7 Critical Fixes For Marvel Rivals Frame Drops After The Latest Patch (Official & Community Solutions)
The sudden and frustrating drop in frame rate experienced by many players in Marvel Rivals is a major concern, particularly following recent updates and patches. As of December 20, 2025, user reports across platforms like Steam and Reddit confirm that severe stuttering and unstable FPS have become a widespread issue, often making the fast-paced 6v6 superhero shooter nearly unplayable for some members of the community. This isn't just a minor performance dip; it's a significant stability problem that NetEase Games is actively working to resolve.
This performance degradation is primarily linked to backend technical changes and, in some cases, conflicts with the latest hardware drivers. Fortunately, the developers have been transparent about the core issues—namely, high memory usage and shader compilation strategy—and have already implemented experimental fixes. Below is a comprehensive guide to understanding why your frame rate plummeted and the most effective, up-to-date solutions to restore smooth gameplay.
The Technical Breakdown: Why Your FPS Plummeted After the Update
To effectively fix the Marvel Rivals frame drops, you must first understand the root causes. Recent patches, including those around Season 5, introduced technical changes that inadvertently triggered performance instability for a large segment of the PC player base. The two main culprits identified by the community and NetEase are a potential memory leak and the game’s shader compilation method.
Memory Leaks and High RAM Usage
A significant number of players have reported that their frame rate begins strong but rapidly degrades after playing just a few matches. This is the classic symptom of a memory leak, where the game fails to properly release system memory (RAM) after it's no longer needed, causing memory usage to continuously climb. High memory usage leads to system slowdowns, severe stuttering, and ultimately, crippling FPS drops.
The Shader Compilation Strategy
Another major source of stuttering, especially when new visual effects or characters appear, is the game's shader compilation process. Shaders are small programs that tell your GPU how to render graphics. If the game compiles these shaders "on the fly" during gameplay, it causes micro-stutters and frame hitches. NetEase acknowledged this and introduced an experimental feature to mitigate the issue.
7 Proven Strategies to Fix Marvel Rivals Frame Drops and Stuttering
The following fixes range from official developer-recommended workarounds to community-tested optimization settings. Apply them systematically to stabilize your frame rate and eliminate frustrating stuttering.
1. Activate the Experimental Shader Compilation Mode (Official Fix)
NetEase introduced a critical experimental feature called Switch Shader Compilation Mode to directly address the stuttering and high memory usage. This feature aims to change how the game handles shaders, leading to a decrease in memory usage and fewer severe FPS drops and frozen visuals.
- How to Apply: Look for this new setting within the in-game Graphics or Advanced Settings menu and ensure it is enabled. This is one of the most important new fixes from the developer.
2. Roll Back Your NVIDIA GeForce Drivers (Official Recommendation)
In an unusual move, NetEase officially advised players using NVIDIA GeForce GPUs to roll back their drivers. A specific new driver version was identified as causing significant frame rate issues and performance instability in the game.
- How to Apply: If you are using an NVIDIA card, check the official Marvel Rivals social channels or Discord for the specific driver version recommended for stability. You will need to use the NVIDIA website or a tool like Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to roll back to the previously stable version.
3. Optimize In-Game Graphics Settings for Stability
Even powerful PCs can suffer from the memory leak issue, but lowering a few key settings can significantly alleviate the load and reclaim lost FPS.
- Texture Quality: Lower this from High/Ultra to Medium. Textures are a major consumer of VRAM (GPU memory).
- Shadows: Set to Medium or Low. Shadows are notoriously taxing on performance.
- Anti-Aliasing: Use a less demanding option like TAA or FXAA, or rely on upscaling (see Fix #4).
- Display Mode: Always play in Fullscreen Mode to give Marvel Rivals full priority over your system resources.
4. Utilize Upscaling Technologies (DLSS/FSR)
Upscaling technologies are your best friend for boosting FPS without a massive visual sacrifice. They render the game at a lower resolution and then intelligently upscale it to your native screen resolution.
- NVIDIA Users: Enable DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and set it to the "Performance" or "Balanced" preset.
- AMD Users: Enable FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) and choose a similar performance-focused preset.
5. Close All Unnecessary Background Applications
Given the game's high memory usage, any program running in the background is competing for the same limited RAM, exacerbating the memory leak problem.
- The Culprits: Close web browsers (especially Chrome), streaming apps (Netflix, Spotify), and any demanding productivity software.
- Overlays: Disable overlays from Discord, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, or Steam, as these can sometimes conflict with the game and cause stuttering.
6. Ensure Windows and System Files are Optimized
Sometimes, the problem isn't the game but your PC's configuration. A few quick checks can ensure your system is ready for intense gaming.
- Game Mode: Ensure Windows Game Mode is enabled (Settings -> Gaming -> Game Mode).
- Power Settings: Set your Windows Power Plan to "High Performance" or "Ultimate Performance."
- Verify Game Files: If you are on Steam, right-click Marvel Rivals, go to Properties -> Installed Files -> and select "Verify integrity of game files." This can fix corrupted files from a bad patch download.
7. The Hard Reset (Restart and Driver Update/Reinstall)
If all else fails, a fresh start is often the best solution. Many performance issues can be temporarily fixed by a simple system restart.
- Restart Your PC: This clears the memory, closing any hidden processes that might be hogging resources.
- Reinstall Drivers: If you are not an NVIDIA user who needs to roll back, ensure your AMD or Intel integrated graphics drivers are on the latest stable version. A clean reinstall of the graphics driver can also resolve deep-seated conflicts.
The Future of Marvel Rivals Performance Stability
The development team at NetEase is aware of the performance and stability issues, particularly the stuttering and high memory utilization. The introduction of the experimental Switch Shader Compilation Mode is a significant step toward improving the overall experience.
Players should continue to monitor official communication channels for further patches. The ultimate fix for the frame drops and memory leak will come from a developer-side patch that fully optimizes the game's engine and resource management. Until then, combining the official driver rollback advice, enabling the new shader mode, and optimizing your in-game settings remains the most effective way to enjoy Marvel Rivals at a stable, high frame rate.
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