How to Fix FPS Drops on Overwatch 2

Keep getting Ls due to FPS drops on Overwatch 2?

Overwatch was released in 2016 and its sequel Overwatch 2 has been going on for over six months. 

While Overwatch 2 delivered improved gameplay and graphics, some users encountered FPS drops in the game. 

fps drops on overwatch 2

Being an FPS title, frame drops are surely annoying and can decide the game for you. 

Today, we’re going to show you how to fix FPS drops on Overwatch 2. 

Let’s get started!

1. Check System Requirements. 

Every game or software has a minimum hardware requirement that needs to be met for optimal performance.

If you encounter FPS drops on Overwatch 2, check if your system can run the game. 

Minimum System Requirement: 

ComponentMinimum Specification
Operating SystemWindows 10 64-bit
CPUIntel Core i3 or AMD Phenom X3 8650
GPUNVIDIA GeForce GTX 600 Series, AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series1 compatible with 1GB VRAM
RAM6GB
Disk Space50GB Available
Sound CardDirectX Compatible
NetworkPermanent Internet Connection
Resolution1024 x 768

Recommended System Requirement:

ComponentRecommended Specification
Operating SystemWindows 10 64-bit
CPUIntel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 5
GPUNVIDIA GTX 1060/1650 or AMD R9 309/ RX 6400
RAM8GB
Disk Space50GB Available
Sound CardDirectX Compatible
NetworkPermanent Internet Connection
Resolution1024 x 768

Sadly, the only thing you can do is upgrade if your hardware doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements of the game. 

2. Restart Your Computer. 

A simple restart can resolve performance issues on your computer. This should reload your system resources and eliminate any errors that may have occurred while playing. 

Restarting your computer should also clear corrupted data from your memory, which could be causing performance issues. 

Here’s how you can restart your computer: 

  1. First, press the Windows key on your keyboard. 
  2. Click on the Power icon to access the power options tab. 
  3. Choose Restart from the options. 
Restart PC

Once done, try playing a few rounds of Overwatch 2 to check if the problem is solved. 

Related: How to Fix Low FPS on Apex Legends


3. Close Unused Applications. 

Your system could be running out of system memory, which causes Overwatch 2 to stutter and drop frames. 

To avoid this, we suggest closing unnecessary applications that are running in the background. 

Follow the steps below to manage your apps: 

  1. On your keyboard, press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC to open the Task Manager
  2. Now, access the Processes tab. 
  3. Click on Memory to sort your apps based on their RAM usage. 
Task Manager
  1. Identify the applications you’re not using and close them. 

Relaunch Overwatch 2 and check if the problem is solved. 

4. Adjust Graphic Settings. 

Although your PC meets the minimum hardware requirement, this doesn’t mean that you can play the game at the highest graphics settings. 

If you experience FPS drops when there’s a lot going on in the screen, it might indicate that your system is struggling to run the game in the current settings. 

In this case, you can lower your graphics settings to reduce the load on your system. 

fps drops on overwatch 2

Here’s our recommended settings to have a balance between graphics and performance: 

Video Settings

Video OptionVideo Settings
Display ModeFullscreen
ResolutionNative resolution of your PC
Field of View100 or find the sweet spot
V-SyncOff
Triple BufferingOff
Reduce BufferingOn
Display Performance StatsOn
NVIDIA ReflexOn
Display System ClockOn
Limit FPS120 FPS
Graphics QualityLow
Gamma Correction2
Contrast Default
BrightnessStandard

Advance Graphics Settings

Graphics OptionGraphics Settings
Texture QualityMedium
Texture Filtering Quality8x
Local Fog DetailMedium
Dynamic ReflectionsLow or Off
Shadow DetailHigh
Model DetailLow
Effects DetailHigh
Lighting QualityHigh
Antialiasing QualityLow – FXAA
Refraction QualityHigh
Screenshot Quality1x Resolution
Ambient OcclusionOff
Local reflectionsOn
Damage FXDefault

Keep in mind that this is just a baseline of where you can start. Try playing a few rounds and adjusting your settings to find the sweet spot for your system. 

5. Repair Game Files. 

Some of Overwatch’s resources may have gotten corrupted, which explains the game’s poor performance. 

To rule this out, use Blizzard’s scan tool to check for missing and broken files. If corrupted files are detected, the tool will automatically repair them. 

See the steps below to scan your files: 

  1. Open Blizzard launcher on your computer. 
  2. Now, find Overwatch 2 from the list. 
  3. Click on the Gear icon beside the Play button
  4. After that, click on Scan and Repair
Scan and Repair
  1. Wait for the process to complete. 

After repairing your game files, play a few rounds to check if the problem is solved. 

6. Disable In-Game Overlays. 

Another way to reduce load on your system is to disable in-game overlays. Many applications offer this feature such as Discord, Steam, and NVIDIA. 

Here’s how you can disable NVIDIA Overlay: 

  1. Open GeForce Experience on your computer. 
  2. Now, go to General and find In-Game Overlay
  3. Click the toggle switch beside it to turn it off. 
Disable NVIDIA Overlay

Disable Discord Overlay: 

  1. Launch Discord on your computer. 
  2. Click on the Gear icon beside your Profile in the lower left corner. 
  3. On the side menu, scroll down and click Game Overlay
  4. Find Enable In-Game Overlay and disable it. 
Disable Discord Overlay

Turn off Steam Overlay: 

  1. First, open Steam on your computer. 
  2. Next, click on Steam > Settings in the upper left corner of your screen. 
fps drops on overwatch 2
  1. Access the In-Game tab in the side menu. 
  2. Look for the ‘Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game’ option and disable it. 
Disable Steam Overlay

Relaunch Overwatch 2 afterward to check if the problem is solved. 

Related: How to Fix FPS Drops on Cyberpunk 2077


7. Change Overwatch 2 Priority. 

You can also set Overwatch’s priority to high in the task manager. This should force your system to allocate more resources to the game, which should prevent performance drops. 

See the steps below to change Overwatch’s priority: 

  1. On your keyboard, press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC to open the Task Manager
  2. Now, click on Details
  3. Look for Overwatch 2 in the list and right-click on it. 
  4. Hover your cursor over Set Priority and change it to High or Realtime
fps drops on overwatch 2

Once done, restart the game and see if its performance improved. 

8. Update Windows. 

The version of Windows you’re using might have a problem that causes slow performance in games. 

To rule this out, see if there are available updates for your system and install them. 

Follow the guide below to update Windows: 

  1. First, press Windows + I on your keyboard to open Windows Settings
  2. After that, access the Update & Security tab. 
fps drops on overwatch 2
  1. Click on Windows Update in the side menu. 
  2. Now, click Check for Updates
fps drops on overwatch 2
  1. Click Download and Install if there’s an available update. 
  2. Restart your system to apply the changes. 

Relaunch Overwatch 2 and check if you’ll still encounter FPS drops. 

9. Update Graphics Driver. 

Outdated graphics drivers can also cause performance issues with Overwatch 2. Blizzard also suggests installing game-ready drivers for Overwatch to get the best performance. 

See the steps below to update your drivers: 

  1. Click on the Windows icon in the lower right corner of your screen to open the Start Menu. 
  2. Now, look for the Device Manager and click Open.
fps drops on overwatch 2
  1. Expand the Display Adapters tab. 
  2. Right-click on your graphics card and choose Uninstall Device
fps drops on overwatch 2
  1. Follow the prompts to delete the current graphics driver on your system. 
  2. Visit these links to download the game-ready drivers for Overwatch 2: 
  1. Extract the installer and run the .EXE file. Follow the prompts to install the latest driver for your system. 
  2. Restart your computer to apply the changes. 

Go back to Overwatch 2 and play a few rounds to check if your system’s performance improved. 

10. Reinstall Overwatch 2. 

If none of the solutions above worked, we recommend reinstalling the game. 

This way, we can ensure that there are no missing files on your computer and the game is installed properly. 

Here’s how you can delete Overwatch 2: 

  1. Launch the Blizzard app (Battle.net) on your computer. 
  2. Now, look for Overwatch 2 in your game library and click on it. 
  3. Click on the Gear icon beside the Play button
  4. Select Uninstall and follow the prompts to continue. 
fps drops on overwatch 2
  1. Restart your computer.

Go back to Battle.net and download Overwatch 2. 

That ends our guide on how to fix FPS drops on Overwatch 2. If you have questions, please leave a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer them. 

If this guide helped you, please share it.

Author

  • John Sixto

    John is a staff writer at Saint and comes from a SAP ABAP development background. He has a Bachelors in IT and has been writing since 2018, with over 500 posts published. He loves to build PCs and has a deep curiosity in understanding how different components and configurations work. John spends hundreds of hours at a time, researching and testing the software and apps, before he proceeds to write about it. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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