Fix: War Thunder Not Using Dedicated GPU (Graphics Card)

When it comes to a free-to-play vehicular combat MMO video game that has been developed and published by Gaijin Entertainment in 2012. It looks like plenty of players are enjoying this game for years but there are a couple of bugs and errors still bothering a lot. Meanwhile, the War Thunder Not Using Dedicated GPU (Graphics Card) is one of the common issues among players on the PC that needs to be resolved as early as possible.

Although Gaijin Entertainment hasn’t focused on this particular issue, several War Thunder PC players are experiencing the low FPS (frame rates per second) problem, lags, stutters, black screen issues, etc. Now, if you’re also facing one of these issues with your game on the Windows computer then the chances are high that the War Thunder game isn’t using the external graphics card on the PC which is supposed to be used. It’s a quite common issue for PC games.

Fix: War Thunder Not Using Dedicated GPU (Graphics Card)

It doesn’t mean your graphics card isn’t working or it has some issues. Even though the graphics card is connected and working well, sometimes the game application file might not gonna detect or use it at its full potential whatsoever. In that scenario, you should check out all the possible workarounds to fix this issue that are mentioned below.

1. Use a Dedicated GPU (Graphics Card)

If in case, you use a high-end graphics card on your PC but the game is still lagging or using a lower FPS count then make sure to use the dedicated GPU which is externally connected. You should manually check and tweak the graphics card settings by following the steps below:

For Nvidia:

• 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 to War Thunder from the drop-down list.
• Now, select a High-performance NVIDIA processor.
• Save changes and reboot the PC to apply changes.

For AMD:

Switchable Graphics offers several standard operating modes and can be configured to run a specific application using the desired 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.

2. Update GPU Drivers

Even an outdated or corrupted graphics card driver can cause several issues with the program or system performance. We’ll recommend you to check for GPU driver updates.

• Press the Windows + X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
• Click on Device Manager from the list > Double-click on Display adapters.
• Right-click on the dedicated graphics card that you’re currently using.

• Choose to Update driver > Click on Search automatically for drivers.
• If there is an update available, it’ll automatically download & install the latest version.
• Once done, restart the computer to apply changes.

Alternatively, you can manually download the latest version of the graphics driver and install it directly from the official website respective to your graphics card manufacturer. Nvidia graphics card users can update the GeForce Experience app via the Nvidia official site. Meanwhile, AMD graphics card users can visit the AMD website for the same.

3. Close Background Running Tasks

Unnecessary background running tasks or programs can eat up a lot of system resources like CPU or Memory usage that literally reduces system performance. Hence, the startup crashing, lagging, not loading issues appear quite often. Simply, close all the unnecessary background running tasks completely. To do this:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open up the Task Manager.
• Now, click on the Processes tab > to select tasks unnecessarily running in the background and consuming enough system resources.
• Click on End Task to close it one by one.
• Once done, restart your system.

4. Change Power Plan

Your Windows PC always runs on the default Balanced power plan. But if you’re a hardcore gamer, your system may not run properly while gaming. You should adjust the power settings. To do so:

• Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Type Control Panel in the field and click OK from the search result to open it.
• Now, search for Power Options and open it.
• Click on High Performance > Reboot your PC to save changes immediately.

5. Tweak In-Game Graphics Settings

You should also try changing the in-game graphics settings to check whether the problem is still appearing.

• Launch the Steam client and then open War Thunder from Library.
• Click on the gear icon inside the War Thunder game to enter the Settings menu.
• Now, make sure to select ‘Turn off VSync’.
• Then set each option under Advanced Settings to the low or medium.

6. Verify Game Files via Steam

Make sure to verify the game files and repair them via Steam by following the steps below:

• Open the Steam client on the PC > Head over to Library. [Login to the account]
• Right-click on the War Thunder game from the left pane.
• Click on Properties > Click on the Local Files tab.
• Then click on Verify Integrity of game files…
• Now, wait for the process to complete, and close the Steam client.
• Finally, restart the PC to apply changes.

7. Reinstall War Thunder

If none of the methods worked for you then try reinstalling the War Thunder game on the PC to check if that helps you to fix the lagging or FPS drop issue due to not using a dedicated GPU (graphics card).

• Open the Steam client on your PC.
• Go to Library > Right-click on War Thunder.
• Select Uninstall > Click on Delete to confirm.
• Wait for the uninstallation process to complete > Exit the Steam client.
• Now, open the File Explorer application > Copy-paste C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common on the address bar and hit Enter to search for the location.
• Go to the War Thunder folder and Delete the folder completely.
• Reboot the PC to apply changes > Open Steam Store and Reinstall the War Thunder game again. [Obviously, this may take enough time but you should try it out]
• It should fix the lag or FPS drop issue completely.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For additional queries, you can comment below.