How to Solve If Returnal Stuttering, Lags, or Freezing constantly

Returnal, the highly acclaimed third-person shooter roguelike game by Housemarque, initially captivated audiences on PS5 and has now made its much-awaited debut on PC. This move brings the game’s intense and immersive experience to a broader range of gamers. However, successfully running Returnal on a PC requires a robust hardware setup to experience the game in full resolution and high frames per second (FPS). This is a common trait among many PC titles, which tend to require high performance for the best gaming experience.

We have put together a guide to help gamers experiencing performance problems such as crashes, stuttering, lags, and frame drops in Returnal. Performance issues can differ depending on PC compatibility and hardware capabilities. Our guide focuses on providing solutions to these common problems, allowing players to enjoy Returnal at a satisfactory FPS. By following the strategies we have outlined in this guide, gamers can effectively address technical issues and improve their gaming experience while playing Returnal on PC.

Check System Requirements

Check out the system requirements of the Returnal game below to ensure that your PC configuration meets the game’s system requirements.

Minimum Requirements:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit (version 1903)
• Processor: Intel Core i5-6400 (4 core 2.7GHz) AMD Ryzen 5 1500X (4 core 3.5GHz)
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) AMD Radeon RX 580 (8 GB)
• Storage: 60 GB available space
• Additional Notes: SSD Recommended

Recommended Requirements:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit (version 1903)
• Processor: Intel i7-8700 (6 core 3.7 GHz) AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (8 core 3.7 GHz)
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super (8 GB) AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (12 GB)
• Storage: 60 GB available space

Fix: Returnal Stuttering and Lags Badly

Fixing in-game lags or frame drop issues isn’t easy because it depends on multiple factors, such as PC hardware, the display resolution of the game, maximum FPS limit count, conflicting third-party apps, and more. So, we recommend you try following all the methods individually until the problem gets fixed or reduced. Changing the in-game graphics-related settings or keeping them low can fix several problems in a jiffy.

It may include the Screen Resolution of the game, in-game Texture Resolution, Shadow Resolution, Maximum Frame rate, number of Characters Displayed, or other visual effects that require higher graphics or memory. So, you can follow the steps below to try reducing the lags or frame drops to some extent depending on which resolution and quality you’re playing the game, apart from FPS count.

Watch Our Troubleshoot Video:

Our latest video tutorial provides a comprehensive guide on how to resolve the issue of stuttering and lagging while playing Returnal on PC. By following the detailed troubleshooting steps provided in the video, you will have the necessary tools to effectively fix this problem and enjoy uninterrupted gameplay in Returnal.

Watch Video Tutorial

1. Use Launch Options

• Open your Steam client > Go to Library > Right-click on the Returnal.
• Select Properties > On the General tab, you’ll find Launch Options.
• Enter the launch options -fullscreen = Forces the engine to start in fullscreen mode.

2. Update Graphics Drivers

• Right-click on the Start Menu to open up the Quick Access Menu.
• Click on Device Manager from the list.
• Now, double-click on the Display adapters category to expand the list.
• Then right-click on the dedicated graphics card name.
• Select Update driver > Choose Search automatically for drivers.
• An update will automatically download and install the latest version if available.
• Once done, make sure to reboot your computer to change the effects.

3. Run the game as an administrator

Make sure to run the game exe file as an administrator to avoid user account control regarding privilege issues. You should also run the Steam client as an administrator on your PC. To do this:

• Right-click on the Returnal exe shortcut file on your PC.
• Now, select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.
• Make sure to click on the Run this program as an administrator checkbox to checkmark it.
• Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.

4. Set High Priority in Task Manager

Make your game priority in the higher segment via the Task Manager to tell your Windows system to run the game properly. To do this:

• Right-click on the Start Menu > Select Task Manager.
• Click on the Processes tab > Right-click on the Returnal game task.
• Select Set Priority to High.
• Close Task Manager.
• Finally, run the Returnal game to check for the issue.

5. Verify the Integrity of Game Files

If there is an issue with the game files and somehow get corrupted or missing, then make sure to perform this method to check for the issue easily. To do so:

For Steam Users: 

• Launch Steam > Click on Library.
• Right-click on Returnal from the list of installed games.
• Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.
• Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
• You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
• Once done, just restart your computer.

For Epic Launcher:

1. Start by launching the Epic Games Launcher on your computer.
2. Once the launcher is open, click on ‘Library’ in the left sidebar to view your list of games.
3. Find the game whose files you want to verify from your list of installed games.
4. Click on the three dots under the game’s title to open a menu with more options.
5. In the menu, click on ‘Verify.’ This option will start the process of checking your game files.
6. The launcher will begin verifying the game files, which might take a few minutes depending on the game’s size and your computer’s speed.
7. Once verification is done, any missing or corrupted files will be re-downloaded and replaced. After this, you should be able to launch your game without issues.

6. Change GPU Settings

Make sure to change the graphics card settings on the PC by following the steps below to check whether the problem has been fixed.

For Nvidia:

• Open up Nvidia’s Control Panel > Right-click on the desktop screen.
• Click on Nvidia Control Panel > Click on Manage 3D Settings.
• Select Program Settings > Find ‘Returnal’ and manually add the game if it’s not in the list:
  • Monitor Tech: G-Sync (If available)
  • Maximum Pre-rendered frames: 2
  • Threaded optimization: On
  • Power Management: Prefer Maximum Performance
  • Texture Filtering – Quality: Performance

For AMD:

• Monitor Tech: G-Sync (If available)
• Maximum Pre-rendered frames: 2
• Threaded optimization: On
• Power Management: Prefer Maximum Performance
• Texture Filtering – Quality: Performance

7. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Full-screen optimization and DPI settings are the default ones on Windows. You should try disabling it by following the steps below:

• Locate the Returnal game directory.
• Find and right-click on the Returnal.exe file.
• Select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.
• Checkmark the ‘Disable Full-Screen Optimizations’ box.
• Now, click on the ‘Change high DPI setting’s button.
• Checkmark the ‘Override high DPI scaling behavior’ > Select ‘Application’ from the drop-down menu.
• Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.

8. Update Returnal

If in case, you haven’t updated your Returnal game for a while then make sure to follow the steps below to check for updates and install the latest patch (if available). To do this:

For Steam: 

• Open the Steam client > Go to Library > Click on Returnal from the left pane.
• It’ll automatically search for the available update. If there is an update available, make sure to click on Update.
• It may take some time to install the update > Once done, make sure to close the Steam client.
• Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and then try launching the game again.

For Epic Launcher: 

• Open the Epic Launcher client > Go to Library > Look for Returnal from the left pane.
• You must tap on the three-dot icon on your Returnal application.
• Make sure to check the auto-update to get a new update installation automatically.
• It’ll automatically search for the available update. If there is an update available, make sure to click on Update.
• Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and then try launching the game again

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