Fix: The Medium Stuttering, Lag, and Low FPS on PC and Xbox Series X|S

The Medium is one of the psychological horror video games that has been developed by the Bloober Team and launched in January 2021. The game is available for Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series X|S platforms. Now, it seems that plenty of players are facing issues with The Medium game like Stuttering, Lag, and Low FPS count on their PC and Xbox Series X|S devices. Although players are reviewing the game very positively on the Steam platform for the PC version, the newly released game has multiple issues. If you’re also facing the same, check out this troubleshooting guide to fix it.

Affected players have started reporting that they can lock the FPS count at 60 but the game starts lagging a lot while switching to the spirit world. That means even though the game is running and players can play their game, it’s quite unplayable due to the lags or stutters randomly. As it may take a while for the developers to release a patch fix update, you can follow the possible workarounds below to reduce lags and improve the FPS count.

Fix: The Medium Stuttering, Lag, and Low FPS on PC

Well, before heading over to the troubleshooting steps below, make sure to check out the minimum and recommended system requirements of The Medium game for PC. That means it can possible that your PC configuration isn’t meeting the system requirements of the game and causing several performance issues.

1. Check System Requirements

Even if you have a powerful gaming rig or gaming laptop, you should check out the system requirements below to ensure whether the game is compatible or not.

Minimum System Requirements:

• OS: Windows 10 (64bit version only)
• Processor: Intel Core i5-6600 / AMD Ryzen 5 2500X
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: @1080p NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 Super or GTX 1060 / Radeon R9 390X
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 55 GB available space
• Sound Card: DirectX compatible, headphones recommended

Recommended System Requirements:

• OS: Windows 10 (64bit version only)
• Processor: Intel Core i5-9600 / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: @1080p NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super / Radeon RX 5600XT | @4K NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 or RTX 3060 Ti / Radeon RX 6800
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 55 GB available space
• Sound Card: DirectX compatible, headphones recommended

2. Hide All Microsoft Services

It can also possible that some of the unnecessary background running Microsoft services can cause several issues like lagging and stuttering. Therefore, unchecking the startup items and hiding the Microsoft services can fix multiple performance-related issues in a jiffy. To do this:

• Press the Windows + R keys to open up the Run dialog box.
• Type msconfig and hit Enter to open up the System Configuration.
• Click on the General tab > Click on Selective startup.
• Now, uncheck the Load startup items checkbox.
• Click on the Services tab > Check to Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.
• Click on Disable all > Select Apply and hit OK to save changes.
• Restart your computer once and check if that fixes The Medium Stuttering, Lag, and Low FPS issue or not.

3. Enable or Disable Fullscreen Mode

Sometimes playing games on the fullscreen mode can also cause a couple of issues. So, use the Windowed mode to check for the issue. But if you’re already playing your game in fullscreen mode, try disabling it. However, if this doesn’t fix the problem, try the next method.

4. Disable Fullscreen Optimization and Run as Administrator

You should also try disabling the fullscreen optimization from the game executable file properties to reduce the in-game lags or frame drops. Then you should allow the game executable file to run as admin.

• Right-click on the installed ‘The Medium’ game executable (exe) file.
• Go to Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.
• Uncheck the Disable Fullscreen Optimization checkbox.
• Enable the Run this program as an administrator checkbox.
• Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
• Now, you can run The Medium game and check if this fixes the stuttering problem or not.

5. Update Windows OS Build

An outdated Windows OS build can always cause several issues with the performance. Make sure to check for the latest Windows update and install it (if possible). To do this:

• Press the Windows + I keys to open up the Windows Settings menu.
• Now, click on Update & Security > Under the Windows Update section, click on Check for updates.
• If there is an update available, it’ll automatically download and install the update.
• If not, click on Download and Install then wait for the process to complete.
• Finally, restart your computer and check whether The Medium Stuttering, Lag, and Low FPS has been fixed or not.

6. Update Graphics Driver

If you’re using the Nvidia graphics card then update the GeForce Experience app on your PC from the Nvidia official site here. But if you’re using the AMD graphics card on your system, then update the latest AMD Drivers from here.

7. Check Internet Connection

Make sure to check out your internet connection properly because it can possible that something is causing the internet connection to not work properly. In that case, if you’re using a Wi-Fi network, ensure to restart the router first. Additionally, you can try unplugging the power cable and then connect again and turn on the router to check if that fixes the problem or not.

Alternatively, you can try switching to the wired (ethernet cable) connection if you’re already using a Wi-Fi connection. Otherwise, switch to Wi-Fi if you’re using a wired connection.

8. Change Nvidia Graphics Settings

• Right-click on the Nvidia Control Panel.
• Click to expand the 3D Settings > Select Adjust image settings with preview.
• Check to Use my preference emphasizing: Quality
• Increase the Performance bar and click on Apply.
• Now, go to the Manage 3D settings > Click on Program Settings.
  • However, if the game isn’t in the drop-down list, click on Add and browse the game to include it)
• Select the preferred graphics processor for this program: Choose a High-performance Nvidia processor.
• Specify the settings for this program: Set Power management mode to Prefer maximum performance and Virtual Reality pre-rendered frames to 1.

9. Adjust Power Options

For more efficient power management along with the increased performance of your Windows 10 system, you should adjust power options from the Control Panel. To do this:

• If you’re using a laptop, click on the battery icon from the taskbar.
• Click on Best Performance > Right-click on the battery icon.
• Select Power Options > Change plan settings.
• Change advanced power settings > Processor power management.
• Click on the add (+) icon > Select Minimum processor state.
• Set it to 100% > Click on Maximum processor state and set it to 100%.
• Finally, hit Apply and then OK to save changes.

10. Remove Temporary Files

Yes! Removing temporary files is important on a timely basis to improve the system’s performance. You can follow the full guide on How to Quickly Remove Windows 10 Temporary Files. Just follow anyone of the methods to easily delete temporary files.

11. Adjust Performance Options

Sometimes Windows system automatically chooses which appearance elements and how much performance of Windows can be good to run. But that may reduce the ultimate performance of the system which can be changed to the best performance mode.

• Click on the Start Menu > Type Performance.
• Select Adjust the Appearance and performance of Windows.
• This will open up the Performance Options window.
• Select Adjust for best performance.
• Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.

Fix: The Medium Stuttering, Lag, and Low FPS on Xbox Series X|S

Xbox Series X|S console users don’t need to perform anything else except for simply power cycling the console. To do this, power off the console > Unplug the power cable > Wait for 30 seconds and then plug back the power cable in > Turn on the console and check whether the problem is fixed or not.

However, if this method doesn’t work for you, just wait for the patch from the game developers or Xbox team to resolve the lag or stutter completely.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. Feel free to ask in the comment below.