I'm getting severe stutters in GTA V roughly every 25–30 seconds, even after lowering the graphics settings to Normal. The game is running with Steam, the Rockstar launcher, and GTA V open, but nothing else that I'm aware of. My frame rate is usually around 180–200 FPS or higher. What could be causing these sudden stutters, and what settings or troubleshooting steps should I try?
3 Answers
High refresh rates can also trigger performance issues in GTA V. Try setting the display or game refresh rate below 120 Hz, or use a frame limiter such as the in-game limiter, your graphics driver, or an external tool. Test whether the stutters disappear with a consistent cap.
Check the basics too: make sure the monitor cable is connected to the graphics card rather than the motherboard, and look for unnecessary programs launching with Windows. If the issue continues after capping the FPS, a clean operating-system or driver reinstall could be worth considering, since older installations can sometimes cause periodic hitching.
GTA V’s older engine can behave badly at very high frame rates on newer hardware. Try capping the game around 100–120 FPS instead of letting it run at 180–200+. You likely don’t need to lower every graphics setting; the frame-rate limit may be the important fix.
That might actually be the problem—I’m usually sitting around 180–200 FPS or higher, so I’ll try locking it to 120.