The Witcher 3: PC Crash and Performance Issues Fix Solutions

The long awaited addition to the Witcher franchise is here, and it's...crashing? Many PC users for the Witcher 3 have been experiencing some issues with excessive crashing (especially compared to the console release) as well as some issues with PC performance. 

Looking for help on loading the game on the GOG Galaxy Client? Check out our instructions and Witcher 3 PC install help here. 

For performance issues, Reddit user Rekuja has a pretty in depth guide on how to get the most out of your system, especially if you're not running top of the line graphics (though several sites are reporting issues with the Day One NVIDIA drivers crashing as well, so it might be across the board).

These instructions should help users who are experiencing performance issues with their framerate dropping, etc. in the Witcher 3. Their suggestions are pretty standard if you're used to running top-of-the-line games on a mid-line PC (Rekuja notes this will only work if you're running a mid-line graphics card): 

In-Game Settings

• Set everything to High
• Except: Set Foilage Distance to Medium
• Enable VSYNC (this is for stuttering cut scenes) 

Post-Process Settings 

Turn off everything except: 

• Motion Blur
• Sharpness
• HBAO+
• Lights

The next instruction is interesting: cap framerate at 40FPS. As Rekuja explains: 

this will give you the HIGH graphics you want and keep the FPS smooth and stable, avoiding any choppy gameplay and weird fluctuation of the FPS, now you're probably thinking.... but senpai i want that 60fps PCMR gaming, this won't do!

sorry.... but you don't own a 980+ or a Titan.. give this a shot yeah? I guarantee you won't be disappointed and/or it'll be 10x better than your current situation, nobody wants to play a game that keeps jumping between 40-80 fps.

Other PC Fixes

Make Sure the Game Is Running Fullscreen 

Some users are reporting that the game tends to default to a borderless window when running, and that in order to get the game to run at its' full potential you'll want to make sure it's running fullscreen. 

Users have reported differences between just 4 or 5 FPS or 10 to 20 depending on the situation, so if you're having some minor graphics stuttering it's a good thing to check out. 

Micro Stutters for NVIDIA Graphics Cards

This one comes to us from Reddit user Meretrelle who suggests: 

Nvidia Control Panel- Witcher 3 profile- set max pre-rendered frames to 1, apply.

This seems to fix issues with quick stuttering in frame rate, especially in instances of moving the camera or walking. Another fix is to turn off Hairworks. 

Do you have any other issues with the Witcher 3 on PC? What are your fixes for PC performance issues and the Witcher? Let us know in the comments below.