Enshrouded is a gorgeous survival crafting game, but its performance on PC has been a pain point since Early Access. Stuttering, FPS drops during combat, and hitches when exploring new areas plague even high-end systems. The good news: three core fixes resolve over 70% of performance complaints. Here’s how to fix Enshrouded stuttering and low FPS on PC.
The Three Fixes That Solve Most Issues
Based on community data from 2026, these three changes resolve the majority of Enshrouded performance problems:
1. Enable Frame Generation
If your GPU supports it, frame generation is the single biggest FPS boost:
– NVIDIA users: Enable NVIDIA Smooth Motion (or DLSS Frame Generation) in Enshrouded’s display settings
– AMD users: Enable AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) in AMD Adrenalin Software
Frame generation adds interpolated frames between real ones, effectively doubling your displayed FPS. The input lag trade-off is minimal in a survival game where twitch reflexes aren’t critical.
2. Switch to Exclusive Fullscreen
Enshrouded defaults to Borderless Windowed, which runs through the Windows compositor and adds overhead. Switch to Exclusive Fullscreen in Display settings. This alone can add 5-10% FPS and significantly reduce stuttering.
3. Disable Volumetric Fog
Volumetric Fog is Enshrouded’s most expensive visual effect and the primary cause of FPS drops when entering the Shroud zones. Turn it off or set it to Low. The visual difference is subtle — the gameplay performance difference is dramatic.
Optimal Graphics Settings
| Setting | Recommended | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Quality Preset | Custom (start from Medium) | – |
| Display Mode | Exclusive Fullscreen | +5-10% FPS |
| Resolution | Native with DLSS/FSR | – |
| Volumetric Fog | Off or Low | +15-25% FPS |
| Shadows | Medium | +10-15% FPS vs Ultra |
| Foliage Quality | Medium | +5-8% FPS vs High |
| Draw Distance | Medium | +5-8% FPS vs High |
| Post-Processing | Low | +5% FPS |
| Anti-Aliasing | TAA or DLSS/FSR | Use upscaler |
| V-Sync | Off | Reduces input lag |
| Limit Framerate in Background | Off | Prevents issues when tabbing out |
If Medium preset doesn’t give smooth FPS, try Maximum Performance preset first. Some systems need this to run smoothly.
DLSS and FSR Settings
Enshrouded supports both DLSS and FSR. Use them — the FPS boost is substantial:
- NVIDIA RTX GPUs: DLSS Quality mode for 1440p, DLSS Balanced for 1080p
- AMD GPUs: FSR Quality for 1440p, FSR Balanced for 1080p
- Intel Arc: XeSS Quality
Combined with Frame Generation, upscaling can nearly double your FPS. For example, a system running 45 FPS at native 1440p might hit 80+ FPS with DLSS Quality + Frame Generation.
Delete the Shader Cache
Enshrouded compiles shaders the first time you visit new areas, causing stuttering. If your shader cache is corrupted (from game updates or driver changes), it can cause persistent stuttering everywhere:
- Close Enshrouded completely
- Navigate to
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Enshrouded\shadercache - Delete the entire shadercache folder
- Relaunch Enshrouded
- The game will recompile shaders — expect stuttering for the first 10-15 minutes, then performance should stabilize
Do this after every major game update or GPU driver update for best results.
System-Level Fixes
Disable Windows Game Bar
Windows Game Bar can conflict with Enshrouded:
1. Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar > Off
2. Settings > Gaming > Game Mode > Keep On
Set Process Priority to High
While Enshrouded is running:
1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)
2. Go to Details tab
3. Find enshrouded.exe
4. Right-click > Set Priority > High
This tells Windows to prioritize Enshrouded’s processes over background tasks. The difference is especially noticeable on systems with 6-core CPUs.
NVIDIA-Specific Optimization
Open NVIDIA Control Panel:
1. Manage 3D Settings > Program Settings > Enshrouded
2. Power Management Mode > Prefer Maximum Performance
3. Texture Filtering Quality > High Performance
4. Low Latency Mode > On
AMD-Specific Optimization
Open AMD Adrenalin Software:
1. Gaming > Enshrouded
2. Enable AMD Anti-Lag
3. Set Tessellation to Override Application Settings > Off (reduces terrain rendering overhead)
Co-Op Specific Issues
Enshrouded’s co-op has known performance problems in 2026:
– Non-host players experience more stuttering than the host
– Inventory and interaction bugs can prevent non-host players from accessing world objects
– More players = more FPS drops — Each additional player adds CPU load for physics and networking
If you’re having worse performance in co-op than solo:
– The host should have the strongest PC (host handles more processing)
– All players should lower their draw distance and shadow quality
– Consider playing on a dedicated server (reduces host CPU burden)
Hardware Recommendations
Enshrouded is surprisingly demanding for a survival game. Here are realistic hardware targets:
| Target | Hardware Needed |
|---|---|
| 1080p 60 FPS (Medium) | RTX 3060 / RX 6600 XT, Ryzen 5 5600 / i5-12400 |
| 1080p 60 FPS (High) | RTX 3070 / RX 6700 XT, Ryzen 5 5600X / i5-12600K |
| 1440p 60 FPS (Medium) | RTX 4060 Ti / RX 7700 XT, Ryzen 7 5800X / i7-12700K |
If your hardware is below these specs, lean heavily on DLSS/FSR and Frame Generation. For build recommendations, check our budget gaming PC build.
Also ensure your Windows installation is updated — the February 2026 patch fixed GPU crashes that affected many games. See our Windows 11 crash fix for details. For more general optimization, check our universal FPS guide.
Final Thoughts
Enshrouded’s optimization isn’t perfect, but the three-step fix (Frame Generation + Exclusive Fullscreen + disable Volumetric Fog) transforms the experience for most players. Delete your shader cache after updates, use DLSS or FSR aggressively, and set your GPU to Maximum Performance mode. The game underneath the performance issues is excellent — it just needs a little coaxing to run properly.
