How To Fix GTA V Stuttering & Lagging on PC

M. Mateen
Nov 25, 2022

GTA V, an action-adventure game is popular among gamers, but its gaming experience isn’t always top-notch. Players have complained that GTA V frequently stutters or lags during the game. Hardware difficulties, incorrect in-game settings, a damaged graphics driver, and other factors can all contribute to this issue.

Many gamers are frustrated by the stuttering and FPS drops in GTA V. I can realize their aggravation because it is incredibly frustrating to play games that don’t run smoothly.

This post will be of great help to you if you share these concerns and are unsure of what to do. You may learn solutions on how to increase in-game FPS and stop GTA V from stuttering.

Solutions To Fix GTA V Stuttering Issues on PC

There are several solutions to sort out GTA V’s stuttering because there are different causes for these issues. So, instead of wasting time scratching its causes, let’s find out how to fix GTA V’s stuttering, there’s no need to worry because the procedures are really basic and include only a few simple steps.

1. Check Minimum System Requirements

Minimum system requirements exist for every PC game. In the case that GTA V cannot be run on your PC due to insufficient hardware. A GT 730 is insufficient for running a game that calls for a GTX 1060. Please verify that your system meets the minimum system requirements by referring to the list below.

The minimum computer specifications for GTA V are as follows:

Operating Systems: Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1, and Service Pack 64-bit 1
Processors: Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 (4 CPUs) running at 2.40 GHz and AMD Phenom 9850 (4 CPUs) running at 2.5 GHz
Memory: 8GB
Video Card: NVIDIA 9800 GT 1 GB / AMD HD 48 70 1 GB (DX 10, 10.1, 11)
HDD: 65GB of Free Hard Drive Space
Sound Card: 100% DirectX 10 Compatibility

If your PC fulfills these requirements but you are still facing the stuttering issue during gameplay, consider the following practical solutions.

2. End Unnecessary Programs Running in the Background

If your background processes are using too many system resources, it can be the cause of your GTA V stuttering problem. Check for them, if any, and shut them off. Observe how:

Press the Ctrl, Shift, and Esc keys from your keyboard, and Task Manager will open.
Try to find the program that is consuming an excessive amount of system resources.
If so, choose End task when you right-click on it.
Now try starting GTA V to check whether the stuttering problem has been resolved.

3. Run GTA V As Administrator

The majority of installed apps need administrator access to work properly on your computer, so you should be aware of this. The administrator must have access to the system’s game files for GTA V as well. Without the appropriate permissions, several crucial files cannot be loaded. This might result in GTA V stuttering. Attempt the below steps to set the game to always launch as administrator and see if the problem goes away.

Go to Properties by right-clicking the GTA V executable or shortcut.
Navigate to the compatibility tab.
Choose to run this program as an administrator.
To save changes, click Apply and OK.
Set GTA V on high priority

Another effective solution to the GTA V stuttering problem is to manually increase the priority setting. This is how you do it:

Ensure GTA V is running, then press Ctrl, Shift, and Esc on your keyboard.
Choose the Details tab.
Select Set priority from the context menu of the GTA V process, then click High.

4. Temporarily disable your full-screen optimizations

When you play a game in full-screen mode, your graphics card’s display and resource distribution are entirely under the control of the game. For better visuals and a more immersive experience, the majority of gamers choose to play the game in a boundless full screen.

But sadly, it has been established that, in some instances, the full screen may be the cause of the GTA V PC problem. So, if you have GTA V stuttering issues when playing in full-screen mode, go ahead and turn it off.

Launch the GTA V game directory.
GTA V exe. may be found in this folder.
When you do a right-click, select Properties.
Under Settings, choose Compatibility, and then select Disable full-screen optimizations.
To save changes, click Apply and OK.
To see whether it works, restart GTA V.
Normalize the graphics settings

You should pay attention to the following settings, which are frequently set higher than Normal, in addition to the ones mentioned above. A slowing or stuttering issue with GTA V may also be caused by these in-game graphical settings, according to the reports. You should reduce the graphics settings which include: Texture Quality, Shader Quality, Shadow Quality, Reflection Quality, and Grass Quality. Make sure they are set to Normal to solve the problem.

5. Limit in-game FPS

As high FPS is believed to always improve the gaming experience, many players chase it mindlessly. GTA 5 is one of the games, unfortunately, that isn’t appropriate for high FPS. GTA 5 may run at a frame rate of 60 Hz without lagging or stuttering, although higher frames per second may cause the problem. Here are the steps to solve it:

Launch GTA V and find its Settings.
You will find Extended Distance Scaling when you choose Advanced Graphics.
Therefore, maintain it as low as you can because the higher FPS will cost more video memory.
After that, select Graphics from the left-side menu. To keep it around or below 60Hz, choose Refresh Rate.

6. Turn Vsync in GTA V off

Vertical Sync, a display option in 3D PC games, is commonly abbreviated as VSync. You can coordinate the frame rate with the refresh rate of the display for better stability. Turning off VSync in GTA 5 has been shown to be an effective solution for the stuttering problem, according to several gamers. To accomplish this:

Launch GTA V and find its Settings.
Scroll down and choose Graphics from the left side menu.
The Vsync tab may be found when you scroll to the bottom.
Deactivate it manually.
Initially, switch it on if it is currently off. GTA V should be restarted and then again turned off.
Restart your game after that to see whether the stuttering problems have been resolved.

7. Update To The Latest Version Of The Graphics Driver

The cause of the GTA V stuttering may be an ineffective or out-of-date graphics driver on your PC. Update to the most recent GPU driver version to fix the problem.

Visit the website of the graphics card manufacturer to find the most recent driver that is compatible with your version of Windows. Double-click the downloaded file to begin installing the driver on your computer after first downloading it. Check to check if GTA V runs smoothly and without stuttering when the update is complete by restarting your computer.