Stuttering is quite a common issue that can affect many PC games. However, many Helldivers 2 players are reporting more stuttering issues than usual. One player’s Reddit post said this, “Stuttering, game is unplayable… About 2-3 months ago, my (Helldivers 2) game started to stutter with 1FPS.” Significant FPS drops can cause excessive Helldivers 2 stuttering on some players’ PCs, making the game hard to play. Here are some ways to remedy Helldivers 2 stuttering on Windows 11/10 PCs.
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Run Helldivers 2 as an Administrator
A few players confirm running H2 with admin rights has fixed their Helldivers 2 stuttering. This probably isn’t the most reliable potential solution, but it could be worth a try, nonetheless. These are the steps for running Helldivers 2 with elevated privileges:
- Open File Explorer to navigate to the Helldivers 2 installation directory. For Steam users, the default path for this folder is Program Files (x86) > Steam > steamapps > common > Helldivers 2 > bin.
- Next, right-click the helldivers 2.exe file to select Properties > Compatibility.
- Click Run this program as an administrator to select the checkbox for that compatibility option.
The Run this program as an administrator
- To save what options you’ve selected, click Apply > OK.
Lower In-Game Display and Graphics Settings
Lowering in-game display and graphics settings is one of the more reliable ways to fix Helldivers 2 stuttering. To apply this fix, go into the Display and Graphics tabs in Helldivers 2’s options. Then, set the settings on those tabs as follows:
- Render Mode: Ultra Performance
- Display Mode: Fullscreen
- Vertical Field of View: Set a Lower Value
- Depth of Field: Off
- Shadow Quality: Low
- Motion Blur: 0
- Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 (if set higher)
There are numerous other graphical settings you can lower, but those above are some of the best ones to focus on. Selecting a lower Graphics Preset is a quick way to reduce the graphics settings. Press Tab to apply the new display and graphics settings.
The Vertical Field of View setting
Lock the Framerate
Setting a locked FPS can remedy Helldivers 2 stuttering because this applies a more consistent framerate. To apply this possible fix, select On for the Framerate Limit setting on Helldivers 2’s Display tab. Then, set the slider for that setting to 60 FPS.
The Framerate Limit option
Disable Norton 360
Numerous players confirm they’ve fixed Helldivers 2 stuttering by disabling Norton 360. The Norton 360 option has a ‘Game Optimizer’ feature that isn’t very good. Do you have that software on your Windows PC? If so, try turning off the Game Optimizer feature as instructed on this Norton page.
Update the Driver for Your Graphics Card
NVIDIA and AMD have released graphics driver updates with Helldivers 2 optimizations. The AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 24.2.1 for Helldivers 2 driver package is a good example, for which this page provides further details. So, updating graphics drivers could remedy Helldivers 2 stuttering for some players at least. Check out this guide to updating graphics drivers for instructions about how to apply this potential fix.
The NVIDIA drivers page
Reinstall Helldivers 2 on SSD
SSD (solid-state drive) is the recommended system requirement for Helldivers 2. Helldivers 2 gaming performance is generally better when that game is installed on solid-state drives. For example, one player confirmed they fixed Helldivers 2 suttering by reinstalling Helldivers 2 on SSD. That Reddit post says:
Originally, had the game on an HDD as there was more space, but it would freeze for a few seconds when spawning and stutter every five or so seconds. I decided to reinstall on an SSD, and it’s stutter-free – well maybe the odd time when loading in parts of the map, but that’s on the rare side.
So, try reinstalling Helldivers 2 on an alternative SSD storage if possible. If you don’t have that drive type, it might be a good idea to purchase an external SSD on which to install Helldivers 2 and other games. You can reinstall Helldivers 2 on SSD like this:
- Go into Steam and select Library to view installed games.
- Right-click Helldivers 2 to select the Manage submenu and Uninstall from there.
The Uninstall option
- To reinstall, select Helldivers 2 in the Library and click its Install option.
- Click Manage Storage to select your SSD drive in the drop-down menu.
The Install option
- Finally, press Install to finish.
Other Possible Ways to Fix Helldivers 2 Stuttering
There are lots of possible ways to remedy Helldivers 2 stuttering. You can also try applying these additional troubleshooting methods if needed:
- Set Helldivers 2 to run with a higher priority by right-clicking that game’s process in Task Manager’s Details tab and selecting Set Priority > High.
- Erase everything in the shader cache for Helldivers 2 at this folder path: C:\Users\yourusernamehere\AppData\Roaming\Arrowhead\Helldivers2\shader_cache.
- Close unneeded background program processes via Task Manager and the system tray before playing Helldivers 2. You can also try applying a clean boot to disable unnecessary startup items.
- Run a Steam verification scan for the Helldivers 2 game.
Applying one or more of those potential resolutions could fix the Helldivers 2 stuttering on your PC. Reducing stuttering with those potential resolutions will make your H2 game more playable. Players who’ve discovered other good ways to remedy stuttering in Helldivers 2 are welcome to share their fixes below.
