Marvel Rivals FPS drops can seriously mess up your gameplay experience.
Whether you’re trying to clutch a team fight or just enjoy the game without stuttering frames, nothing’s more frustrating than watching your FPS tank for no apparent reason.
Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to smooth things out and get back to enjoying this fast-paced, hero-based shooter.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through 13 easy ways to fix FPS drops in Marvel Rivals, starting from the most basic tweaks to more advanced performance fixes.
We’ll also cover the possible causes of these drops and take a quick look at what the developers are doing to address these issues in future updates.
13 Ways to Fix Marvel Rivals FPS Drops
Here’s a comprehensive list of solutions to improve your FPS in Marvel Rivals. You don’t need to apply all of them. Try the ones that make sense for your setup.
1. Restart Your PC and Close Background Apps
A simple restart can clear up memory leaks and reset GPU performance. Also, make sure to close heavy apps like browsers, Discord (if not using overlay features), and game launchers.
Source: MS.Codes
2. Update Your Graphics Drivers
Nvidia and AMD often release driver updates optimized for new games. Outdated drivers can cause compatibility issues or performance bottlenecks.
3. Lower In-Game Graphics Settings
Reducing settings like shadows, effects, and anti-aliasing can have a big impact. More on this in the “In-Game Optimizations” section.
4. Play in Fullscreen Mode
Windowed and borderless modes sometimes cause frame inconsistencies. Fullscreen tends to use GPU resources more efficiently.
5. Disable Game DVR (Windows 10/11)
Game DVR can cause micro-stutters. Go to the Xbox Game Bar settings and turn off background recording.
6. Use High Performance Mode in Windows
In the Power Options (Control Panel), set your PC to “High performance” or “Ultimate performance” if available.
7. Turn Off Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling
This Windows feature can cause issues in certain games. You’ll find this under Graphics Settings in Windows.
8. Disable Overlays (Steam, Discord, GeForce Experience)
Overlays might be useful, but they also use system resources and can conflict with the game engine.
Source: Business Insider
9. Reduce Background Processes via Task Manager
Open Task Manager, go to the Startup tab, and disable unnecessary apps from launching with Windows.
10. Update DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables
These runtimes are critical for modern games. Ensure you have the latest versions installed.
11. Verify Integrity of Game Files
If using Steam or another launcher, check the option to verify/repair the game. Corrupt files could be causing performance issues.
12. Use an SSD Instead of an HDD
While this won’t boost FPS directly, it can reduce stuttering caused by slow asset loading.
13. Use NoPing’s Boost FPS Feature
If you’re already using NoPing to reduce latency and stabilize your ping (which is awesome for online games), you should definitely take advantage of the Boost FPS feature.
How it helps:
- Closes unnecessary background services
- Frees up RAM and CPU resources
- Optimizes network routes to reduce data congestion (which indirectly helps FPS in online matches)
How to use the Boost FPS feature:
- Sign-up through the website and download NoPing (you can test it for free).
- When you open the software, click on “Boost FPS” in the left side menu.
- On the next screen, you’ll see a range of options to customize the feature (there are over 50 settings). You can enable or disable everything and choose between Windows default or user settings. You can also filter the options using the bar on the right.
And that’s it! Boost FPS is now activated. Just launch your game and enjoy high FPS!
In-Game Optimizations to Fix FPS Drops
Marvel Rivals has several in-game settings you can adjust to squeeze out better performance without sacrificing too much visual quality.
Here are the key settings to tweak:
- Resolution: Always use your monitor’s native resolution for clarity, but if FPS is really low, try reducing it by one step.
- V-Sync: Turn it off. V-Sync adds input delay and can cause stutters.
- Graphics Preset: Start with Medium or Low and adjust individual settings based on performance.
- Texture Quality: Keep this at Medium or Low if you have less than 6GB of VRAM.
- Anti-Aliasing: This one is GPU-intensive. Set it to Low or turn it off.
- Shadows: Lowering or disabling shadows can significantly improve FPS.
- Effects Quality: Set this to Low. Particle effects often drag performance down.
- Ambient Occlusion: This visual setting looks nice but can be taxing. Disable it if you’re struggling.
- Render Scale: Lowering this to around 80% can boost FPS without too much loss in visual fidelity.
After making these changes, restart the game to ensure everything is applied correctly.
Source: TheGamer
What Causes FPS Drops in Marvel Rivals?
Before diving deeper, it’s worth understanding why FPS drops happen, because not all solutions are technical.
Sometimes the issue is on the game’s side, sometimes it’s your setup.
Here are the most common causes:
- Lack of Optimization: Marvel Rivals is still being updated and refined. Early builds may have optimization issues, especially on mid-range or older systems.
- Background Applications: Heavy apps like Chrome, OBS, or even RGB software can interfere with performance.
- Thermal Throttling: If your GPU or CPU gets too hot, it will reduce performance to cool down.
- VRAM or RAM Limitations: If you’re running out of memory, your system may rely on slower page file storage, causing stutters.
- Driver Conflicts: Old or incompatible GPU drivers can create bottlenecks.
- Windows Updates: Some updates can introduce bugs that interfere with game performance.
- Server Lag Mistaken for FPS Drop: Online games often blur the line between network lag and graphical lag. A stutter could be caused by packet loss or high ping, not necessarily FPS.
Knowing what might be causing the issue helps you pick the right solution from the list above.
Marvel Rivals April Update to Address FPS and RAM Issues
In April 2025, NetEase rolled out a major update for Marvel Rivals to tackle ongoing FPS drops and high RAM usage, especially on mid to low-end PCs.
The highlight of this update was the introduction of Switch Shader Compilation Mode (SSCM), a PC-only experimental feature launched with Season 2: Hellfire Gala.
SSCM changes how shaders are compiled by delaying the process until after game or driver updates, helping reduce in-game memory usage and preventing crashes or stuttering caused by RAM overload.
NetEase recommends SSCM for players with 16GB of RAM or less who have experienced performance issues.
While it’s still experimental and may cause temporary visual glitches during matches (like delayed material loading), it significantly improves overall stability.
Players are also cautioned against using SSCM alongside AMD FSR3 Frame Generation, as the combination might lead to additional stutters.
Source: NetEase Games
FAQ
Q: Is Marvel Rivals poorly optimized?
A: Not exactly, but like many new online games, it still has some growing pains. The devs have already released optimization updates and are continuing to work on performance improvements.
Q: My PC meets the minimum specs. Why is the FPS still bad?
A: Minimum specs are for basic playability, not a smooth experience. If your FPS is struggling even on low settings, look at background apps or possible overheating.
Q: Can I play Marvel Rivals on integrated graphics?
A: Technically, yes, but don’t expect great performance. You’ll likely need to drop all settings to Low and reduce the resolution.
Q: Is there a way to show FPS in-game?
A: Yes! Marvel Rivals has a built-in FPS counter. You can also use external tools like MSI Afterburner, Steam’s overlay, or NVIDIA’s performance overlay.
Q: Will future updates improve FPS?
A: Based on recent patches, yes. The developers have already addressed some RAM and rendering issues, and more updates are likely as the game matures.
Dealing with Marvel Rivals FPS drops can be frustrating, especially in the middle of an intense match. But the good news is that there are many straightforward fixes that can get things running smoother.
Play Marvel Rivals with optimized ping and increased FPS. Download NoPing now and test it for free!
