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Fix Cyberpunk 2077 performance problems in this order: identify whether you have low frame rates, stutter, slow loading, or crashes; compare your PC with CD PROJEKT RED’s requirement tier for your resolution and graphics settings; clean-install the graphics driver; verify the game files; disable overlays and unnecessary background programs; then rerun the built-in benchmark. If the problem started immediately after a driver update, test the previous driver instead. Storage problems need a different diagnosis from GPU limits, and crash troubleshooting also requires checking Windows, clock settings, and file integrity.
The exact cause depends on your hardware, game build, resolution, preset, ray-tracing mode, upscaler, and when the symptom began. Use the same scene or benchmark after each change so you can tell which adjustment helped.
Start by naming the problem
“Cyberpunk 2077 is running poorly” can describe several different failures. Record the symptom before changing settings:
- Low FPS: the frame rate stays below your target, even when the game is otherwise stable.
- Stutter or choppy motion: the average FPS may look acceptable, but movement pauses or frame delivery is uneven.
- Long loading or asset-streaming delays: loading screens or world detail take unusually long to appear.
- Crashes: the game closes, freezes, returns to the desktop, or stops responding.
Write down the installed game version, Windows version, display resolution, graphics preset, ray tracing or path tracing state, upscaler, frame-generation setting, and the location where the issue occurs. Also note whether it began after a game patch or graphics-driver update. This record prevents you from applying a fix for one symptom to a different problem.
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Check your PC against the correct requirement tier
CD PROJEKT RED’s published figures are organized by resolution, preset, and ray-tracing level. They are internal test results, not guarantees for every computer. Performance can vary with the rest of the configuration, software, resolution, and settings. The non-ray-tracing tiers below are from the publisher’s June 11, 2023 requirements announcement.
| Target | Expected result | Graphics hardware | Memory | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p, Low, no ray tracing | 30 FPS average | GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB, Radeon RX 580 8 GB, or Intel Arc A380 | 12 GB RAM | 70 GB SSD |
| 1080p, High, no ray tracing | 60 FPS average | GeForce RTX 2060 Super, Radeon RX 5700 XT, or Intel Arc A770 | 16 GB RAM | 70 GB SSD |
| 2160p, Ultra, no ray tracing | 60 FPS average | GeForce RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 20 GB RAM | 70 GB NVMe |
| 1080p, Ray Tracing Low | 30 FPS average | GeForce RTX 2060, Radeon RX 6800 XT, or Intel Arc A750 | 16 GB RAM | Not stated in this tier |
| 1080p, Ray Tracing Ultra | 60 FPS average | GeForce RTX 3080 Ti or Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 20 GB RAM | Not stated in this tier |
| 2160p, Ray Tracing Overdrive | 60 FPS average | GeForce RTX 4080 | 24 GB RAM | Not stated in this tier |
The Overdrive result was measured with DLSS Frame Generation enabled. Treat every row as a baseline for the stated conditions, not as a promise that the same card will deliver the same frame rate in every scene. A system below the relevant tier may still run the game, but lowering resolution, preset, ray tracing, or the frame-rate target is the rational first step.
Prepare a clean test before changing settings
Record a repeatable baseline
Choose a repeatable location or use the built-in benchmark. Keep the resolution, preset, ray-tracing mode, upscaler, and frame-generation state unchanged while you establish the baseline. Note average FPS and the visible symptom. Change one variable at a time; otherwise you will not know which adjustment produced the result.
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Confirm the software context
- Check the game’s installed version. The current official support index includes Patch 2.31 among its support topics, while feature availability can differ between builds.
- Check Windows. CD PROJEKT RED’s crash guidance says Windows 10 installations below version 1909 should be updated to a newer version.
- Close unrelated monitoring, recording, and tuning utilities for the first test. Reintroduce them later if necessary.
Keep the installation on supported storage
The publisher specifies a 70 GB SSD for the listed minimum and recommended non-ray-tracing tiers, and a 70 GB NVMe drive for the non-ray-tracing Ultra tier. CD PROJEKT RED states that “SSDs offer faster loading times, improved streaming, and better overall performance when compared to HDDs.” That statement supports using an SSD for loading and streaming; it does not establish that replacing a drive will raise GPU-limited FPS or cure crashes.
Fix low FPS
1. Match the target to your hardware
Start with the requirement row closest to your intended resolution and preset. If you are targeting 4K Ultra or a ray-tracing mode while your hardware is near the 1080p baseline, lower the target before troubleshooting deeper. A displayed frame rate cannot be judged independently of the workload you selected.
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2. Run the official benchmark
Open Settings → Graphics → Run Benchmark. Use the result as your before-and-after reference. If reducing the resolution or disabling ray tracing produces a large gain, the workload is primarily graphics-bound. If those changes make little difference, investigate drivers, background applications, CPU limits, or a configuration issue rather than continuing to lower image quality blindly.
3. Test supported reconstruction and frame generation
Update 2.3 added AMD FSR 4, AMD FSR 3.1 Frame Generation, and Intel XeSS 2.0 support. Patch 2.21 added DLSS 4 on compatible hardware. DLSS Multi Frame Generation is for RTX 50-series cards, while the DLSS 4 Transformer model applies to all RTX cards. Your installed game build and GPU determine which controls appear.
Enable one compatible option at a time, run the same benchmark, and judge both image quality and responsiveness. A higher displayed FPS from frame generation is not automatically a better experience if input response or visual stability is poor. Official feature support does not establish a universal winner across GPUs.
4. Reinstall the graphics driver cleanly
Use the graphics vendor’s clean-install option for the appropriate current driver, then restart the PC and rerun the benchmark. If the problem began immediately after a driver update, CD PROJEKT RED advises trying the previous driver version and reporting the issue. Do not change the game preset at the same time; isolate the driver change.
Fix stutter and uneven frame delivery
Disable overlays first
Turn off overlays from launchers, chat applications, and recording tools. CD PROJEKT RED specifically lists Discord, Ubisoft Connect, and Galaxy as examples. Test with all overlays disabled, then re-enable them individually if the stutter disappears.
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Close unnecessary background applications
Exit nonessential programs, including monitoring tools and antivirus or anti-malware applications, for a controlled test. Security software should not be left disabled permanently; the purpose is to identify interference, after which you can restore protection and add an appropriate game exception according to your security software’s documentation.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsCheck storage-related symptoms
If stutter coincides with delayed world detail or unusually slow asset loading, inspect the drive type and installation. The publisher’s requirements call for SSD storage, and its Ultra non-ray-tracing tier specifies NVMe. Storage is one part of the overall configuration, not a guaranteed FPS upgrade. A drive change cannot be assumed to fix a driver conflict or crash.
Retest after the driver change
Use the same benchmark scene after the clean driver installation or rollback. If the symptom is unchanged and overlays and background programs are already excluded, capture evidence before making more changes instead of repeatedly reinstalling unrelated software.
Fix long loading times and streaming delays
Verify the installation drive
Confirm that the game is installed on an SSD. CD PROJEKT RED explicitly associates SSDs with faster loading and improved streaming compared with HDDs, and the published requirements use SSD storage in the lower tiers and NVMe in the non-ray-tracing Ultra tier.
Separate loading from frame-rate problems
An SSD can improve loading and streaming without changing a scene’s GPU-limited frame rate. Measure FPS with the benchmark and loading behavior separately. If loading improves but FPS does not, that is an expected distinction rather than a failed fix.
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Rule out software interference
Verify the game files, disable overlays, and close unnecessary background applications. These checks are part of the publisher’s baseline performance guidance and can address a damaged installation or a competing process without changing hardware.
Fix crashes and desktop exits
Follow the wider crash checklist
- Confirm that the PC meets the requirement tier for the selected resolution, preset, and ray-tracing level.
- Update Windows if the system is on Windows 10 below version 1909.
- Clean-install the appropriate graphics driver. If the crash began immediately after an update, test the previous driver instead.
- Verify the integrity of the game files through the launcher.
- Disable overlays, including Discord, Ubisoft Connect, and Galaxy, and close unnecessary background applications.
- Restore default CPU and GPU clock rates if you manually overclocked or underclocked either component.
CD PROJEKT RED warns that overclocking or underclocking can cause crashes and may damage hardware. Return to stock settings before diagnosing the game; otherwise an unstable clock can mask the real cause.
Check whether the crash is location-specific
If the game closes only in one area or during one repeatable action, record that location and the save used there. A location-specific failure gives support more useful evidence than a general statement that the game crashes.
What to do when a driver update caused the problem
A sudden change immediately after a graphics-driver installation is a strong reason to test the previous driver rather than changing several game settings at once. Clean-install the prior known-good version, restart, verify the game files, and run the same benchmark. If the older driver restores normal behavior, report the regression through the publisher’s support process with the driver versions and benchmark evidence.
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Ray tracing and path tracing increase the rendering workload, so compare your target with the separate ray-tracing tiers rather than with the non-ray-tracing table. The 2160p Overdrive figure is specifically paired with DLSS Frame Generation, which means the published 60 FPS result should not be interpreted as a native-rendering guarantee.
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For upscalers and frame generation, check three things:
- Compatibility: the GPU and installed game version must expose the feature.
- Image quality: inspect fine geometry, motion, and lighting in the same scene.
- Responsiveness: compare controls in motion, not only the counter’s displayed FPS.
Update 2.3’s FSR 4, FSR 3.1 Frame Generation, and XeSS 2.0 additions, plus Patch 2.21’s DLSS 4 support, expand the available choices; they do not prove that one setting is best for every computer.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Verify files, overlays, and background tasks in the right order
- Verify the game files. Use the launcher’s integrity or repair command and wait for it to finish before starting the game.
- Disable overlays. Turn off launcher, chat, capture, and performance overlays for the test.
- Close unnecessary applications. Include monitoring utilities and temporarily test without antivirus or anti-malware interference, restoring protection afterward.
- Retest with the same benchmark. Keep resolution, preset, ray tracing, upscaler, and frame generation unchanged.
These steps are intentionally separate. A file repair can address corruption; an overlay test can reveal injection conflicts; and a background-app test can expose resource contention. Combining all three with a new graphics preset makes the result difficult to interpret.
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When the basic checks do not resolve the issue, create a support-ready record:
- Run Settings → Graphics → Run Benchmark.
- Locate the newest benchmark folder under
%userprofile%DocumentsCD Projekt RedCyberpunk 2077benchmarkResults. - Compress the latest folder.
- Include a video of the symptom when possible.
- List the game version, Windows version, GPU, installed RAM, resolution, preset, ray-tracing or path-tracing state, upscaler, frame-generation mode, driver version, and the exact steps that reproduce the issue.
- If the problem occurs only at a particular location, include the save folder from that location, as requested in CD PROJEKT RED’s performance guidance.
State what changed immediately before the failure, such as a game patch, driver update, clock adjustment, or overlay installation. Include the benchmark result before and after each meaningful change instead of sending only a general FPS estimate.
A practical decision tree
| Symptom | First checks | Next decision |
|---|---|---|
| Low average FPS | Requirement tier, resolution, preset, ray tracing, benchmark | Test one compatible upscaler or frame-generation mode; then clean-install or roll back the driver if timing points to it |
| Short freezes or choppy motion | Overlays, monitoring tools, antivirus or anti-malware interference, driver state | Check SSD installation and retest with a repeatable benchmark |
| Long loading or delayed world detail | SSD/NVMe installation and file integrity | Separate loading behavior from FPS; then capture benchmark and location details |
| Crash to desktop | Requirements, Windows version, clean driver, file verification, overlays, background apps, stock clock rates | Collect benchmark, video, and location-specific save evidence for support |
Common mistakes that waste troubleshooting time
- Blaming the GPU for every symptom: storage affects loading and streaming, while overlays, files, drivers, and clock settings can affect stability.
- Changing several settings at once: you lose the ability to identify the effective fix.
- Treating a requirement as a guarantee: the published FPS figures come from internal tests under stated conditions and vary by configuration.
- Assuming an SSD fixes low FPS: the documented benefit is loading, streaming, and overall platform performance compared with HDDs, not a guaranteed frame-rate increase.
- Keeping an unstable overclock during diagnosis: return CPU and GPU clocks to their default values first.
- Reading frame-generation FPS as native responsiveness: judge image quality and control response in addition to the displayed number.
- Ignoring version context: updates such as 2.3 and Patch 2.21 changed available graphics technologies, so a guide written for an older build may show different controls.
When a hardware upgrade is actually indicated
Consider hardware only after the software baseline is clean and the target tier is realistic. If the benchmark remains below your desired result with the correct driver, verified files, disabled overlays, stock clock rates, and a compatible upscaler, compare your components with the relevant requirement row. A GPU upgrade is most directly relevant when lowering resolution or ray tracing produces the expected scaling but the current card cannot meet the target. An SSD or NVMe upgrade addresses the loading and streaming side of the problem; it should not be sold as a universal cure for FPS drops or crashes.
Use the requirement table as a decision aid, not a promise. Your final choice should account for target resolution, preset, ray-tracing level, expected frame rate, GPU memory, system RAM, storage type, and feature compatibility with the game version you actually run.
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