Hitting low FPS in Grounded 2? Yeah, it’s kinda frustrating, especially when the game starts chugging even on beefy setups. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of how the engine handles lighting or how your system is configured. People notice big drops outdoors, where lighting effects like Lumen really tax the GPU, but even simple areas can stutter if certain settings or drivers are out of date. So, this guide aims to lay out some plausible fixes—nothing fancy, just real stuff that’s actually worked for folks trying to keep the game playable. By tweaking in-game settings, messing around with config files, updating drivers, and optimizing Windows, it’s usually possible to get stable frame rates without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. Or at least, that’s the hope. Now, don’t expect miracles—Grounded 2 is still early access and Unreal Engine has its quirks. But, if you’re tired of the constant stuttering or drops to 30 fps while others are running smoothly, these fixes can make a difference. Just be prepared to tinker a little—and remember, sometimes things work differently depending on your hardware. Still, it’s worth a shot to squeeze out better performance, especially if you already have a decent GPU or CPU. Okay, here’s the breakdown—pick what fits your setup. Good luck, and hopefully, these approaches help keep you in the game instead of staring at a frozen screen.
How to Improve Low FPS in Grounded 2 — Practical Fixes
Lower resolution and render scale to reduce GPU load
This one’s a classic. Grounded 2 tends to render at full resolution by default, which can overwhelm the GPU even if your settings are on medium or low. Dialing down resolution from 4K to 1080p or setting render scale around 70–75% can cut down on GPU workload and stabilize your FPS. Plus, sticking to low or medium presets helps squeeze more juice out of your system. Turning off dynamic resolution scaling in the game settings is crucial because that can cause FPS dips if the game automatically ups or downs the resolution based on scene complexity. Restart the game after making these changes to see if it feels smoother. On some setups, this fixes the problem instantly, but on others, it’s just a part of the puzzle.
Disable Lumen lighting via Engine.ini to bypass heavy lighting effects
Unreal Engine’s Lumen system sounds fancy, but it’s a big FPS killer, especially in open-world sections or outdoor areas. Disabling it through the configuration file can lead to noticeable gains. The tricky part is locating `%LocalAppData%\Augusta\Saved\Config\Windows`, then editing or creating `Engine.ini`.Add these lines under `[Script/Engine. RendererSettings]`:
[/Script/Engine. RendererSettings] r. Lumen. DiffuseIndirect. Allow=0 r. FilmGrain=0 This disables some of the heavier lighting and grain effects that Unreal attempts to push. Save the file and set it as read-only so the game doesn’t overwrite your tweaks. After relaunching, check if the FPS improved. On some machines, the difference is stark, especially outdoors. Not sure why it works, but turning off Lumen seems to reduce the GPU load significantly.
Reduce shadow quality and turn off reflections
Shadows and reflections are GPU hogs, no surprise there. Grounded 2 users report that dropping shadow quality from Epic to High or Medium, and disabling reflections or ambient occlusion in the `GameUserSettings.ini` (located usually in the same Config folder) can stabilize FPS. If your base or outdoor zones are bright and full of dynamic lights, the shadows can chug FPS pretty badly. Dimming shadow quality and cutting off reflections—even temporarily—makes gameplay more playable. Also, if you’re comfortable editing your config files, turn off dynamic lights in your base environment to see if that helps. Remember, relaunch the game after making these changes and see if the framerate is more consistent.
Update your GPU drivers—because everything else depends on it
This is often overlooked but super important. Old or mismatched drivers can cause random stutters or frame drops without any obvious reason. Check for the latest drivers on NVIDIA’s or AMD’s site—don’t rely on Windows Update for this. Doing a clean installation (usually available via custom install options during driver setup) can wipe out any corrupt or conflicting files. Restart the PC afterward, and then see if Grounded 2 runs more smoothly. Something as simple as updating your graphics driver could be the difference between choppy gameplay and decent frame stability.
Close background apps and turn on Windows Game Mode
Background processes like Chrome, Discord, or other resource-heavy apps eat CPU and GPU cycles, leading to FPS dips even if settings are low. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), kill any apps taking up unnecessary resources, or use the End Task option to shut background processes you don’t need. Then, hit Settings > Gaming > Game Mode, and toggle it on. This helps Windows prioritize game performance over background tasks. When you restart Grounded 2 with Game Mode enabled, you might notice a slight boost. Not always dramatic, but enough to make it worth doing.
Set your power plan to High Performance and monitor temps
If the system is auto-throttling because of power or heat, FPS is going to tank. Head into Control Panel > Power Options, set your plan to High Performance or Ultimate Performance if available. Then, use tools like MSI Afterburner or HWMonitor to keep an eye on CPU/GPU temps—try to stay under around 85 °C. Overheating or aggressive power-saving features are common culprits for stuttering. If you’ve overclocked anything or tweaked voltages, revert to default and see if that makes a difference. Sometimes just ensuring your hardware isn’t throttling under load is enough to stabilize FPS.
Verify game files and keep everything updated
Corrupt or missing game files can cause weird performance issues. On Steam, right-click Grounded 2, go to Properties > Local Files > Verify Integrity. If you’re on Xbox, use Manage Studio or similar options to do a repair. Make sure Windows itself is updated—sometimes, OS updates include fixes that improve game stability. Restart your system after updates and verify if the FPS now holds better. In multiplayer, being on the same game version as others is also key to avoiding weird glitches that mess with performance.
What causes all this FPS chaos?
- Unreal Engine’s early access optimization bugs and lack of efficient upscaling options like DLSS or FSR, which makes the engine heavier than it needs to be.
- Heavy lighting effects, especially Lumen, cause huge drops outdoors or in areas with complex shadows.
- Epic shadow detail settings, particularly around reflective surfaces or bright outdoor zones, just crush FPS — even on decent hardware.
- Outdated drivers and missing Windows updates often cause rendering issues or lag spikes.
- Background processes, power-saving modes, or thermal throttling reduce system performance without warning.
- Match discrepancies in game files or OS versions can lead to inconsistent experience — sometimes feels like something’s just broken for no reason.
Wrap-up
Low FPS in Grounded 2 is mainly about how demanding the Unreal engine is and how certain settings push the system too hard. The good news: dropping the resolution, disabling heavy lighting stuff like Lumen, trimming shadow quality, updating drivers, and closing unnecessary background apps often give noticeable improvements. It’s a mix-and-match kind of thing, so don’t hesitate to experiment. If performance still stutters, look into ways to optimize hardware temps or even consider waiting for patches if you’re on early release.
Hopefully, this saves someone a few hours of frustration. Just a bunch of tweaks and updates — nothing magic, but it’s doable.
Summary
- Lower resolution or render scale for less GPU stress
- Disable Lumen lighting via Engine.ini
- Reduce shadows and reflections
- Update graphics drivers
- Close background apps and enable Windows Game Mode
- Set power plan to High Performance and monitor temps
- Verify game files and keep OS up-to-date
Wrap-up
All in all, these tweaks help stabilize FPS much of the time. Grounded 2’s early access quirks and Unreal’s lighting demands are tough, but a little tuning can go a long way. Keep an eye on your temps, update drivers, and don’t forget to tweak those configs. In the end, it’s about making the game run as smooth as possible with what you have. Fingers crossed this helps someone get back to the fun part faster.