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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Days Gone FPS drops have two different signatures: a sustained frame-rate decline caused by rendering or CPU load, and brief frame-time hitches during traversal or asset streaming. Measure which one you have, then change one variable at a time. Start with the official PC requirements and SSD recommendation, update Windows and every relevant driver, install the latest game patches, and test a repeatable route before tuning graphics settings.
Intel Arc users should also set realistic expectations: Intel documents a known Days Gone issue in which performance can fall from “90-80fps to 50-45fps,” especially at night. That is a documented compatibility problem, not proof that every PC has a failing component.
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First identify the type of FPS problem
A low average frame rate and a stutter are related but not interchangeable. A sustained drop usually means the GPU or CPU cannot maintain the selected workload. A hitch is a short frame-time spike that may happen while the game streams a new area, turns toward a camp, starts a cutscene, or changes weather and lighting.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Sustained low FPS
- The frame rate remains low for many seconds in combat, a camp, or a busy town.
- GPU utilization is near its limit while VRAM is close to full; lowering resolution or heavy visual settings helps.
- Alternatively, one or more CPU cores may be busy while overall GPU utilization falls, indicating a CPU-side limit.
Brief traversal or streaming hitches
- The game is smooth while stationary but pauses briefly when riding the bike or entering a new area.
- The hitch repeats at a particular turn, camp entrance, or camera direction.
- Storage and asset streaming are plausible contributors, especially on a hard-disk drive, but an SSD is not a guaranteed FPS cure.
Days Gone includes unlocked frame rates, ultrawide support, long foliage and level-of-detail draw distances, dynamic weather, and a full day/night cycle. Those systems make an uncontrolled comparison misleading. Record the same resolution, refresh rate, frame cap, route, camera direction, and time of day for every test.
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Record a baseline before changing settings
Use a repeatable five-minute route: for example, ride the bike from the same safe location toward a camp, then repeat the run on foot. Note whether the problem appears during riding, combat, a cutscene, forest traversal, in a town, or only at night. If you have a monitoring overlay, capture these values:
- Resolution, refresh rate, graphics preset, and frame-rate cap.
- Average FPS and 1% lows, if available. The 1% low exposes uneven frame delivery that an average can hide.
- GPU utilization, dedicated VRAM use, system RAM use, and per-core CPU utilization.
- CPU and GPU temperatures and clock behavior.
- Whether the drop is repeatable at the same location or only occurs once.
Do not change several settings between runs. A single change followed by the same route tells you whether that change addressed the bottleneck or merely coincided with a better scene.
Check the official PC baseline and storage
Steam’s Windows listing gives the following hardware classes. They are requirements for running the game, not a promise of a particular frame rate.
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| Part | Minimum listing | Recommended listing |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD FX-6300 class | Intel Core i7-4770K or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X class |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | GeForce GTX 780 with 3 GB or Radeon R9 290 with 4 GB | GeForce GTX 1060 with 6 GB or Radeon RX 580 with 8 GB |
| Storage | Not specified as a performance tier | Steam recommends an SSD |
If your PC is below the minimum CPU, memory, or GPU class, large drops may simply reflect insufficient headroom. Systems near the minimum can also run out of VRAM when draw distance, foliage, shadows, or resolution is high. Close unnecessary applications before testing and make sure Windows is using the intended graphics adapter on a multi-GPU system.
Install the game on an SSD when possible. Steam’s recommendation supports SSD storage as a sensible step for streaming-related hitches, but it does not establish a universal FPS increase. If moving the game to an SSD changes only traversal hitching while average FPS stays the same, the storage was part of the streaming path rather than the rendering limit.
Apply the official maintenance steps
Sony’s PC troubleshooting guidance puts system maintenance ahead of graphics tweaking. Follow this order so that a driver or configuration problem is not mistaken for a graphics-setting limit.
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- Install current Windows updates. Open Windows Update in Settings, apply available updates, restart, and check again until no further updates are offered.
- Update the graphics driver. Use the support channel for your GPU family and install the current driver intended for your Windows version. Restart after installation.
- Update sound, motherboard, and processor-related drivers. Sony specifically lists graphics, sound, motherboard, and processor drivers. Use the hardware maker’s support page or the computer manufacturer’s validated package, then restart.
- Temporarily disable SLI or a second monitor. If you use SLI, turn it off for the test. Unplug extra monitors, launch the game on the primary display, and repeat the baseline route. Restore the normal arrangement after testing if it makes no difference.
- Return overclocked hardware to stock settings. Reset CPU, GPU, and memory overclocks or aggressive tuning profiles to their default values. Instability can appear as a crash, a hitch, or a clock-rate drop rather than a clear error message.
- Reinstall only after the earlier checks. A clean reinstall is time-consuming and does not replace Windows, driver, or hardware checks. Use it when files remain suspect after updating and testing.
These steps are maintenance actions, not guarantees. A current driver can remove a known defect while leaving a genuine CPU, GPU, or storage bottleneck unchanged.
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Make sure the game is fully patched
Check the game’s Steam update status and allow pending downloads to finish before measuring performance. Bend Studio’s PC patch archive records fixes that can affect loading, crashes, and frame-time behavior:
| Patch | Date | Relevant fixes or investigations |
|---|---|---|
| 1.09 | May 9, 2025 | Fixed a bad-resolution infinite-load problem and GPU-related crashes. |
| 1.10 | May 21, 2025 | Added various crash fixes and documented an investigation into intro-movie stutter. |
| 1.11 | June 5, 2025 | Added a streaming fix and stability fixes. |
If your installation predates these patches, update before drawing conclusions from a benchmark. If a hitch began immediately after a game or driver update, allow the first run to complete its normal loading and cache work, then repeat the same route. Treat that as a diagnostic possibility, not an officially confirmed universal fix for Days Gone.
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Intel Arc: a documented night-time performance issue
Intel Support article 000097036, reviewed March 7, 2025, describes a specific Arc graphics problem: “When playing Days Gone*, the fps will go from 90-80fps to 50-45fps.” Intel says the effect is more noticeable at night and concludes, “This is a known issue on Intel Arc Graphics.”
If you use an Arc GPU, reproduce the same route in daylight and at night, with identical resolution and frame cap. Compare frame-time consistency rather than peak FPS. Check Intel’s current driver and support status before considering hardware replacement; the documented issue means a large night-time drop may be compatibility-related. This finding does not establish that Nvidia, Radeon, or every Arc configuration behaves identically.
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Tune graphics settings systematically
After maintenance and patching, lower the settings that increase the number of objects or lighting calculations the system must draw. Change one setting, repeat the baseline route, and record the result.
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Resolution and frame cap
Resolution changes affect the number of pixels the GPU renders. If GPU utilization is high, test a lower resolution or a resolution scale, then compare 1% lows. Set a frame cap that your system can sustain consistently and that fits the display’s refresh rate. A stable cap with even frame delivery is preferable to an uncapped rate that swings sharply through busy scenes.
Draw distance and foliage
Days Gone’s increased level-of-detail and foliage draw distances can make camps, towns, and forest approaches expensive. Reduce these options one step at a time when drops correlate with looking across a dense scene or riding into a new area.
Shadows and reflections
Shadows and reflections add work in scenes with many light sources, wet surfaces, or changing weather. Lower them separately so you can see whether the improvement comes from shadow maps, reflections, or another setting.
Weather and time-of-day testing
Dynamic weather and day/night conditions alter lighting and scene complexity. Test daylight and night runs independently. Do not call a setting effective based on a daylight run if the reported problem occurs only at night.
Use symptoms to choose the next test
| Symptom | Likely limit to investigate | Next controlled test |
|---|---|---|
| Low FPS remains during a busy camp; GPU utilization is high | GPU rendering load or VRAM pressure | Lower resolution, foliage, shadows, reflections, or draw distance one at a time. |
| GPU utilization falls while one CPU core is busy | CPU-side limit | Keep resolution fixed and test lower draw distance or foliage; verify CPU clocks and temperatures. |
| Short hitch repeats while riding into a new area | Asset streaming or storage path | Confirm patches, compare SSD and HDD behavior, and repeat the identical route. |
| Drop is much worse at night on Intel Arc | Documented Arc compatibility issue | Compare day/night frame times and check current Intel driver status. |
| Problem began after a driver or game update | Initialization or cache rebuild possibility | Allow one complete run, restart, and retest before changing several settings. |
| Crashes accompany the FPS drop | Driver, overclock, game-file, or patch problem | Return hardware to stock, update drivers and patches, then consider reinstalling. |
When reinstalling is justified
Reinstall after Windows and hardware drivers are current, overclocks are removed, extra monitors or SLI have been ruled out, and Steam has applied the current patches. A reinstall is most reasonable when loading behavior or crashes point to damaged files and the earlier checks produce no change. It should not be the first response to a repeatable, GPU-limited drop in a crowded camp.
Quick Recap
What not to conclude from a single test
- A higher peak FPS in an empty forest does not prove camps or towns are fixed.
- A smooth daylight run does not disprove a night-time Arc issue.
- An SSD can reduce a streaming-related hitch without raising the average FPS.
- Meeting the recommended specification does not guarantee a universal frame-rate target; no official source publishes one.
- A one-time hitch after an update may be initialization work, but it is not evidence that every stutter has the same cause.
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