Getting Started with Shadow PC Gaming

Requirements and FAQs

Introduction with Shadow PC Gaming

General

Technical Assistance - General

Resolution & Image Quality

Software Setup

Connection & Network

Performance Issues

Storage

Known Issues for Shadow

Mice, Keyboards, and Other Peripherals

Error Messages

Sound & Microphones

Authentication

Technical Assistance - Apps, Ghost, and Box

Getting Started with Shadow PC Enterprise

Getting Started with Shadow Drive

Account Management

Contact Support

FPS drops in game on Shadow PC

Updated 

It's normal for FPS to drop or fluctuate while playing a game for various reasons. For example, during idle gameplay, the game may render fewer frames, which results in fewer frames being streamed by Shadow PC. You can monitor FPS changes using your game's built-in FPS counter, the Shadow PC Quick Menu, or third-party software like GeForce Experience. This article will guide you through other common causes of FPS drops while gaming on Shadow PC and provide solutions to help maintain a smoother experience.

Note: The Quick Menu shows the FPS Shadow PC is streaming to your device, which may be different from in-game or third-party FPS counters if there’s an internet connection issue.

Shadow PC uses NVIDIA GPUs for all offers. Update the graphics drivers to resolve outdated or incompatible graphics drivers on Shadow PC, which can lead to performance issues, including FPS drops.

If you notice the frame rate in the Quick Menu usage stats fluctuating or dropping, you may need to troubleshoot your internet connection.

For example, high latency can cause delays in frame transmission from Shadow's servers, leading to FPS fluctuations, lag, or stuttering. Similarly, packet loss and jitter can disrupt the steady flow of frames, causing FPS drops and making gameplay feel choppy or unresponsive.

FPS can fluctuate naturally based on the complexity of the scene being rendered in the game. If the frame rate drops during intense periods of gameplay, lower the graphics settings to see if the frame rate improves.

Disabling other settings like dynamic resolution scaling, antialiasing, or anisotropic filtering settings can enhance game fluidity.

If GeForce Experience is installed on Shadow PC, make sure to disable optimization. GeForce Experience may apply settings that conflict with Shadow PC's hardware or technology.

Shadow PC already employs anti-tearing directly into its architecture. Enabling V-Sync or triple buffering will only duplicate the streamer's efforts, resulting in increased latency and poorer overall performance.

Having too many applications or processes running in the background on your Shadow PC can consume CPU and GPU resources, impacting game performance. Close any unused programs while playing the game.

Overlays from software like Discord, NVIDIA, Steam, or recording applications can sometimes interfere with performance. Disabling these overlays can help stabilize FPS.

Shadow PC can automatically adjust the frame rate of the stream to match your local display's refresh rate. If your local display has a refresh rate of 60 Hz, for example, it can display up to 60 FPS. Enable Always match Shadow resolution with local display in the Quick Menu Video & Display settings to have Shadow PC detect your frame rate.

If that doesn't work, you can also limit the frame rate in the Launcher Video & Display settings or set a custom resolution and frame rate.

Still have questions after reading this article?

Check out our other articles or contact Shadow Support.