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How to Fix Dragon’s Dogma 2 Stuttering, Lags, or Freezing on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and S

May 3, 2024

“Dragon’s Dogma 2” invites players into an expansive, beautifully crafted world that’s best enjoyed with seamless gameplay. However, stuttering, lags, or freezing can significantly detract from the experience.

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As an enthusiastic gamer and troubleshooter, I’m here to guide you through the steps to resolve these issues on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, ensuring a smooth and immersive gaming adventure.

Table of Contents

Understanding Performance Issues

Stuttering, lags, or freezing in games can result from various factors, including hardware limitations, software conflicts, and improper game settings. Recognizing the underlying cause is essential for applying the most effective fixes.

Fixing Performance Issues on PC

PC gamers have a unique advantage in troubleshooting and resolving performance issues due to the customizable nature of PC hardware and software settings. Here’s a more detailed approach to optimizing “Dragon’s Dogma 2” performance:

Update Graphics Drivers

Graphics drivers are crucial for game performance and stability. Outdated or corrupt drivers can lead to various issues, including game crashes, stuttering, and lags.

NVIDIA Users: Use the NVIDIA GeForce Experience app to check for and install updates.
AMD Users: The AMD Radeon Settings app offers a similar functionality for driver updates.
Intel Users: Visit the Intel website to use their driver update utility.

Always restart your computer after installing new drivers to ensure changes are correctly applied.

Optimize Game Settings

“Dragon’s Dogma 2” offers a range of graphical settings that can be adjusted to balance visual quality and performance.

Resolution: Lowering the game resolution can significantly improve performance but at the cost of visual fidelity.
Graphics Quality: Start with preset levels like Medium or Low, then customize individual settings like shadows, textures, and effects to find the best performance/quality balance.
V-Sync: Disabling V-Sync can improve frame rates but might introduce screen tearing. Use NVIDIA’s G-SYNC or AMD’s FreeSync if your monitor supports these features to counteract tearing while maintaining smooth performance.

Monitor Background Applications

Background applications can consume valuable system resources, impacting game performance. Use the Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) to close unnecessary applications before launching “Dragon’s Dogma 2”.

Overlay Apps: Some apps like Discord, Steam Overlay, or NVIDIA Overlay offer in-game benefits but can cause performance issues. Consider disabling these if you’re experiencing stuttering or lags.

Adjust Power Settings

Windows offers different power plans that can affect your gaming experience.

Navigate to Control Panel > System and Security > Power Options.
Select “High Performance” to ensure your PC utilizes its resources for gaming. Note that this may increase power consumption.

Check for Overheating

Overheating can throttle your CPU and GPU, reducing performance to protect hardware.

Monitoring Tools: Use software like HWMonitor or MSI Afterburner to keep an eye on temperatures.
Cooling Solutions: Ensure your PC’s cooling system is adequate. This might include cleaning dust from vents, adding or upgrading fans, or considering liquid cooling for high-performance setups.

Perform a Clean Boot

A clean boot starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, helping identify if background software is causing performance issues.

Type “msconfig” in the Windows search bar and select System Configuration.
In the Services tab, check “Hide all Microsoft services” and then “Disable all” to turn off third-party services.
In the Startup tab, open Task Manager and disable all startup applications. Restart your computer and try running the game again.

Reinstall the Game

If all else fails, uninstalling and reinstalling “Dragon’s Dogma 2” can address problems stemming from corrupted game files or installations.

By following these detailed steps, PC gamers can effectively tackle and mitigate performance issues in “Dragon’s Dogma 2,” leading to a more enjoyable and fluid gaming experience. Remember, the key is to experiment with settings and solutions to find the perfect balance for your specific hardware configuration.

Enhancing Gameplay on PS5

For PS5 users, smooth gameplay can be achieved with a few tweaks:

Update Console Firmware: Always keep your PS5 updated with the latest system software to ensure optimal performance.
Optimize Storage: Regularly clean your storage to maintain sufficient free space, which can affect game loading times and performance.
Rebuild Database: Use the PS5’s Safe Mode to rebuild the database, which can resolve performance issues by organizing game data more efficiently.

Improving Performance on Xbox Series X|S

Xbox Series X|S players can also experience smoother gameplay by following these steps:

Ensure System Updates: Keep your console’s firmware up to date to benefit from performance improvements and bug fixes.
Manage Game Installations: Install games on the internal SSD for faster load times and better performance. External drives may slow down game data processing.
Hard Reset Your Console: Periodically perform a hard reset to clear the cache and refresh your system, which can help eliminate stuttering and lags.

Preventative Measures and Best Practices

To minimize performance issues in “Dragon’s Dogma 2,” consider the following tips:

Regularly update your game and system software.
Monitor your device’s temperature and ensure proper ventilation.
Optimize game settings based on your system’s capabilities.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Q&A Section

Why does “Dragon’s Dogma 2” stutter on my PC?

Stuttering on PC can be caused by outdated graphics drivers, insufficient hardware specifications, high in-game settings, or background applications consuming too many resources. Updating drivers and adjusting settings can often mitigate this issue.

How can I update my graphics drivers to improve game performance?

Visit the website of your graphics card manufacturer (e.g., NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) and navigate to their drivers section. Input your GPU model to find the latest drivers, download, and install them, then restart your PC.

What in-game settings impact performance the most in “Dragon’s Dogma 2”?

Settings like shadow quality, texture resolution, view distance, and anti-aliasing are known to have significant impacts on performance. Lowering these can help reduce stuttering and lag.

Can running other applications in the background affect game performance?

Yes, background applications, especially those using significant CPU, GPU, or disk resources, can cause games to stutter or freeze. It’s recommended to close unnecessary applications while gaming.

How do I set my PC to “High Performance” mode?

Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Power Options and select the “High Performance” plan. This ensures your PC prioritizes game performance.

How can overheating cause game performance issues?

Overheating can lead to hardware throttling, where your PC reduces performance to lower temperatures, resulting in game stuttering or freezing. Ensure your cooling system is adequate and clean from dust.

What steps can I take to fix stuttering on PS5?

Ensure your PS5 firmware is up to date, manage storage to keep sufficient free space, and try rebuilding the database from Safe Mode to optimize performance.

How can I ensure the best performance for “Dragon’s Dogma 2” on Xbox Series X|S?

Keep your console updated, install games on the internal SSD for faster access times, and perform a hard reset occasionally to clear the system cache.

Will reinstalling “Dragon’s Dogma 2” fix freezing issues?

Reinstalling can help if the game’s installation is corrupted. It’s a more drastic step but worth trying if other solutions don’t resolve the freezing issues.

How do I prevent “Dragon’s Dogma 2” from having performance issues in the future?

Regularly update your game and device firmware, monitor device temperatures, optimize in-game settings based on your hardware, and ensure no unnecessary applications are running in the background.

By tackling these common concerns, players can gain insights into enhancing “Dragon’s Dogma 2” performance across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Remember, maintaining your system and regularly adjusting settings based on game requirements and system capabilities are key to enjoying a smooth gaming experience.