Cities Skylines 2 players have reported performance issues like low FPS (frames per second), stuttering, lag, and freezes. In this guide, we’ll walk through the top fixes to boost your frame rate and eliminate stuttering in Cities Skylines 2.
What Causes Low FPS and Stuttering in Cities Skylines 2?
Before jumping into solutions, let’s look at potential reasons you may get FPS drops, lag, or choppy performance:
- Outdated graphics drivers– This is one of the biggest culprits. Update to the latest NVIDIA or AMD drivers.
- Using Ultra graphic settings– Extreme settings like 8K resolution, ultra textures and shadows put a lot of strain on your GPU.
- Too many assets/mods– Having thousands of custom assets, maps, and mods installed can hurt performance.
- Background apps eating resources– Browsers, other games launchers running can reduce available RAM and CPU cycles.
- Game files corrupted– Verify integrity of game files in Steam to fix any errors.
- Windows Xbox Game Bar– Can reduce FPS even when not in use.
The game requires a strong CPU and GPU to run smoothly. By optimizing settings and eliminating other drains on resources, you can fix most performance issues.
How to Fix Low FPS in Cities Skylines 2
Follow these steps to troubleshoot FPS drops and stuttering issues:
1. Update Your Graphics Drivers
It’s essential to keep your NVIDIA or AMD graphics drivers updated for peak game performance and compatibility:
NVIDIA Users:
- Open GeForce Experience
- Click “Drivers” tab
- Download and install any new Game Ready Driver updates
- Restart your PC
AMD Users:
- Go to AMD Drivers and Support page
- Run auto-detect to find latest drivers
- Download and install the new drivers
- Reboot your system
Also check drivers after any major Windows or hardware change. Outdated drivers can drastically reduce FPS.
2. Adjust In-Game Graphics Settings
Tweak the graphics options to reduce strain on your GPU:
- Resolution– Lower from 4K to 1440p or 1080p if needed
- Texture Quality– High resolution textures consume VRAM; try Medium
- Anti-aliasing– Temporarily disable or lower to FXAA
- Shadows– Reduce to High or Medium quality
- Depth of Field– Disable for increased sharpness
- Ambient Occlusion– Turn off for an FPS boost
- Vegetation– Lower detail and radius to reduce dense foliage
Aim for a balance of visual quality without overloading your hardware. 60 FPS is ideal for smooth gameplay.
3. Close Background Apps
Free up RAM and CPU cycles for the game by closing other programs:
- Web browsers
- Game launchers like Steam, Origin, Uplay
- Media players and streaming video
- Anti-virus and other background utilities
- MSI Afterburner, Razer Cortex if enabled
Use Task Manager (CTRL+SHIFT+ESC) to end unnecessary processes.
4. Disable NVIDIA Ansel (NVIDIA GPUs)
The NVIDIA Ansel photo mode hooks into games and can reduce FPS. Open GeForce Experience and disable Ansel if you have it enabled.
5. Adjust Windows Power Settings
Switch to High Performance power plan so Windows doesn’t throttle your CPU:
- Go to Control Panel > Power Options
- Select High Performance plan
This prevents CPU frequency scaling and delivers full power.
6. Verify Integrity of Game Files
Steam has a simple way to scan for corrupted files. Right click Cities Skylines 2 in your Library:
- Select Properties
- Go to Local Files tab
- Click “Verify Integrity of Game Files”
Let it finish scanning and re-download any damaged files.
7. Reinstall Cities Skylines 2
If you still have FPS problems or stuttering after trying the above fixes, reinstalling the game may help:
- Backup your saves and mods first
- Uninstall Cities Skylines 2 in Steam
- Delete any remaining files in the game folder
- Reinstall a fresh copy of the game
- Test performance before adding back mods
This wipes out any corrupted files or registry issues causing problems.
8. Update BIOS, Chipset, Other System Drivers
As a last resort, check for other system updates:
- Update BIOS to latest version
- Install newest chipset drivers for your motherboard
- Update audio drivers, network drivers, etc
- Double check Windows is fully updated
This optimizes overall system stability and performance.
Contact Support – October 24, 2023
If you still have low FPS and stuttering after exhausting the troubleshooting steps, reach out to the developer’s technical support forums or contact your hardware vendor. Describe your full system specs, when the problem occurs, and steps attempted.
You may need to upgrade your RAM, CPU, GPU or other components if your hardware is outdated. But in most cases, the above optimizations will fix Cities Skylines 2 lag and stuttering issues. Let us know if these tips helped improve your frame rate!
Related:
