XCOM: Enemy Unknown suddenly stutters and FPS drops? Well, who will not be annoyed if you’re in the mid-game and you experience this issue? While the developer of XCOM: Enemy Unknown has been properly optimizing the game, it seems that your PC is having some performance issues with the game. Worry not, as we will guide you to fix these problems in XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
To fix the XCOM: Enemy Unknown lag, sudden FPS drop, and stuttering, feel free to try all the recommended steps below.
Update Graphics Driver
Updating your graphics driver should always be your go-to option when your concern is XCOM: Enemy Unknown FPS issues. Sometimes, you forget to update your drivers manually, resulting in your PC being outdated. Well, no wonder why you’re experiencing these FPS problems in XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
According to the official driver release notes from AMD and Nvidia, both of these popular graphics card manufacturers provide optimal support for XCOM: Enemy Unknown. If you’re not sure if you have the latest driver, you can download it manually or simply use Driver Booster to automatically download and install the correct GPU driver for your PC.
Step 1: Download and install Driver Booster
Step 2: Run Driver Booster and click the “Scan” button. The Driver Booster will then scan and detect any driver-related problems.
Step 3: Click the “Update Now” button to automatically download and install the correct drivers for your computer.
Step 4: Restart your PC for the update changes to take effect.
Step 5: Start XCOM: Enemy Unknown and check if these crashing issues have been solved.
If the XCOM: Enemy Unknown crashing problem persists, proceed to the next step.
Use Game Booster
If you have installed and used Driver Booster, then you can take advantage of its amazing feature: Game Boost. This feature will surely boost your overall FPS while playing XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
For a better gaming experience, Driver Booster’s Game Boost feature will temporarily stop all unnecessary applications and services running in the background. If you want some applications to be active while Game Boost is enabled, you have the option to configure the feature.
Disable Steam Overlay
If you have the Steam Overlay enabled and the frame rate suddenly drops while playing XCOM: Enemy Unknown, you can try disabling the Steam Overlay for XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Here’s how you can disable the Steam Overlay:
- Open Steam and go to Library
- Right click on XCOM: Enemy Unknown and click Properties
- Uncheck the Enable Steam Overlay while in-game in the GENERAL tab
Re-launch XCOM: Enemy Unknown to see if you achieve a better FPS.
Set XCOM: Enemy Unknown to High Priority
This method will allow your system to prioritize and allocate more resources for XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Using this method usually increases the performance of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, resulting in a better framerate.
To set XCOM: Enemy Unknown to high priority:
- Open XCOM: Enemy Unknown
- While in-game, open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc key at the same time.
- Go to the Details tab and find the main process of XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
- Right-click XCOM: Enemy Unknown and hover your mouse to Set Priority then choose High.
Restart XCOM: Enemy Unknown to see if there’s an FPS improvement.
Adjust XCOM: Enemy Unknown Graphics Settings
Apart from the recommended methods above, you can also try adjusting the XCOM: Enemy Unknown graphics in the settings section of the game. Feel free to experiment with the graphics options inside XCOM: Enemy Unknown.