How to Fix Final Fantasy 16 Stuttering Issues on PC: Causes and Solutions

The PC port of Final Fantasy 16 presents several challenges, even though it offers significantly improved options and overall quality compared to its predecessor, Final Fantasy 7 Remake. While the port is generally well-optimized and scalable, it still suffers from issues such as poor frame pacing and stuttering, which were also observed during the demo phase.

These performance problems become even more noticeable on computers that do not meet the recommended specifications. The primary cause of stuttering and freezing in FF16 appears to be unusually high VRAM consumption combined with inadequate CPU utilization. Fortunately, there are effective solutions available to address the stuttering problems in the game.

Solutions for Stuttering Errors in Final Fantasy 16 on PC

Stuttering in Final Fantasy 16 can arise from various factors, the most significant being excessively high VRAM usage. Additionally, if you attempt to run the game on a computer that fails to meet even the minimum system requirements, you are likely to experience frequent stutters and crashes.

In-game graphics settings (Image via Square Enix)

Unfortunately, the game appears to underutilize CPU resources, contributing to its instability. However, I discovered a straightforward solution that significantly helped reduce stuttering: limiting the game’s frame rate to 60fps through the GPU driver settings.

As of now, the in-game frame limiter does not function as intended. While it locks the game at 30fps effectively, attempting to set it above that value breaks the limiter and causes the frame rate to unlock. Instead, you can restrict your frame rate to 60fps by utilizing either the Nvidia Control Panel or AMD Adrenaline Control Panel.

To access your GPU’s control center, simply right-click on your desktop and select either Nvidia Control Panel (for Nvidia GPUs) or AMD Adrenaline (for AMD GPUs). In addition to capping your frame rate at 60fps, I highly recommend enabling either DLSS or FSR3 upscaling for improved performance.

Final Fantasy 16 looks amazing on PC, despite the stuttering issues (Image via Square Enix)

As a port from current-generation consoles, Final Fantasy 16 heavily depends on Dynamic Resolution Scaling (DRS) or upscalers for optimal performance. Lastly, utilizing Frame Generation can also aid in stabilizing the frame rate. Keep in mind that while Frame Generation may introduce slight input lag, it is negligible in a slow-paced game like FF16.

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