Having low FPS and experiencing lag while playing can be extremely frustrating, especially in competitive games like Valorant. However, there are several steps you can take to fix lag issues and improve your FPS in Valorant.
Valorant is a tactical online competitive FPS game that has gained immense popularity and is often compared to Counter-Strike. In games like Valorant and CS:GO, even the slightest drop in FPS can impact your performance and potentially cost you the game. Consequently, if you play competitively, having a high FPS is crucial, as it allows for smoother gameplay and faster responses.
Thankfully, Valorant is a relatively easy game to run and doesn’t necessarily require top-of-the-line hardware to function smoothly. Even basic setups can handle the game without any problems. Generally, the recommended target for gaming is around 60 FPS to ensure a smooth gaming experience. However, since Valorant is a competitive online game, the higher the FPS, the better. If you have a high refresh rate monitor, you’ll want to match or exceed that rate, as it provides a competitive advantage by displaying more frames and allowing you to respond faster.
In games with higher FPS, drops in frames have less noticeable effects compared to games with lower FPS. For instance, if you currently have 200 FPS and experience a drop of 10 FPS, the impact would be less noticeable than if you were playing at 60 FPS. This is why many professional players choose to play on low settings despite having powerful machines capable of running Valorant at maximum settings. This principle also applies to other competitive online games like CS:GO, League of Legends, Overwatch, Fortnite, Apex Legends, and many others.
To fix lag issues and improve your FPS in Valorant, follow the steps below:
1. Adjust Valorant Video Settings: Set all video settings in Valorant to low. This may make the game appear less visually appealing, but it’s the quickest and easiest way to gain more FPS. Additionally, ensure that the “Multithreaded Rendering” option is enabled, as it optimizes CPU usage if your CPU has multiple cores or threads.
2. Optimize Graphics Quality Settings in Valorant: If you don’t want to lower all graphics quality settings, you can leave a few settings, such as Texture Quality, Detail Quality, and UI Quality, at medium. These settings have minimal impact on FPS.
3. Adjust Windows Settings: Tweak a few settings on your Windows system to further improve FPS and reduce lag.
– Disable Startup Programs: Open the “Startup Apps” settings and disable all unnecessary programs that automatically start when you boot up your PC. Keep Valorant’s anti-cheat software, Vanguard, enabled, as it’s essential for the game.
– Turn Off Background Applications: Open the “Background Apps” settings and turn off all non-essential apps that run in the background. These apps can consume resources even when not in use. Focus only on the apps you frequently use or need.
– Game Mode and Xbox Game Bar: Experiment with enabling or disabling Game Mode in the Windows “Gaming” settings. Game Mode is designed to optimize PC performance for gaming, but it may not work well for everyone. Test it out and see if it improves FPS in Valorant. Additionally, disable Xbox Game Bar, as it consumes resources and may not be necessary for your needs.
4. Set Valorant to High Performance: Open the “Graphics Settings” and locate the “Graphics performance preference” option. If Valorant is already listed, select it, go to “Options,” and set it to “High performance.” If Valorant is not listed, click on “Browse” and locate the Valorant file in your “Riot Games” folder. Setting Valorant to high performance prioritizes performance over battery life, which can increase FPS, especially for laptop users.
Implementing these settings and adjustments should help improve your FPS in Valorant and benefit low-spec machines. However, it’s important to note that these tips can only provide a slight boost, and upgrading your hardware will ultimately have the most significant impact on FPS.
