Guides/Games
Rocket League FPS drops and stutter: what to check
Rocket League isn't heavy, so drops on a decent PC almost always come from a frame rate setting, V-Sync, or a setup mistake rather than weak hardware.
1. The frame rate setting#
In Settings → Video, the frame rate option caps your FPS. Set it at least to your monitor's refresh rate. If your FPS sits on one number whatever you change, this (or V-Sync, or a limit in the graphics driver) is the reason.
2. V-Sync off, Fullscreen on#
Vertical Sync ties the game to the monitor and adds input delay, which you feel in a game about timing your touches. Turn it off. With a G-Sync or FreeSync monitor, cap the frame rate a few frames below the refresh rate instead: the right G-Sync and FreeSync settings. Use Fullscreen as the display mode.
3. The effects that cost the most#
- Render Quality and Render Detail: the overall quality level.
- Dynamic Shadows, Ambient Occlusion, Depth of Field and Bloom.
- Weather Effects: rain and snow maps cost extra.
Many competitive players turn most effects off for a cleaner picture as well as more FPS.
4. Stutter at the start of a match#
A hitch when a new arena or car decal loads for the first time is normal and goes away after a few matches. Constant stutter isn't: check the setup below.
Check the setup first#
These cost frames in every game and show no error, so they're worth a minute before you touch any game setting:
- Monitor in the graphics card, not the motherboard: how to tell the ports apart.
- Refresh rate set to the monitor's maximum in Windows: how to check.
- RAM at its rated speed (XMP or EXPO on): check in 30 seconds.
- RAM in dual channel: how to check.
- Game on an SSD, not a hard drive: why it matters.
- Laptop: play plugged in, set Settings → System → Power & battery → Power mode to Best performance, and under Settings → System → Display → Graphics set the game to High performance so it runs on the dedicated graphics card.
Questions#
Why is my Rocket League FPS capped?
Is it lag or low FPS?
Frametide's scan checks your PC for setup problems like this one and tells you how many it found (Basic, €12.99 once). Premium (€26.99 once) shows which ones and how to fix them. With Premium it can also set Rocket League's own video settings as part of presets and measure FPS and stutters in the game.