If Marvel Rivals is using too much CPU on PC, start with the game’s current In-Game Performance Optimization test: open Settings → Other, launch the new optimization entry, accept the User Privacy Agreement, wait for the download to finish, and restart the game. The optimization is intended to improve CPU rendering during battles on systems with more powerful processors.
If that does not resolve the problem, work through the steps below in order. They separate genuine CPU-related fixes from remedies for stutter, shader compilation, crashes, GPU assignment, and excessive memory use.
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1. Enable Marvel Rivals’ current CPU-rendering optimization
Marvel Rivals’ official CPU-specific remedy is currently described as a PC testing feature. The announcement does not confirm availability on PlayStation or Xbox.
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- Launch Marvel Rivals on PC.
- Open Settings → Other.
- Use the newly added In-Game Performance Optimization entry point.
- Accept the User Privacy Agreement.
- Allow the optimization files to download completely.
- Restart the game.
The optimization takes effect automatically after the restart. This is the most relevant official step when the problem is genuinely high CPU rendering load during matches. Details are available in the official Marvel Rivals announcement.
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2. Confirm whether the CPU is actually the bottleneck
High overall CPU usage is not automatically a fault. A game can use available processor capacity normally, especially when the frame rate is uncapped. Watch whether one or more CPU cores remain heavily loaded while the GPU is underused, and whether the problem appears during fights rather than only while the game is loading.
If lowering resolution or GPU-heavy settings does little, the limit may be on the CPU side. Conversely, stutter accompanied by shader compilation, frozen visuals, crashes, or slow loading may have a different cause.
3. Do not lower every graphics setting blindly
Marvel Rivals’ official FAQ recommends reducing settings such as texture quality when performance is slow. It does not say that lowering every setting reduces CPU usage.
In a CPU-limited situation, lowering graphics settings can sometimes let the game render more frames, increasing CPU demand. If your frame rate is fluctuating or uncapped, test a sensible frame-rate limit alongside any graphics changes. Change one setting at a time so you can identify what actually helps.
4. Use the correct Windows high-performance GPU assignment
Marvel Rivals’ documented Windows setting is a GPU assignment, not the similarly named Control Panel power plan.
- Open Windows Settings → System → Display → Graphics.
- Under the custom application options, choose Add Application → Browse.
- Locate the Marvel Rivals executable and add it.
- Select the game and choose High performance.
The older official FAQ refers to the file as Marvel.exe. The same FAQ gives a different executable name for antivirus exclusions: MarvelBinariesMarvel-Win64-Shipping.exe. Do not assume those names refer to the same path; verify which executable exists in your installation. The wording may also differ in the 2026 Windows or game client. See the official Marvel Rivals troubleshooting FAQ.
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5. Clean-install the latest graphics driver
If your PC meets the game’s requirements but still stutters, Marvel Rivals recommends reinstalling the latest graphics driver for the GPU installed in your system.
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- Download the current driver for your exact GPU model from its manufacturer.
- Run the driver installer.
- Select its clean installation option, when offered.
- Restart Windows.
- Set Marvel Rivals to Windows’ High performance graphics mode using the path above.
This does not directly lower CPU utilization, but it can address driver-related stutter that is being mistaken for a processor problem.
6. Configure Switch Shader Compilation Mode carefully
For systems with 16 GB of RAM or less that have experienced major FPS drops, frozen screens, or frequent memory-related crashes, Marvel Rivals provides Switch Shader Compilation Mode through the PC launcher. Its purpose is to reduce in-game memory use and related instability; it is not a direct CPU-utilization fix.
Shader compilation runs when you first enter the game after a new game version or graphics-driver update. After enabling the mode, some materials may appear abnormal for a few frames the first time they are encountered in a match, and the first rendering of certain materials may briefly stutter. Rendering and frame pacing should stabilize afterward.
On systems with six or fewer CPU threads, Marvel Rivals warns that using Switch Shader Compilation Mode together with AMD FSR3 Frame Generation can cause additional stuttering. If that combination produces worse results, test with one of the two features disabled rather than assuming the shader mode is a universal CPU solution. The developer’s guidance is detailed in its Switch Shader Compilation Mode notice.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems7. Treat FSR3 Frame Generation as a separate loading issue
Marvel Rivals previously identified slow level loading with AMD FSR3 Frame Generation on systems with fewer CPU threads because its default interpolation algorithm required two execution threads. The developer announced a fix for the March 13, 2025 update.
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That is a historical fixed issue, not a current universal instruction to disable FSR3. Only investigate this interaction if you have a low-thread-count CPU and experience the specific loading or stuttering behavior described above. Refer to the original developer announcement for context.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.8. Reduce high-resolution assets if memory pressure is involved
Since May 15, 2026, Marvel Rivals has offered High- and Low-Resolution Resource Packs through DLC. The low-resolution pack reduces installation size but can reduce visual fidelity. It is more relevant to storage and memory-related problems than to high CPU usage itself.
Steam
- Open your Steam Library.
- Right-click Marvel Rivals and select Properties.
- Open the DLC tab.
- Uncheck Marvel Rivals High-Resolution Resource Pack.
Rechecking the option starts the high-resolution download again.
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Open the Epic Games Library, click the … button next to Marvel Rivals, choose Options, and enable or disable Marvel Rivals HD Texture Pack. The May 15, 2026 notice labeled this Epic implementation Coming Soon, so its availability may depend on the current launcher.
Loading Bay
For a first-time Loading Bay installation, use the version menu to the left of the download button and choose Game Only or Game Only + HD assets. For an existing Game Only installation, open the menu on the right side of the main button and select Download HD assets.
After the resource-pack DLC is enabled or disabled, the game automatically loads the corresponding resources. Read the official resource-pack announcement before changing packs, and update the game first.
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9. Check antivirus interference when the game keeps crashing
Repeated crashes can occur when antivirus software misidentifies the game process. Marvel Rivals recommends adding both the game’s storage path and MarvelBinariesMarvel-Win64-Shipping.exe to the antivirus whitelist. You can also temporarily disable antivirus protection as a controlled test, then re-enable it immediately afterward.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Only exclude files you have verified as belonging to your legitimate game installation. If disabling protection changes nothing, restore the normal antivirus configuration.
10. Update BIOS for specific Intel startup crashes
If the game shows an “Out of video memory” crash at startup on a 13th- or 14th-generation Intel CPU, Marvel Rivals recommends updating the motherboard BIOS according to Intel’s or the motherboard manufacturer’s instructions. If instability remains, contact the system builder, Intel support, or the point of purchase.
This is a platform-stability remedy for a particular startup crash. It is not evidence that the game is using too much CPU, so do not treat a BIOS update as a general CPU-usage tweak.
What not to use as a verified CPU fix
The current official Marvel Rivals materials do not provide supported Command Prompt or PowerShell commands, launch options, registry edits, .ini changes, CPU-affinity commands, or process-priority tweaks for reducing CPU usage. They also do not validate “run as administrator,” Windows compatibility mode, third-party driver updaters, malware scans, or registry files as Marvel Rivals CPU fixes.
Likewise, Windows Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Power Options → High Performance is not the same setting as the official Windows Graphics assignment. Marvel Rivals specifically documents Windows Settings → System → Display → Graphics → High performance.
Quick Recap
Recommended order
- Enable Settings → Other → In-Game Performance Optimization and restart.
- Check whether the game is CPU-limited or whether the symptom is actually GPU, shader, memory, loading, or crash-related.
- Clean-install the current GPU driver and assign the game to Windows’ High performance GPU mode.
- Use a frame-rate limit when testing CPU-limited performance; do not simply lower every setting.
- On low-memory PCs, test Switch Shader Compilation Mode and watch for its low-thread-count interaction with FSR3 Frame Generation.
- Use the low-resolution resource pack only when installation size or memory pressure is part of the problem.
- Check antivirus exclusions or the specific Intel BIOS issue only when the corresponding crash behavior matches.
