If you’re playing ARC Raiders and notice low FPS, lag, or stuttering, you’re definitely not the only one. Many players have reported poor performance — including random frame drops, freezing during combat, or input lag even on decent hardware.
These issues usually arise from outdated GPU drivers, unoptimized game settings, or CPU bottlenecks. However, the good news is that there are several reliable solutions you can apply right now.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through step-by-step methods to boost FPS, eliminate stutters, and reduce lag in ARC Raiders for a much smoother gameplay experience.
⚙️ Common Causes of Lag & Stuttering
Before jumping into the fixes, it’s important to understand what typically causes performance issues in ARC Raiders.
Possible Reasons Include:
- Outdated or faulty GPU drivers
- Unoptimized in-game graphics settings
- Background apps consuming RAM or CPU
- Outdated Windows or DirectX components
- Game installed on a slow HDD instead of SSD
- Overheating GPU or CPU throttling
Fix 1: Update Your Graphics Drivers
Outdated graphics drivers are one of the leading causes of lag and low FPS. Keeping them updated ensures optimal performance and compatibility with ARC Raiders.
Steps:
- Press Windows + X → Device Manager → Display Adapters.
- Right-click your GPU → Update driver → Search automatically.
- Alternatively, download directly from:
✅ Result: Updated drivers improve rendering speed and overall performance stability.
Fix 2: Lower In-Game Graphics Settings
Even if your PC meets the system requirements, ARC Raiders can still demand significant resources. Lowering certain settings can make a huge difference.
Recommended Settings:
- Resolution: 1080p or lower
- V-Sync: Off
- Shadow Quality: Medium or Low
- Anti-Aliasing: TAA or FXAA
- Motion Blur: Off
- Texture Quality: High (keep this if you have enough VRAM)
✅ Result: Reduces GPU workload and helps achieve smoother, more consistent frame rates.
Fix 3: Enable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS)
This Windows feature can enhance performance by reducing latency and improving GPU efficiency.
Steps:
- Press Windows + I → System → Display → Graphics Settings.
- Turn on Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling.
- Restart your PC for changes to take effect.
✅ Result: Decreases input lag and boosts FPS slightly, especially on mid-range GPUs.
Fix 4: Set ARC Raiders to High Priority
By default, Windows doesn’t always allocate enough CPU power to the game. Increasing its priority ensures it gets more system resources.
Steps:
- Launch ARC Raiders.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Under the Details tab, right-click
ARCraiders.exe. - Choose Set Priority → High.
✅ Result: Allocates more CPU resources, reducing stutters and improving performance.
Fix 5: Disable Background Applications
Background programs like Discord, Chrome, or GeForce Experience can consume RAM and CPU, causing frame drops.
Steps:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc → Task Manager → Processes.
- End tasks for unnecessary applications.
- Also disable overlays such as Discord Overlay, Steam Overlay, or Xbox Game Bar.
✅ Result: Frees up system memory and processing power for the game.
Fix 6: Update Windows and DirectX
Outdated system components often cause lag or incompatibility with modern game engines. Keeping Windows and DirectX updated ensures stability.
Steps:
- Press Windows + I → Settings → Windows Update.
- Click Check for updates and install everything available.
- Download and install DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer from Microsoft if needed.
✅ Result: Improves compatibility and eliminates system-level lag sources.
Fix 7: Move Game to SSD (If on HDD)
ARC Raiders performs significantly better on an SSD compared to a traditional hard drive. Loading times and streaming stutters drop drastically.
Steps:
- Uninstall the game from your HDD.
- Reinstall it on an SSD drive.
✅ Result: Reduces texture loading delays and in-game frame drops.
Fix 8: Adjust NVIDIA / AMD Control Panel Settings
Fine-tuning your GPU control panel can further stabilize frame rates.
For NVIDIA Users:
- Open NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D Settings → Program Settings.
- Select ARC Raiders.
- Set these options:
- Power Management Mode: Prefer maximum performance
- Low Latency Mode: On
- Texture Filtering – Quality: Performance
For AMD Users:
- Open AMD Radeon Software → Gaming → ARC Raiders.
- Set Radeon Chill to off and Radeon Anti-Lag to on.
✅ Result: Delivers more consistent frame pacing and less micro-stutter.
Fix 9: Reinstall or Repair Visual C++ Redistributables
Corrupted runtime libraries can impact how the game communicates with your system.
Steps:
- Download Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (2015–2022) — both x86 and x64 versions.
- Install or repair them.
- Restart your PC afterward.
✅ Result: Resolves performance inconsistencies caused by missing runtime files.
💡 Additional Optimization Tips
- Enable Game Mode in Windows for optimized resource allocation.
- Keep your GPU temperature below 85°C to avoid throttling.
- Use Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi for better online performance.
- Disable Windows background recording in Xbox Game Bar.
- Limit background apps at startup via Task Manager → Startup tab.
❓ FAQs
Q1: Why does ARC Raiders have sudden FPS drops?
A: Usually because of background apps, thermal throttling, or outdated GPU drivers.
Q2: How can I fix input lag while playing?
A: Turn off V-Sync and enable Low Latency Mode in your GPU settings.
Q3: Does reinstalling help with lag?
A: Yes, reinstalling on an SSD can improve loading times and reduce stutters.
Q4: Should I use game boosters or optimizers?
A: Most aren’t necessary. It’s better to manually optimize settings as shown above.
🎯 Conclusion
If you’re dealing with low FPS, lag, or stuttering in ARC Raiders, the issue likely comes from driver problems, background apps, or system bottlenecks.
By following these solutions — including updating GPU drivers, lowering settings, and enabling hardware-accelerated scheduling — you can easily boost performance and enjoy smoother gameplay.
Once optimized, ARC Raiders should run fluidly, letting you focus entirely on your missions without the distraction of performance hiccups.
