX 11 version then follow this method to check for potential issues.

• Launch the Steam client > Go to LIBRARY.
• Right-click on the Lightyear Frontier game.
• Click on Properties > Select GENERAL from the left pane menu.
• Go to the Launch Options.
• Type -dx11 in the field.
• Now, go back and launch the game.

19. Try Increasing the Shader Cache Size

Each video game generates the shader cache while launching to allow the game files to run properly. However, for the corrupted shader cache file size, you may encounter issues with performance conflicts.

• Head over to the Start menu.
• Open the Nvidia Control Panel.
• Click on Manage 3D Settings from the left pane.
• Go to the Global Settings tab on the right side.
• Scroll down the options a bit.

• Now, click on Shader Cache Size to select it.
• If it’s turned off, set Driver Default or 10GB.
• Click on Apply to save changes.
• Run the game to check for FPS drops.

If the problem persists, head over to the next workaround below.

20. Increase the Virtual Memory

If the above workarounds didn’t help, you can try increasing the virtual memory on your Windows computer by following the steps below. The lack of your physical RAM capacity can trigger multiple issues with the gaming performance. So, increasing the virtual memory on the system can be useful.

Please Note: You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to complete this process. The network policy settings may also cause such issues if your computer is connected to a network.

• Open the Start menu > Click on Control Panel.
• Click on Performance and Maintenance > Go to System.
• From the Advanced tab, click on Settings under Performance.

• On the Advanced tab, click on Change under Virtual Memory.
• Under Drive [Volume Label], click on the drive that contains the paging file you want to change.
• Under Paging file size for the selected drive, click on System Managed Size.
• Click on Set > Under Paging file size for selected drive, click on Custom size.

• Go to the Initial size (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box. [It should be 1.5x-2x higher than the physical RAM]
• Enter a new paging file size in megabytes.
• Now, click on Set and Save changes.
• Restart the PC to apply changes.

21. Reinstall Lightyear Frontier

Last but not least, you should manually uninstall and reinstall the Lightyear Frontier game on your PC by following the steps below. Sometimes corrupted installed game files might trouble you a lot when it comes to the FPS drop issue during gameplay.

• Close the Steam client first.
• Open Task Manager by pressing the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys.
• Open the Start menu > Search for the Control Panel and open it.
• Go to Programs > Click on Uninstall a program.
• Locate the Lightyear Frontier game and select it.
• Click on Uninstall > Follow the on-screen prompts to complete it.
• Once done, reboot your PC to apply changes.
• Run the Steam client.
• Reinstall the Lightyear Frontier game on another drive.
• Finally, launch the game to check for the FPS drop issue.

That’s it, guys. We hope this guide was useful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.