The quickest documented fix for severe Outriders stuttering, hard crashes, or shader-cache freezes on PC is to launch the game with DirectX 11 instead of DirectX 12. The developer has acknowledged a DX12 implementation problem that can overload the CPU. Before changing graphics settings at random, confirm your hardware, test the DX11 launch option, and determine whether a hitch happens only once when the game prepares a new area or effect.
This guide gives the complete manual procedure for Steam and console players, explains when a first-area pause is normal shader preparation, and lists the information support needs if the freeze is repeatable.
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What causes Outriders stuttering and freezing?
People Can Fly and Square Enix have identified an issue in the PC DirectX 12 implementation. Their technical-support notice says it can cause stuttering, a hard crash, or shader-cache problems when the CPU becomes overloaded. That makes the rendering API the first variable to test, rather than assuming that every pause is a failing graphics card.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThere is a second, less serious cause: the game may prepare assets and shaders the first time you enter a new area or meet a new enemy, power, or visual effect. The developer says that hitch should occur only on the first exposure; returning to the same content should be smooth. A brief pause that disappears on later visits is therefore different from a freeze that happens every few minutes or at the same reproducible action.
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Other documented tests include changing the NVIDIA Game Ready driver, disabling Ansel, disabling DLSS, turning VSync off, testing the frame-rate limiter, checking controller configuration, and (with appropriate security judgment) adding the game folder to a Windows Defender exclusion. Test these separately so you can identify which change matters.
Check your PC against the official requirements
Run the game on hardware at least at the minimum level. Recommended specifications provide more headroom for busy fights and shader preparation, but they do not eliminate a software bug in DX12.
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 | Windows 10 (the published requirement does not specify a newer edition) |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-3470 or AMD FX-8350 | Intel Core i7-7700K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics card | NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti or AMD Radeon R9 270X | NVIDIA GTX 1070 8 GB or AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8 GB |
| Graphics API | DirectX 11 | DirectX 11 |
| Storage | 100 GB | 100 GB |
To check the basics, press Windows, type System Information, and compare the processor and installed memory with the table. Open dxdiag from the Start menu to see the DirectX version and graphics device. Leave enough free disk space for the 100 GB installation and normal Windows operation. Close unusually heavy background workloads, such as another game, a video render, or a large file transfer, while testing; this prevents an unrelated CPU or memory spike from hiding the real cause.
Switch the PC build to DirectX 11
This is the developer’s primary workaround for the known DX12 problem and should be your first controlled test on Steam.
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- Open Steam and select Library.
- Click Play on Outriders. If Steam presents multiple launch choices, select Play Outriders – DirectX11.
- Play through the location where the stutter normally appears. Do not change several other graphics options during this first comparison.
If the chooser does not appear or the game keeps starting in DX12, set the launch option manually:
- In Steam Library, right-click Outriders and choose Properties.
- Stay on the General tab and find Launch Options.
- Enter
-force -dx11, close the Properties window, and start the game. - After testing, remove the text to return to the default launch behavior.
DX11 and DX12 are not simply quality presets. They are different rendering paths, so feature availability, including options such as DLSS, can differ by mode. Use the mode that produces stable play on your PC; do not judge a one-time shader hitch as a permanent performance difference.
| Test path | What it tells you | Trade-off to note |
|---|---|---|
| DX11 launch option | Whether the documented DX12 implementation issue is involved | Some DX12-dependent features may not be available |
| Default DX12 launch | Whether the problem returns when the original renderer is restored | Can expose the acknowledged stutter, crash, or shader-cache issue |
Decide whether the hitch is one-time shader preparation
Write down the exact location, enemy, power, or effect that triggers a pause. If it happens during the first traversal of a new area and later visits are smooth, allow that initial preparation to complete and continue testing. This behavior is expected by the developer’s notice.
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Test the graphics driver and feature switches
NVIDIA driver version
The developer specifically asks players to check the latest NVIDIA Game Ready driver. Install the current driver offered for your exact GPU, reboot Windows, and repeat the same in-game route. If the issue began immediately after a driver update and the newest driver is already installed, the same guidance suggests testing the previous driver version. Record both versions so you can report which one was active.
The published test is NVIDIA-specific. If you use an AMD card, record the exact Radeon model and driver version for support rather than assuming that an NVIDIA package applies to your system.
Disable Ansel, DLSS, and VSync one at a time
Change one setting, restart the game if it requests a restart, and repeat the same scene. This sequence preserves a useful comparison:
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- Turn off Ansel, then test.
- Restore Ansel if there is no change, turn off DLSS on systems that expose it, and test.
- Restore DLSS if necessary, turn VSync off, and test.
Do not infer that a setting is responsible merely because the first run after changing it stutters; the first encounter with an effect can still involve shader preparation. Keep a short log of the setting, renderer (DX11 or DX12), location, and result.
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Test the frame-rate limiter
Use the game’s frame-rate limiter as a separate experiment. If you normally leave it unlimited, set a sensible cap and replay the same sequence; if you already cap frames, test the alternate setting. The purpose is diagnosis, not a promise that a particular cap fixes every system. Restore the setting that gives the most consistent frame delivery after the comparison.
Check controller configuration
The developer includes controller configuration in its troubleshooting tests. Disconnect extra controllers and input devices, then verify that the active controller is correctly recognized in Steam and by Windows. Test with the same input method that normally triggers the freeze. If the problem disappears only when a device is removed, include that device and its connection type in your support report.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Consider a Windows Defender exclusion carefully
The technical-support guidance suggests testing an exclusion for the Outriders folder. An exclusion reduces scanning of that folder, so it changes your security posture; it is not a guaranteed performance fix and should be temporary if you use it at all.
- Open Windows Security from the Start menu.
- Select Virus & threat protection, then Manage settings.
- Scroll to Exclusions, choose Add or remove exclusions, and approve the administrator prompt.
- Choose Add an exclusion and select the specific Outriders installation folder, not an entire drive.
- Re-test the reproducible scene, then remove the exclusion if it makes no measurable difference.
Keep Windows Security active elsewhere, avoid excluding broad locations such as your user profile, and do not leave a temporary exclusion in place without a reason you can document.
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Use a controlled troubleshooting order
Changing every option at once makes the result impossible to interpret. Use this order and keep notes:
- Confirm the processor, graphics card, RAM, Windows edition, and available storage against the requirements.
- Close unusually heavy background workloads.
- Launch the Steam DX11 option; if needed, use
-force -dx11. - Replay the area once more to determine whether the first hitch was shader preparation.
- Check the NVIDIA Game Ready driver, or test the previous version if the newest one coincided with the problem.
- Test Ansel, DLSS, VSync, and the frame-rate limiter individually.
- Verify controller configuration and test without unnecessary input devices.
- Only then consider the narrowly scoped Windows Defender exclusion, using normal security judgment.
After each change, test the same mission, graphics preset, resolution, and multiplayer state for a comparable period. A fix that works only in one area may have addressed a one-time shader event rather than the underlying freeze.
What console players should do
The DX11 launch option and Steam command are PC-only. Console players should record the console platform and operating-system version, the exact steps that reproduce the stutter or freeze, whether it happens every time, the language selected, and whether multiplayer or crossplay is enabled. Include the mission, area, enemy, power, or effect involved and whether restarting changes the result. Contact Square Enix through its support route with those details rather than attempting a PC renderer workaround.
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If the problem remains after the controlled tests, send a report that lets support reproduce it. Square Enix’s bug-report instructions ask for:
- Platform and operating-system version.
- A precise description of what happens and whether you can reproduce it.
- The game language.
- Whether you were in multiplayer and whether crossplay was enabled.
- For PC: CPU model, GPU model, and installed RAM.
Add the renderer used (DX11 or DX12), driver version, launch-option text, the exact area or effect, and which of Ansel, DLSS, VSync, frame limiting, controller changes, or the Defender test altered the behavior. State whether the first visit alone stuttered or whether later visits continued to freeze. That distinction is central to separating expected shader preparation from a repeatable fault.
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