How to Fix Stuttering in The Finals (2026)

12 sections 9 min read

1 1. Identify the type of stutter
2 2. Establish a repeatable test
3 3. Clear and rebuild the shader cache
3.1 Windows shader cache
4 4. Use conservative DirectX and driver settings
5 5. Apply a stable frame limit
6 6. Reduce the settings that cause hitching
7 7. Remove background conflicts
8 8. Check hardware limits and thermals
9 9. Fix network hitching separately
10 10. A quick decision path
11 Still Dropping Frames? When an Upgrade Makes Sense
12 Related Guides

Updated Oct 8, 2026· 8 min read

Key takeaways

Restart the game and test for several minutes rather than judging the first few seconds.
Record average frame rate and, more importantly, the visible frame-time spikes or 1% low behavior.
Change one setting group at a time so you know which adjustment helped.
Watch GPU utilization, CPU utilization per core, VRAM use, system RAM, temperature, and clock speed.

To fix stuttering in THE FINALS, first determine whether the hitch is caused by network packet loss or by inconsistent frame delivery, then apply the matching fix instead of changing every setting at once.

1. Identify the type of stutter

Network hitching and rendering stutter can feel similar, but they leave different clues. Enable the game’s network and performance statistics if available, and watch what changes when the hitch occurs.

What you notice	Likely cause	First check	Best first fix
Your character rubber-bands, shots register late, or players teleport	Packet loss, unstable latency, or server connection	Ping, packet loss, and network graph	Use Ethernet or stable 5 GHz/6 GHz Wi-Fi; stop uploads and downloads
The image freezes briefly while audio continues; movement remains locally responsive	Shader compilation, CPU spike, asset streaming, or background software	Frame-time graph, CPU usage, disk activity	Clear shader cache, close overlays, and reduce CPU-heavy settings
Frames are consistently low rather than briefly hitching	GPU, CPU, VRAM, or thermal bottleneck	GPU/CPU utilization, VRAM, temperatures, clocks	Use a frame cap and lower the setting associated with the bottleneck
Stutter begins after switching applications or opening an overlay	Overlay conflict, memory pressure, or driver reset	Task Manager and overlay settings	Disable overlays and test exclusive fullscreen or borderless mode

A high ping number alone does not prove that rendering is stuttering. Conversely, a smooth ping graph does not rule out a GPU or CPU problem. If your frame-time graph spikes but the network graph stays stable, treat the issue as a PC performance problem.

2. Establish a repeatable test

Before changing settings, use the same map, mode, and approximate situation for each test. Destruction-heavy fights are useful because they stress the CPU, GPU, memory system, and asset streaming more than a quiet menu or empty practice area.

Restart the game and test for several minutes rather than judging the first few seconds.
Record average frame rate and, more importantly, the visible frame-time spikes or 1% low behavior.
Change one setting group at a time so you know which adjustment helped.
Watch GPU utilization, CPU utilization per core, VRAM use, system RAM, temperature, and clock speed.

If the GPU is near full utilization and VRAM is close to capacity, lower resolution-related settings first. If one or two CPU cores are saturated while GPU utilization falls, lowering texture quality will not solve the hitch; reduce CPU-heavy effects, close background programs, or use a sensible frame cap.

3. Clear and rebuild the shader cache

Shader compilation can cause short freezes when a driver or game update introduces new effects. The first run after clearing a cache may temporarily stutter while shaders are rebuilt, so judge the result only after revisiting several areas.

Windows shader cache

Open Settings and search for Disk Cleanup.
Select the Windows system drive.
Enable DirectX Shader Cache, then remove it.
Restart Windows before launching THE FINALS again.

Graphics driver software can also maintain a shader cache. The exact menu differs between NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel drivers; look for a shader-cache size or reset option in the driver control panel. Do not repeatedly clear the cache after every launch, because that forces compilation again.

If stutter began immediately after a driver update, perform a clean driver installation or try a current stable driver version. Avoid changing both the driver and multiple in-game settings during the same test.

4. Use conservative DirectX and driver settings

Keep the game on its default supported renderer unless the current game build explicitly provides another DirectX option. Do not blindly add launch arguments such as -dx11: a game built around DirectX 12 may ignore the option or become less stable.

Update Windows and your graphics driver, but avoid optional beta drivers while troubleshooting.
Use the game’s normal executable and launcher rather than forcing compatibility modes.
Reset unusual driver overrides, forced anti-aliasing, frame-rate controls, and low-latency settings to application-controlled.
Test hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling in Windows both enabled and disabled if the issue started after a major Windows or driver change.
Disable driver-level recording, sharpening, color filters, and performance overlays during diagnosis.

After changing the renderer or driver, restart the game. Some shader and pipeline changes do not take effect cleanly until a full restart.

5. Apply a stable frame limit

An uncapped frame rate can produce uneven frame delivery, high temperatures, and rapid CPU/GPU oscillation. A stable cap often feels smoother than a higher but erratic average.

Choose a cap your system can maintain during heavy fights. For a 144 Hz display, start with 120 FPS or 117 FPS; for 165 Hz, try 138–144 FPS; for 240 Hz, try 200–220 FPS. If your PC cannot hold those targets, use 90, 75, or 60 FPS rather than allowing large swings.

The calculation is simple: a 144 Hz display refreshes every 1000 ÷ 144 = 6.94 milliseconds. A frame that takes 14 ms arrives roughly twice as late as the display’s normal refresh interval, so a brief 14–20 ms spike can be visible even when the average frame rate looks high.

Use one frame limiter at first—either the game’s limiter or your driver’s limiter—to avoid competing control loops. If you use variable refresh rate, enable FreeSync or G-SYNC-compatible mode for the display and keep the cap slightly below the maximum refresh rate.

6. Reduce the settings that cause hitching

Lowering every option to minimum is not always the best fix. Match the setting to the observed bottleneck.

GPU-limited: lower resolution scale, effects, lighting, reflections, and post-processing. Try 90% resolution scale before making a large jump to a lower resolution.
VRAM-limited: reduce texture quality and texture filtering. Close browsers and recording applications that consume graphics memory.
CPU-limited: reduce view distance, foliage, physics-related effects, and destruction-heavy quality options if available. Cap the frame rate.
Streaming-limited: install the game on an SSD with free space and close disk-intensive applications.
Upscaling-related: compare native rendering with the available upscaler at a balanced or quality mode. Excessively aggressive upscaling may improve performance but can make moving objects appear unstable.

Textures mainly affect VRAM and image detail, while shadows, effects, destruction, and view-distance settings can affect GPU or CPU frame time. That distinction prevents you from lowering image quality when the real problem is processor saturation.

7. Remove background conflicts

Temporarily disable overlays and capture tools from applications such as Discord, Steam, Xbox Game Bar, NVIDIA’s or AMD’s recording software, and motherboard or peripheral utilities. Also test without browser video playback, RGB control suites, hardware monitors with on-screen displays, and third-party antivirus game overlays.

In Task Manager, sort by CPU, Memory, and Disk while the game is running. A process that periodically jumps to the top at the exact moment of a hitch is a stronger clue than total system usage. Pause cloud synchronization, large downloads, and game updates during our research.

Use an exclusive fullscreen option if the game offers one and borderless mode is inconsistent. If alt-tabbing causes the issue, borderless mode may be preferable; the correct choice depends on the Windows build, driver, and overlay combination.

8. Check hardware limits and thermals

Make sure the display cable is connected to the dedicated graphics card rather than the motherboard video output. Confirm that the GPU driver recognizes the correct monitor refresh rate, and check that the system is not using a power-saving profile that lowers clocks during play.

GPU temperature or hotspot temperature that causes clock reductions can create repeated stutter.
A nearly full SSD can worsen updates, shader storage, and asset streaming.
Insufficient system RAM can cause paging when the game, browser, recording software, and voice chat are open together.
Insufficient VRAM usually appears as texture-streaming pauses, sudden detail changes, or major spikes when entering a new area.
Overclocking or undervolting instability can look like a game bug. Test stock CPU, GPU, and RAM settings.

As a practical target, leave at least 10–15% free space on the game’s SSD and close memory-heavy programs before testing. If the game is installed on a mechanical hard drive, moving it to an SSD is a more meaningful change than minor visual tweaks.

9. Fix network hitching separately

If the network graph shows packet loss or sharp latency jumps, rendering changes will not solve the problem. Prefer wired Ethernet. If Wi-Fi is necessary, use a strong 5 GHz or 6 GHz connection, avoid playing far from the access point, and stop competing uploads such as cloud backup or video streaming.

Restart the router, update its firmware, and test another match or region if the game permits region selection. A speed test showing high download bandwidth does not guarantee a stable route: a game may need only a small amount of bandwidth, but packet loss and queueing delay can still cause rubber-banding.

Do not use a VPN as a default fix. It can help only when it produces a better route to the game server; otherwise it adds another source of latency and jitter.

10. A quick decision path

Network graph spikes: fix Ethernet/Wi-Fi, packet loss, router load, or region selection.
Frame-time spikes with high GPU usage: lower resolution scale, effects, and reflections; cap FPS.
Frame-time spikes with one CPU core busy: cap FPS, reduce CPU-heavy settings, and close background tasks.
Spikes after updates or in newly visited areas: rebuild the shader cache and verify game files.
Spikes during alt-tab or recording: disable overlays and capture tools.
No improvement at all: return CPU/GPU/RAM to stock settings, check temperatures, and perform a clean graphics-driver installation.

The most reliable solution is usually a combination of a rebuilt shader cache, a stable frame cap, disabled overlays, and settings matched to the actual bottleneck. Change one category at a time, test during a demanding match, and keep the configuration that delivers consistent frame times rather than merely the highest peak FPS.

Still Dropping Frames? When an Upgrade Makes Sense

If The Finals still stutters or falls below your monitor’s refresh rate after every fix above, the limit is usually the graphics card or system memory rather than a setting. These are common upgrade paths for that situation.

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