How to fix stuttering in STALKER 2

After multiple developmental hiccups, STALKER 2 has finally made it to the market, leaving the huge awaiting fan base ecstatic. Unfortunately, while the game flaunts an impressive design and exciting features, its underwhelming performance optimization—leading to stuttering issues—has annoyed players, so it isn’t just you.

If you haven’t been able to enjoy the latest STALKER game due to heavy lags and stutters, don’t worry—there are a few ways to fix the performance issues, and we’ve listed every one for you to try.

How to fix lag and stuttering issues in STALKER 2

If you put aside its stuttering problem, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl promises an excellent survival horror FPS experience, offering a modern graphical twist while preserving the elements the franchise is known for. In fact, it has already sold over a million copies despite all the horrific performance issues since release day.

In terms of system requirements, Heart of Chornobyl is a demanding game. Older-gen hardware will struggle to run it, so if you haven’t upgraded your CPU or GPU in a while or your system doesn’t have enough RAM to spare after loading up the essential programs, this is probably why you’re facing issues.

Firstly, make sure your system meets the minimum requirements to run STALKER 2:

• OS: Windows 10 x64 / Windows 11 x64
• Processor: Intel Core i7-7700K / AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB / Intel Arc A750
• Storage: 160 GB available space

On a PC featuring these exact specs, you can expect STALKER 2 to run at 30 fps and 1080p resolution, with the occasional frame drops, of course. If you’re looking for better, take a look at the recommended specs for the game:

• Processor: Intel Core i7-11700 / AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
• Memory: 32 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti / Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 / AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
• Storage: 160 GB available space

If you’re facing the worst lags and stutters even on a PC meeting the recommended criteria, try the following workarounds to fix it.

Update your OS and drivers

This goes without saying, but an outdated system is the most common cause behind performance jitters in a video game. Complete all pending OS updates. In addition, make sure your system’s GPU drivers are up to date. 

You can manually get the latest drivers from the manufacturer’s website or download the official software (Geforce Experience for NVIDIA GPUs and Radeon for AMD GPUs) for your video card to easily install them.

Restart your system

As basic as it sounds, many players fixed the stutters in STALKER 2 by simply restarting their PC or console once. The hiccups may or may not return, but it’s definitely worth trying. 

Add launch options to the Steam .exe

If you’re playing STALKER 2 on PC, you can add some launch options to help fix the stutters. Here’s how to:

1. Open your Steam library, right-click on STRALKER 2, and select Properties. 
2. Under General, in the Launch Options text box, type the following: “-xgeshadercompile -nothreadtimeout -NoVerifyGC”
3. Close the dialog box and try launching the game now. 

This has helped fix the stuttering issues for a lot of players.

Install mods built to reduce stuttering in STALKER 2

You can download mods created by nerds in the community to improve STALKER 2’s performance. While there are many mod options, here are the links to the most popular ones: 

1. STALKER Optimizer
2. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 – Ultimate Engine Tweaks
3. Optimized Tweaks S.2

Make sure you follow every step correctly to install the mods, or you may be left with a broken game. 

We hope this STALKER 2 guide helped you fix the stuttering issues you’ve been facing. If not, we recommend waiting for the developer to patch things up with a hotfix, which is due anytime now.