Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is facing a slew of performance issues along with some connection issues since its release. If you are playing the game, chances are that you are facing bad stuttering issues like everyone else.
WZ2 appears to be a lot more demanding than Legacy Warzone. The problem with Warzone 2 stuttering is that you also get low frames per second, which makes it incredibly difficult to secure kills.
The following guide will tell you how to stop Warzone 2 from stuttering.
How to reduce stuttering in Warzone 2
Increase your Spot Cache size
You can immediately reduce a lot of stuttering in Warzone 2 by increasing the cache size of Spot Light Shadows. Be warned though, increasing the cache size will have a large impact on your VRAM.
- Launch Warzone 2 and wait until you reach the main home screen.
- Click the Gear icon on the top-right corner to open Settings.
- Head into Graphics and then click Quality from the top navigation bar.
- Scroll down to Shadow and Lighting.
- Set Spot Cache to High or Ultra depending on your graphics card.
Increase your Shader Cache size (for Nvidia GPU only)
Another way to reduce stuttering in WZ2 is for players who are running Nvidia graphics cards. You have to manually increase the size of your Shader Cache. Such an option may also be there for AMD graphics cards.
- Open the Nvidia Control Panel by right-clicking the Nvidia Settings icon in your taskbar.
- Head into Manage 3D Settings under 3D Settings.
- Scroll down to find Shader Cache Size.
- Set the cache size to 100 GB.
Enable Nvidia DLSS (for Nvidia GPU only)
WZ2 supports all kinds of image upscaling technology from all manufacturers: Nvidia, AMD, and Intel.
If you are running an Nvidia graphics card that supports Nvidia DLSS, make sure to enable it to increase your FPS and fix any stuttering issues. However, keep in mind that this might also make your game look a little worse in certain areas.
- Head into Settings and then Graphics.
- Click on the Quality tab in the menu bar above.
- Look for Upscaling/Sharpening and set it to Nvidia DLSS.
Switch to Fullscreen Exclusive mode
Warzone 2 has a nasty habit of defaulting to Fullscreen Borderless. You may also accidentally switch the game to Windowed by pressing the Alt+Enter keyboard shortcut.
Always make sure that you are playing in Fullscreen Exclusive mode for the best possible performance on your PC. This will not only reduce stuttering but also increase your FPS.
- Head into Settings and then into Graphics.
- Look for Display Mode under the Display tab.
Update your graphics card driver
It goes without saying that you need to update your graphics drivers before jumping into Call of Duty: Warzone 2. That holds true for every game these days.
Considering the number of optimization issues, both Nvidia and AMD are expected to release more (and better) GPU drivers in the days to come.
You should make sure to always run the latest drivers for maximum, possible performance.
Reduce your graphics settings
Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is a demanding game. There are also a lot of optimization issues that could be fixed down the road but for now, you should lower your graphics settings if your system fails to meet the official requirements.
- Open the game Settings and click on Graphics.
- Select the Quality tab.
- Set the Quality Presets to Minimum (or Recommended).
You can also customize your graphics settings for a balanced effort. Consider disabling or reducing the following settings in WZ2 to increase your FPS and fix any stuttering issues.
- V-Sync
- Texture Resolution
- Distant Level of Detail
- Clutter Draw Distance
- On-Demand Texture Streaming
- Particle Quality
- Shadow Map Resolution
- Ambient Occlusion
- Screen Space Shadows
- Static Reflection Quality
- Depth of Field
Edit your Config File
Your Warzone 2 config file is set to only support up to 4 CPU threads by default. Depending on your CPU specifications, you can increase the number of supported threads for increased performance and reduced stuttering.
Take note that you can apply the same fix for the same stuttering issue in Modern Warfare 2 as well.
- Head into Documents through Windows Explorer or the Windows search bar.
- Head into the Call of Duty folder and then the Player folder.
- Find the config file named options.3.3cod22.cst.
- Right-click on the config file and open it with Notepad or any other text editor.
- Scroll all the way to the bottom of the config file to find RendererWorkerCount:0.0.
- Set this value to the number of threads supported by your CPU.
If you know your CPU model and manufacturer, simply search for its specifications online. If you do not, click on the Performance tab in your Task Manager and then click on CPU to find your CPU model name on the right-hand side.
Once you learn the required thread count for your processor, add half of the number to your config file. For example, if your CPU supports 12 threads, change the RendererWorkerCount value from 4 to 6.
Disable conflicting applications
Many players have reported that certain popular software can possibly cause stuttering in Warzone 2 if they are running in the background. You should try turning them off to see if your FPS improves.
These software include:
- iCUE
- Razer (Synapse / Cortex)
- Armory Crate
Install Warzone 2 on a SSD
SSD is relatively faster when compared to HDD. If you have installed Warzone 2 on an HDD, move it to an SSD for better loading times and performance.
SSD is a more reliable and faster option when it comes to storage. They are also an expensive choice compared to the HDD, but they offer you speedy benefits and low power consumption as well.
Keep in mind that you will have to spend more on getting a bigger SSD as Warzone 2 amounts to over 200 GB in size with Modern Warfare 2.
