Bandai Namco acknowledges problems in Elden Ring’s PC version

polygon.com:

Bandai Namco, in a note to players on Friday, acknowledged performance issues with Elden Ring on Windows PC and promised improvements are on the way. Nonetheless, stuttering, slow frame rate, and other distractions have given the otherwise critically acclaimed RPG a “mixed” reputation in Steam’s customer reviews.

“We will be constantly working to improve the game so that it can be played comfortably on various PC environments and platforms,” the publisher said. However, “for the PC version, updating your graphics card drivers to the latest version may significantly improve performance.”

It may not, as well. Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry on Thursday noted that PC version 1.02 of Elden Ring “has a number of issues that will affect all hardware configurations on all graphical settings presets.” The report said that stutters of up to a quarter of a second — therefore dropping the frame rate for a 60 fps game into the 40s — are detected when “new effects, enemies, and areas appear on screen.”

Loading new game areas also apparently triggers “a second and more pervasive stutter,” Eurogamer added. While higher-end monitors with variable refresh rates can ameliorate these distractions, “leaning on the technology” isn’t an acceptable solution given that console versions of Elden Ring don’t have the same problems.

“It could be sensible to wait for further patches before investing time into the PC version of Elden Ring,” Digital Foundry concludes.

Related

Steam’s user reviews are livid with complaints of even worse problems, and ad hoc suggestions for fixing them. One user reported four crashes in their first two hours with the game, intolerable alongside a frame rate capped at 60 fps and no ultrawide monitor support. “This is