Even if your FPS counter shows over 100, a game can still feel like it's "stuttering" — and those are two different things. Stuttering refers to occasional, visible pauses despite a high average FPS. Here are the most common causes and how to fix each one.
FPS vs. stuttering — what's the difference?
Average FPS shows the total number of frames rendered per second. But those frames might not arrive at even intervals — if most come in fast and occasionally one comes in very slow, the average can still look high while it visibly feels like "stutter." That's why "1% low" and "0.1% low" metrics matter more than average FPS — they show performance during the worst moments.
1. Shader compilation stutter
This is especially common in newer Unreal Engine-based games. The first time the game uses a particular visual effect, it compiles the "shader" on the fly — causing a short but noticeable freeze. Most modern games now offer a "shader pre-compilation" step in the main menu — let it finish instead of skipping past it, and it significantly reduces stutter during your first playthrough.
2. Running out of VRAM
If your GPU's memory (VRAM) fills up, the system has to pull missing data from system RAM or disk on the fly — causing serious stutter. Lowering texture quality by one notch usually fixes this. You can monitor VRAM usage with in-game overlays (NVIDIA/AMD's own tools, or MSI Afterburner).
3. Background applications
Your browser, Discord overlay, auto-updaters, or cloud sync tools (OneDrive, Dropbox) can occasionally cause sudden CPU/disk usage spikes — and the game stutters right at those moments. Check Task Manager to see what's running in the background.
4. A hard drive (HDD) bottleneck
If you're still running the game off an HDD, streaming in new areas of the game world (especially in open-world titles) can cause serious stutter. This is one of the biggest reasons to switch to an SSD — see the details in our SSD vs HDD comparison guide.
5. VSync and frame-rate mismatches
When VSync is on and your GPU can't hit the target frame rate (e.g. 60 FPS or your monitor's refresh rate), "frame pacing" breaks down and it feels like stutter. If your monitor supports G-Sync/FreeSync, turning off VSync and relying on variable refresh rate (VRR) usually gives a smoother experience — we explain the differences in this guide.
6. Power plan and CPU boost latency
If Windows is set to "Balanced" power mode, the CPU can sometimes be slow to ramp up during sudden load spikes. Switching to "High Performance" can reduce these micro-stutters — see how in our Windows settings guide.
7. Throttling from overheating
When your GPU or CPU hits a certain temperature, it automatically lowers its clock speed — creating a sudden, repeating stutter feeling. Check your temperatures and do maintenance if needed using our overheating guide.
8. An old or buggy driver
Some stuttering issues stem directly from a known driver bug. Make sure you have the latest driver installed — see the steps in our update guide. If the issue persists, a clean install with DDU is worth trying.
9. Insufficient RAM and paging
When system RAM fills up, Windows starts writing data to disk (the page file) — which is far slower than RAM and causes serious stutter. Check whether you're meeting the game's recommended RAM amount in our RAM guide.
10. Compare your in-game settings against the calculator
If you're noticeably below the expected FPS range for your hardware and experiencing constant stutter, it's usually related to one of the items above. Enter your hardware into the FPS Driver calculator to see a realistic expectation range, and use the size of the gap to decide which fix to prioritize.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the game still feel like it's stuttering despite high FPS?
Even with a high average FPS, if the worst moments — measured as "1% low" and "0.1% low" — are low, you'll perceive it as stutter. Focusing on improving those low percentiles, not the average, is the real fix.
Does shader compilation stutter happen every session?
Usually not — an effect or scene is compiled and cached the first time you see it, so subsequent playthroughs don't need to recompile the same effect. That's why the first session tends to have more stutter than later ones.
Can stuttering be eliminated completely?
In most cases it can be reduced significantly, but in especially large open-world games, eliminating every micro-stutter can be difficult — this comes from the nature of the game engine itself, not necessarily your hardware.