Start with the baseline, then remove resource pressure before changing graphics settings. Ready or Not requires a 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 installation, DirectX 11, 8 GB of RAM, 60 GB of free storage, and at least a GeForce GTX 960 2 GB or Radeon R7 370 2 GB. The recommended graphics tier is a GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB or better. Those are eligibility requirements, not an FPS promise: Steam Support states, “Simply meeting the system requirements does not mean you’ll have high FPS or strong in-game performance.”
Use the sequence below to separate an underpowered component from a software conflict, damaged files, excessive settings, or a configuration problem. Change one variable at a time and record what happens.
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What the symptoms usually indicate
Crashes, hitching and low average frame rates can have different causes, so the first useful diagnostic step is to classify the symptom.
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- At startup: commonly points to a driver, overlay, damaged installation, incompatible configuration, or a system below the published baseline.
- During loading or a map transition: can occur when the game is reading a large amount of data, when storage is slow or nearly full, or when a file is corrupt.
- Mid-match with a graphics error: isolate other 3D applications and capture the exact error. Unreal Engine’s GPU-crash guidance describes this as useful evidence for device-reset failures, but it does not establish a Ready or Not-specific cause.
Stuttering
Stutter is uneven frame delivery rather than simply a low average FPS. A system can report a reasonable average while producing pauses when RAM is exhausted and Windows swaps data to disk, when a background task interrupts the CPU or storage, or when a new area is being loaded.
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Consistently low FPS
Low FPS at all times usually means the CPU or GPU is a bottleneck, the resolution or quality settings are too demanding, or the PC is operating below the game’s minimum specification. A monitor with variable-refresh support can make delivery look smoother, but it cannot increase the number of frames the game renders.
Check the official PC requirements first
Compare your computer with the published Steam requirements before troubleshooting individual settings. Steam lists the following baseline (Steam Support, accessed October 18, 2026):
| Component | Minimum requirement | Recommended guidance | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating system | 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11 | 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11 | A 32-bit Windows installation is outside the published baseline. |
| Graphics API | DirectX 11 | DirectX 11 | The GPU and driver must support DirectX 11. |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | Not separately stated | Eight gigabytes is the floor, not a guarantee against swapping or stutter. |
| Free storage | 60 GB | Not separately stated | Keep additional working space available; a nearly full drive can worsen read and update behavior. |
| Graphics card | GeForce GTX 960 2 GB or Radeon R7 370 2 GB | GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB or better | Compare both performance and VRAM, not just the model name. |
Steam also notes that performance varies with hardware and software configuration. If the PC is below any minimum item, crashes and poor performance are plausible and cannot be expected to resolve through a single setting. If it meets the minimum, continue: minimum compliance does not establish a target FPS.
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Use a clean test before changing anything
- Restart Windows so abandoned processes and driver state are cleared.
- Launch only Steam and Ready or Not. Temporarily close browsers with many tabs, screen recorders, RGB-control software, hardware-tuning utilities, chat overlays and other 3D applications.
- Open Task Manager with
Ctrl+Shift+Esc. On the Processes and Performance tabs, watch memory, CPU, GPU and disk usage while reproducing the problem. - Write down whether the issue occurs at startup, while loading, during a map transition, or after playing for several minutes. Save the exact error text and note whether another 3D application was open.
This controlled run gives you a comparison point. Re-enable one background program at a time only after the game is stable; otherwise you cannot identify which process changed the result.
Stop RAM pressure and disk swapping
Steam identifies insufficient available RAM as a practical performance factor. When memory fills, Windows can move data to the storage drive (disk swapping), producing pronounced pauses and FPS drops.
What to check
- In Task Manager, check Memory while the game is running. If usage is near the installed capacity and the disk becomes busy during a hitch, close the largest applications and retest.
- Close browser windows, recording software, launchers, RGB utilities and overlays for the diagnostic session.
- Keep at least the game’s required 60 GB free and avoid testing on a drive that is almost full. Steam specifically lists storage read times as a performance factor.
- If the game is installed on very slow storage, moving it to a faster SSD can reduce loading-related pauses, but it is not a universal cure for GPU-limited FPS.
When a RAM upgrade is justified
An upgrade is sensible when Task Manager shows sustained memory saturation or swapping while the game is running. A compatible 16 GB-or-larger kit gives Windows and the game more headroom than the 8 GB minimum. Confirm your motherboard’s memory type, slot count, supported speed and whether a laptop permits upgrades. More RAM cannot repair a bad driver, corrupted game files or an overloaded GPU, so measure the bottleneck first.
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Update Windows and every relevant driver
Steam lists outdated drivers among causes of reduced FPS. Install current Windows updates, then update the GPU, CPU-chipset and audio drivers using the hardware manufacturer’s official packages. Reboot after installation.
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- Do not stack multiple tuning or overlay utilities while diagnosing. They can alter clocks, frame limits, injection hooks or power states and make a crash harder to reproduce.
- If the problem began immediately after a driver change, record the driver version and test the previous known-stable package using the vendor’s supported rollback process.
- Verify that Windows is fully patched before reporting a reproducible crash; include the Windows build in any support request.
Verify Ready or Not’s Steam files
An interrupted update or damaged file can cause launch and loading failures. Steam’s verification tool compares the local installation with the expected files and replaces missing or corrupted data.
- Open Steam and select Library.
- Right-click Ready or Not, choose Properties, and open Installed Files.
- Select Verify integrity of game files and wait for the operation to finish.
- Restart Steam and test the same reproduction step that previously failed.
Verification is not a substitute for a driver update or a hardware check. If it reports a repair and the same crash returns, record the timing and error rather than repeatedly verifying without changing the test conditions.
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Lower the settings that cost the most
Steam warns that higher resolution and video options immediately reduce FPS and that each machine behaves differently. Lower settings methodically so you know which change helped.
- Choose a sensible native or lower resolution for the display and disable any resolution scale above 100 percent. Resolution changes alter the number of pixels the GPU must render.
- Run a repeatable test area or the same mission section. Record the displayed FPS and whether the hitch is a one-time load pause or repeats every few seconds.
- Lower expensive options one at a time, starting with resolution scale and the highest-quality shadows, reflections, effects or post-processing options available in your build.
- Apply the change, restart the same test, and keep the setting only if it improves the symptom without creating an unacceptable image.
- If lowering every GPU option barely changes FPS, the CPU, memory pressure, background software or a frame cap may be limiting performance instead.
Why low settings may not solve it
Graphics settings primarily reduce GPU work. A CPU-limited scene, RAM swapping, shader or asset loading, thermal throttling, or a background process can continue to stutter after the image quality is reduced. That is why an identical test after each change is more informative than applying a large preset and guessing.
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A Steam Community discussion reports that disabling RTX settings in the local configuration helped some users. This is anecdotal, not a developer-validated Ready or Not fix, and it should be treated as an experiment rather than a recommendation for every PC.
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- Exit the game and Steam.
- Back up the relevant Ready or Not configuration file to another folder.
- Change only the RTX-related value described by the community instructions; do not alter unrelated settings at the same time.
- Launch the game and repeat the original crash or stutter test.
- Restore the backup if the result is worse or the game stops launching.
Never edit a configuration file without a backup. A community report cannot establish compatibility across every GPU, driver version or game update.
Diagnose a graphics-device crash
If the game closes with a GPU, rendering or device-reset message, first remove competing 3D activity. Close other games, GPU stress tests, browser tabs using hardware acceleration, capture tools and overlays, then retest. Unreal Engine’s GPU-crash documentation recommends collecting crash details and checking for other 3D applications; that guidance helps organize diagnosis but does not prove a particular Ready or Not root cause.
Evidence to collect
- GPU model and VRAM, CPU model, installed RAM and storage type.
- 64-bit Windows version and build.
- GPU, chipset and audio driver versions.
- The exact error text and whether it happened at launch, loading, transition or mid-match.
- The graphics settings, resolution and whether overlays or another 3D program were active.
- Crash logs requested by support and the shortest reliable reproduction sequence.
Choose an upgrade only after measuring the bottleneck
There is no universal hardware upgrade that fixes every crash or stutter. Steam’s guidance supports upgrading RAM or the GPU when that component is demonstrably limiting performance.
| Measured limitation | Purchase that addresses it | Checks before buying | What it will not fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory remains saturated and swapping occurs | Compatible 16 GB-or-larger RAM kit | Memory type, speed support, slots, laptop upgradeability and matched modules | Corrupt files, driver conflicts or a GPU bottleneck |
| GPU is at sustained high utilization and VRAM is full at the target resolution | GPU at or above the recommended performance tier | Power supply, case clearance, connector, cooling, CPU balance and VRAM | CPU-limited scenes, background processes or damaged installation |
| Loading pauses coincide with slow or nearly full storage | SSD with adequate free capacity | Interface compatibility, operating-system support and capacity after installation | Low rendered FPS caused by CPU or GPU limits |
Do not buy a monitor expecting it to raise FPS. Variable refresh can synchronize the display to delivered frames and reduce visible tearing, but rendered FPS remains a game-and-hardware result.
Escalate with a reproducible report
If the clean test, updates, file verification and methodical settings changes do not stop the crash, use the official support path listed on the Ready or Not Steam page. A useful report is specific enough for another person to reproduce.
- State the symptom and the exact step that triggers it.
- List CPU, GPU and VRAM, RAM capacity, storage type, Windows build and driver versions.
- Include the game build, resolution and relevant graphics settings.
- Say which overlays and other 3D applications were closed, and whether the crash still occurred.
- Attach the requested crash logs and the exact error text, removing personal information where appropriate.
Keep the original reproduction sequence unchanged after submitting it. If a later driver or game update changes the behavior, add that version and date rather than replacing the earlier details.
Quick Recap
A practical decision path
- Below minimum: bring the operating system, DirectX support, RAM, storage and GPU to at least the published baseline before expecting stability.
- Meets minimum but stutters: check memory saturation, disk activity, background processes and storage space before buying hardware.
- Low FPS that improves when resolution falls: investigate GPU performance, VRAM and thermals; then tune resolution and quality settings.
- Low FPS unchanged by lower graphics: investigate CPU load, RAM pressure, frame caps, drivers and background software.
- Crashes after an update: verify files, update or roll back drivers through supported methods, and document the exact error.
- Persistent GPU-device errors: isolate other 3D applications and send the collected hardware, software and log details to official support.
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