why is my game stuttering? The real causes and fixes (2026)

High average FPS but the game still hitches? Stutter is a different beast from low frame rate — and frame generation can't fix it. Here's what…

Aliteq
Diego Santos · Gaming Editor

The stutter fixes that work

Shader compilation stutter — worst in UE5 games' first ~30 min; fix with a bigger shader cache.

The stutter fixes that work

NVIDIA: set Shader Cache Size to 10GB+ (or Unlimited), then clear old %LOCALAPPDATA%\NVIDIA\DXCache.

The stutter fixes that work

AMD: in AMD Software, use Reset Shader Cache.

The stutter fixes that work

Frame pacing: cap FPS to monitor refresh minus 3 (e.g. 141 on a 144Hz screen).

The stutter fixes that work

Using VRR (G-Sync/FreeSync)? Turn off in-game V-Sync — double-syncing causes pacing artifacts.

The stutter fixes that work

Frame generation does NOT fix stutter — it needs a stable 60+ FPS base to even help.

Aliteq

Read the full story

why is my game stuttering? The real causes and fixes (2026)

 Read the full story on Aliteq