Deathloop PC users are having strange technical troubles at launch
From visuals bugs, lag, and even crashes, some are upset of how the game has performed on PC so far.
The Havoc Slab, seen in Colt's left hand here, temporarily makes Colt deal more damage and take less.
Deathloop, the latest game from Arkane Studios, came out Tuesday, and some PC players are taking to the internet about the issues they're having. Released for the PS5 as a timed console exclusive, and for the PC, the time-loop action-thriller has gotten positive reviews from the gaming press -- see CNET's review by Daniel Van Boom -- and is presently on the Amazon and Steam best-sellers list. However, the PC release's apparent technical issues are prompting fans to speak out about their experiences.
Forums such as Reddit, ResetEra and the Steam message boards have seen an influx of PC players share some of the odd issues relating to Deathloop's performance on the PC. These range from inconsistent frame rate to visual stutters to graphics disappearing right before a player's eyes. Though these types of visual bugs and annoyances aren't out of the ordinary for significant game releases, some issues have been disruptive for fans, making the game unplayable in some instances and prompting users to seek refunds from Steam.
Along with the previously mentioned visual issues, some problems also influence the actual gameplay experience of this otherwise tightly tuned, detail-oriented action game. Some players choosing to use a controller instead of the keyboard and mouse have described experiencing a heightened instance of visual stutters, which impacts the flow and pace of the game during some of the more action-focused sequences. Other, more-drastic issues described by some users on Steam and ResetEra include players getting stuck in frozen menu screens and even be unable to load up the game at launch.
Some fans are taking it on themselves to come up with fixes for the game. Along with sharing their unique PC specs, they're also comparing which settings work for them, to narrow down weak spots for the game. So far, some of the things that apparently can alleviate the current batch of PC issues include turning off specific graphical options like v-sync and ray tracing, and adjusting Nvidia GPU settings within the control panel.
Arkane Studios and publisher Bethesda didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. As of now, the developers haven't yet commented on social media about the state of the PC release, but we can expect to see patches for the game in the immediate future following its launch. For now we'd recommend keeping an eye out for upcoming patch details for the PC release, and make sure your graphics card drivers are currently up to date.