For unstable FPS or stuttering in Outriders, first compare your PC with Square Enix’s two requirement tiers, then run the same scene through the official DirectX 11 launch path. Square Enix documented a DirectX 12 implementation problem that can overload the CPU and cause stutter, hard crashes or shader-cache problems. A hitch that happens only the first time you enter an area, meet an enemy or use a power can instead be one-time asset or shader loading. Test those cases separately before buying hardware.
What low FPS in Outriders usually means
Low FPS is a sustained rendering limitation: the frame rate remains below your monitor’s target in many locations. Stuttering or hitching is different. It appears as brief pauses or uneven frame delivery, often when the game loads something new. The distinction matters because a graphics upgrade cannot necessarily fix a DirectX issue or a first-visit loading hitch.
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Outriders launched on April 1, 2021. Square Enix’s launch-period support guidance remains useful as a diagnostic test, but it is not a promise that one API or driver works for every current combination of Windows, game build and hardware. Treat the steps below as controlled comparisons: change one variable, repeat the same scene and keep the result.
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Check your PC against the published targets
Square Enix lists two performance tiers. They are targets for particular resolutions and frame rates, not guarantees in every scene.
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| Tier | Memory | Graphics card | Target | API |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 8 GB RAM | GeForce GTX 750 Ti or Radeon R9 270X | 720p at 60 FPS | DirectX 11 |
| Recommended | 16 GB RAM | GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB or Radeon RX 480 8 GB | 1080p at 60 FPS | DirectX 12 |
Meeting the minimum tier does not mean 1080p at 60 FPS is expected; that tier is specified for 720p. Meeting the recommended tier still allows dips from a higher resolution, a complex scene, driver state, background programs, available storage, or the game/API itself. Record your Windows version, CPU, GPU, RAM, game resolution and API before changing anything so you can compare like with like.
Why DirectX 12 can stutter
In an official technical-support post, Square Enix said: “We are aware of an issue with our DX12 implementation that can cause PC players to encounter stuttering, a hard crash or shader cache issues due to an overloaded CPU.” This explains why a machine that appears powerful enough can still hitch under DirectX 12. It does not establish a universal patch or a single driver version that fixes every case.
Signs the DX12 path is involved
- Frame delivery is unstable in several areas rather than only during the first visit.
- The CPU becomes heavily loaded when the hitch occurs, or the game also crashes.
- Switching to DirectX 11 changes the behavior in the same test scene.
These signs are clues, not proof. The controlled DX11 comparison below is more reliable than judging by one busy encounter.
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Run the official DirectX 11 comparison
- Start from a repeatable test. Choose a location or encounter where you can reproduce the slowdown. Write down the resolution, current API, average FPS and whether the hitch repeats each time.
- Use Steam’s launch selector. When starting the game, choose Play Outriders- DirectX11. This is the launch option Square Enix specifically recommends for testing its DX12 issue.
- Force the API if needed. Add the Steam command-line text
-force -dx11to the game’s launch options, then start the game and repeat the identical route or encounter. - Compare observations. Keep the resolution, graphics settings and frame-rate cap unchanged for the first comparison. Note average FPS, frame-time smoothness, CPU behavior, crashes and shader-related symptoms.
If DX11 is clearly smoother, keep it as your practical workaround while you investigate. If both APIs behave the same, the cause may be hardware limits, resolution, drivers, background load or a repeatable game-specific problem rather than the documented DX12 implementation issue. DX12 may still deliver the frame rate or features you prefer on your particular system, so choose based on the measured result, not on the label alone.
Separate first-visit asset loading from persistent performance loss
Square Enix’s support thread notes that a stutter can occur when you first visit a new area or encounter new enemies or powers. The guidance says it should happen only the first time, with subsequent visits stutter-free. That pattern is consistent with assets or shaders being loaded and prepared.
How to test the pattern
- Enter the area or trigger the encounter once and mark the exact location of the hitch.
- Leave, reload or return through the same route.
- Repeat the encounter several times without changing settings.
- Classify the result: a one-time hitch, or a hitch that returns at the same point on every visit.
A one-time hitch is different from sustained low FPS and may not justify a component purchase. A repeatable hitch, especially one that appears across multiple previously visited areas, deserves the API, driver and settings tests that follow.
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Test the graphics driver without guessing
Check whether your NVIDIA Game Ready driver is current. Square Enix’s support guidance says that users already on the latest driver can consider testing the previous driver. Treat that as a controlled comparison, not a guaranteed fix: record the installed version, change only the driver, then rerun the same scene and API test. If the older driver makes performance worse or introduces another problem, return to the version that behaves better.
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Do not interpret a driver change as evidence that every low-FPS case is a driver fault. The useful result is whether the same reproducible workload changes after the one-variable test.
Adjust settings methodically
Once you have compared DX11 and DX12, change one graphics setting at a time. Start with the resolution because rendering fewer pixels directly reduces GPU work; then test the individual quality controls available in your build. Keep a written note of each setting and result so you do not mistake two simultaneous changes for a solution.
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Use a stable frame-rate cap
Choose a cap that your system can sustain on the monitor you actually use. A stable, slightly lower cap generally feels smoother than an uncapped rate that repeatedly swings between high and low values, but the appropriate number depends on your hardware and display. No fixed FPS promise can be made without those details.
Reduce competing load
Close unnecessary background applications while testing and check that the drive containing the game has adequate free space. Background CPU, memory or disk activity can create dips that look like a game bug. Make the test with the same background conditions each time.
Interpret the result before considering hardware
| Observed pattern | Most useful next action |
|---|---|
| DX12 stutters or crashes, DX11 is smoother | Use the DX11 launch option or -force -dx11 while monitoring later game, Windows and driver updates. |
| Only the first visit to an area or encounter hitches | Repeat the route; treat it as possible asset or shader loading rather than sustained low rendering performance. |
| Both APIs are slow in every scene | Recheck resolution, hardware tier, driver state, background load and frame-rate cap. |
| The same hitch repeats at the same location on every visit | Document the reproduction and escalate it as a persistent game or system issue after the controlled tests. |
The minimum and recommended specifications describe 720p/60 and 1080p/60 targets respectively. They do not guarantee those rates in every fight or area. If your measured workload is above the recommended resolution, or if your hardware is below a listed tier, lowering the workload is the rational first step. If you meet the recommended tier at 1080p and still see repeatable drops in both APIs after driver and background-load tests, software diagnosis should be exhausted before buying a component.
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Collect the right details for support
When the issue survives the API, repeat-visit, driver and settings comparisons, prepare a concise reproduction report for Square Enix’s support/contact route or the official Steam forum. Include:
- Platform and game edition, plus the game build if it is shown in your launcher.
- Windows version.
- CPU, GPU, RAM and available storage space.
- Resolution, graphics settings, frame-rate cap and whether you used DX11 or DX12.
- The exact route or encounter, steps that trigger the hitch and whether it repeats after returning.
- Average FPS and what changed when you tested the other API or driver.
- Any hard crash or shader-cache symptom accompanying the stutter.
This information lets support distinguish a one-time loading hitch from a reproducible performance defect and avoids replacing hardware without evidence.
Quick Recap
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