Start by matching your PC to the frame rate, resolution, preset and ray-tracing mode you are trying to run. Then isolate the symptom—low average FPS, stuttering, long loading or crashes—and apply the corresponding checks: clean-install the graphics driver, verify the game files, disable overlays and unnecessary background software, confirm the game is installed on an SSD, and rerun the built-in benchmark. If the problem started immediately after a driver update, test the previous driver instead.
Cyberpunk 2077 performance depends on the whole configuration, not just the graphics card. The game version, Windows version, CPU, RAM, storage, upscaler, frame generation, ray tracing and manually changed clock speeds can all change the result. The workflow below is for Windows PC installations and uses CD PROJEKT RED’s published requirements and support procedures.
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Identify the problem before changing settings
Different symptoms point to different causes. Record what happens in a repeatable scene, your game version, resolution, graphics preset, ray tracing or path tracing state, upscaler and frame-generation setting. Note whether the issue began after a game or graphics-driver update.
- Low FPS: The frame rate is consistently below your target, even when the game is otherwise smooth.
- Stutter or hitching: Frame delivery is uneven, with brief pauses or severe swings despite an acceptable average FPS.
- Long loading or asset-streaming delays: Menus, saves or city areas take a long time to appear, or textures arrive late.
- Crashes: The game closes, freezes, returns to the desktop or reboots the computer.
Do not apply a fix for one symptom and assume it explains another. A storage problem can cause slow loading without lowering rendered FPS, while an unstable overclock can cause crashes even when performance numbers look normal.
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Check whether your PC meets the target tier
CD PROJEKT RED’s June 11, 2023 requirements update separates non-ray-traced and ray-traced targets. The listed frame rates are internal test results, not guarantees: the publisher says results vary with hardware, software, resolution and settings.
| Target | Expected result | Graphics hardware listed by CD PROJEKT RED | Memory and storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p, Low, no ray tracing | 30 FPS average | GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB, Radeon RX 580 8 GB or Intel Arc A380 | 12 GB RAM; 70 GB SSD |
| 1080p, High, no ray tracing | 60 FPS average | GeForce RTX 2060 Super, Radeon RX 5700 XT or Intel Arc A770 | 16 GB RAM; 70 GB SSD |
| 2160p, Ultra, no ray tracing | 60 FPS average | GeForce RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 20 GB RAM; 70 GB NVMe |
| 1080p, Ray Tracing Low | 30 FPS average | GeForce RTX 2060, Radeon RX 6800 XT or Intel Arc A750 | 16 GB RAM; storage not separately stated |
| 1080p, Ray Tracing Ultra | 60 FPS average | GeForce RTX 3080 Ti or Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 20 GB RAM; storage not separately stated |
| 2160p, Ray Tracing Overdrive | 60 FPS average | GeForce RTX 4080 | 24 GB RAM; storage not separately stated; result measured with DLSS Frame Generation enabled |
The non-ray-tracing minimum is intended for 1080p on Low at an average 30 FPS. It is not a promise that every scene will hold 30 FPS, nor does meeting the minimum qualify a system for Ultra or path tracing. Ray-tracing and Overdrive targets require substantially more GPU and memory headroom.
Storage matters most for loading and streaming
The published minimum is a 70 GB SSD, and the Ultra tier specifies a 70 GB NVMe drive. CD PROJEKT RED says, “SSDs offer faster loading times, improved streaming, and better overall performance when compared to HDDs.” That statement supports moving the game from an HDD when loading or streaming is poor; it does not establish that an NVMe upgrade alone will raise low FPS or stop crashes.
Use the official baseline troubleshooting sequence
- Write down the baseline. Capture your resolution, preset, ray-tracing or path-tracing state, upscaler, frame generation, game version and the location where the issue occurs. This makes every later change measurable.
- Clean-install the graphics driver. Download the current driver appropriate for your GPU vendor and choose the clean-install option provided by the installer. Reboot before testing the game.
- Revert a newly installed driver when timing points to it. If the problem started immediately after a graphics-driver update, CD PROJEKT RED advises trying the previous driver and reporting the issue rather than assuming the newest package is always correct.
- Verify the game files. Use the file-integrity or verify-files command in the launcher that installed Cyberpunk 2077. Let the process finish, replace damaged or missing files, then restart the PC before retesting.
- Disable overlays. Turn off in-game overlays from Discord, Ubisoft Connect, Galaxy or any other launcher and recording utility. Test without performance-monitoring overlays as well.
- Close unnecessary applications. Quit browsers, capture tools, monitoring utilities and other background programs. CD PROJEKT RED also recommends temporarily closing antivirus or anti-malware applications while testing; restore protection immediately afterward and add a game exception only if your security software supports one safely.
- Rerun the built-in benchmark. Use
Settings → Graphics → Run Benchmarkafter each meaningful change. Test the same resolution and feature combination so the before-and-after result is comparable.
Change one variable at a time. Changing the driver, preset, upscaler and frame generation together can improve or worsen the result without telling you which change mattered.
Fix consistently low FPS
Reduce the target before reducing image quality
First decide whether your target is realistic for the requirements tier. A card listed for 1080p High is not a published 4K Ultra or Overdrive solution. If your target exceeds the tier your hardware matches, lower the resolution or preset and disable the most demanding ray-tracing mode before judging other settings.
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Use the benchmark at the exact target resolution and preset. Record the average result and whether the frame delivery feels smooth. Displayed FPS from frame generation should not be treated as proof that the underlying rendered frames or input response match the same number.
Test an upscaler or frame-generation mode your hardware supports
Update 2.3 added AMD FSR 4, AMD FSR 3.1 Frame Generation and Intel XeSS 2.0 support. CD PROJEKT RED’s DLSS 4 support page says Patch 2.21 added DLSS 4 on compatible hardware: Multi Frame Generation is for GeForce RTX 50-series cards, while the Transformer model applies to all RTX cards. The presence of a menu option does not prove it is the best choice for your system.
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- Confirm that your installed game version exposes the feature.
- Enable one supported upscaler or frame-generation option, leaving the rest unchanged.
- Run the same benchmark and play the same scene.
- Compare displayed FPS, image stability and control responsiveness—not FPS alone.
Frame generation can increase the displayed frame rate while adding processing latency or showing artifacts. If controls feel less responsive or the image breaks up, return to the previous setting even if the counter is higher.
Check CPU, RAM and background load
Cyberpunk 2077 can become CPU-limited in busy areas. Close unnecessary applications and watch for memory pressure or a background task consuming CPU time. Meeting the published GPU tier does not guarantee the same result if the processor, RAM capacity or software environment differs from CD PROJEKT RED’s test system.
Reduce stutter and uneven frame delivery
Stutter is a frame-time problem, not simply a low average FPS problem. Verify files, clean-install the driver and disable overlays before changing graphics quality. Then use the benchmark and a repeatable city location to see whether the hitching follows a particular feature or appears everywhere.
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- Only after a driver update: Test the previous driver version as CD PROJEKT RED recommends.
- When overlays are active: Disable launcher, chat, capture and monitoring overlays completely, then restart the game.
- During new-area streaming: Confirm the game is on an SSD with free space and that no other process is saturating the drive.
- With frame generation enabled: Compare with it disabled. A higher displayed FPS can still feel uneven if the base rendered frame rate is low.
- After several setting changes: Restore a known baseline and change one option at a time so you can identify the trigger.
An SSD can improve loading and asset streaming compared with an HDD, but the published information does not show that storage alone fixes every kind of stutter.
Fix long loading times and late asset streaming
Confirm the drive and installation
CD PROJEKT RED specifies SSD storage even for the 1080p Low minimum tier and NVMe for its listed 2160p Ultra tier. If the game is installed on an HDD, move it to an SSD with at least the required free capacity and retest. Keep the drive from becoming nearly full, and avoid running another disk-intensive task during testing.
Separate loading from rendering performance
If the benchmark FPS is normal but saves, fast travel or city areas load slowly, focus on storage, file integrity and background disk activity rather than immediately replacing the GPU. Verify the files and close synchronization, backup, indexing or download tasks that compete for the drive. If loading is normal but FPS remains low, storage is unlikely to be the primary limit.
Stop Cyberpunk 2077 from crashing
Crashes require a broader check than low FPS. Follow this order:
- Check the requirements tier. Confirm that the resolution, preset and ray-tracing mode are within the published baseline for your hardware.
- Update Windows. CD PROJEKT RED’s crash guidance says users on Windows 10 below version 1909 should update to a newer version.
- Clean-install the graphics driver. Use the appropriate driver for your GPU and reboot.
- Verify game files. Repair missing or corrupted files through the installing launcher.
- Disable overlays and unnecessary applications. Include capture tools, monitoring utilities and temporarily antivirus or anti-malware software while testing.
- Return clock speeds to stock. Restore CPU and GPU settings if you manually overclocked or underclocked them. CD PROJEKT RED warns that altered clock rates can cause crashes and hardware damage.
Do not treat a crash as evidence that the GPU is too weak. Driver conflicts, damaged files, overlays, background software and unstable clock settings can all produce the same symptom.
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Use the benchmark and collect evidence for support
After reproducing the issue, run Settings → Graphics → Run Benchmark. The latest benchmark folder is under %userprofile%DocumentsCD Projekt RedCyberpunk 2077benchmarkResults. Compress the latest folder before attaching it to a support request.
Include a short video if possible, along with the game version, Windows version, hardware specifications, resolution, preset, ray-tracing state, upscaler and the exact steps that reproduce the problem. If the issue occurs only in a particular location, CD PROJEKT RED asks for the save folder from that location. This evidence is more useful than a general statement that the game “runs poorly.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose settings and upgrades by the symptom
| Symptom | First checks | What the published evidence supports |
|---|---|---|
| Low FPS | Match resolution and preset to the hardware tier; test ray tracing, upscaling and frame generation one at a time. | GPU, CPU, RAM and feature compatibility all matter; no universal preset is established. |
| Stutter | Clean-install driver, verify files, disable overlays and compare with frame generation off. | Official guidance emphasizes drivers, files, overlays and background applications. |
| Long loading or streaming | Verify files, check disk activity and move the installation from HDD to SSD if necessary. | SSD storage is specified and is associated with faster loading and improved streaming. |
| Crashes | Update Windows, verify requirements and files, disable overlays, clean-install drivers and restore stock clocks. | CD PROJEKT RED specifically warns that manual overclocking or underclocking may cause crashes and hardware damage. |
When considering an upgrade, compare the target resolution and preset, ray-tracing level, expected baseline FPS, GPU and VRAM class, CPU and RAM tier, storage type and support for the chosen upscaler or frame-generation mode. A drive upgrade addresses loading and streaming; it is not established as a cure for low FPS or crashes.
What the official evidence does—and does not—promise
The requirements are useful reference points from CD PROJEKT RED’s internal testing. They are not independent benchmarks of your computer and do not guarantee a fixed frame rate in every district, mission or combat scene. Update 2.3 and Patch 2.21 changed available graphics technologies, and the current technical-support index includes Patch 2.31 topics, so menu names and compatibility can change with updates.
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There is therefore no single “best settings” preset for every PC. The reliable method is to select a target tier, establish a benchmark baseline, apply one supported change, and keep the configuration that delivers the desired balance of image quality, frame pacing and responsiveness.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Cyberpunk 2077 running poorly even though my GPU meets the requirements?
The published tiers also assume particular resolution, preset, CPU, RAM, storage and software conditions. Check the matching tier, disable overlays, clean-install the driver, verify files and test the same benchmark before changing hardware.
Will an NVMe SSD increase my FPS?
CD PROJEKT RED links SSDs with faster loading and improved streaming and specifies NVMe for its 2160p Ultra tier. The published guidance does not show that an NVMe upgrade by itself raises rendered FPS or prevents crashes.
Should I use DLSS, FSR or XeSS?
Use only a mode supported by your GPU and installed game version. Test one option at a time in the same scene, judging image quality and responsiveness as well as displayed FPS. Official availability does not establish a universal winner.
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Run Settings → Graphics → Run Benchmark, compress the latest folder in %userprofile%DocumentsCD Projekt RedCyberpunk 2077benchmarkResults, include a video if possible, and provide the save folder from the location where the issue occurs.
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