How to Fix The Relic: First Guardian PC Stuttering, FPS Drops, and Lag

The Relic: First Guardian is one of those games that immediately shows why the indie Soulslike genre continues to grow. Developed by Project Cloud Games and published by Perp Games, this dark fantasy action RPG combines challenging combat, massive boss encounters, and a mysterious world inspired by Asian mythology. After spending time with many demanding action games, from major AAA releases to smaller Souls-inspired projects, I can say that The Relic: First Guardian has a lot of impressive ideas. The combat feels weighty, the boss designs are ambitious, and the progression system without traditional character levels creates a different kind of challenge.

However, like many modern Unreal Engine-powered games, the PC version can suffer from technical problems that interrupt the experience. Stuttering, FPS drops, inconsistent frame times, and sudden freezes are some of the most common complaints from players. These problems become especially noticeable during large boss fights, new area transitions, or moments with heavy visual effects.

The frustrating part is that The Relic: First Guardian does not always run poorly because of weak hardware. Even powerful gaming PCs can experience short freezes caused by shader compilation, asset streaming, Windows settings, driver conflicts, or unstable frame pacing. I have seen similar issues in many recent action games, and the solution is usually not one magic setting but a combination of small optimizations.

This guide covers the most effective ways to fix The Relic: First Guardian stuttering, reduce FPS drops, and improve overall PC performance.

How to Fix The Relic First Guardian Unreal Engine 5 Crashing and Launch Issues

The Relic: First Guardian Performance Problems Overview

Clear DirectX Shader Cache to Remove Stuttering

One of the biggest reasons modern games experience early-game stutters is shader compilation. When you enter a new area, fight a new enemy type, or trigger a special visual effect, the engine may need to create new shaders. This process can cause a sudden frame drop even on high-end PCs.

In The Relic: First Guardian, this can happen during visually intense moments where the game loads new effects, lighting systems, or boss animations. Instead of a smooth fight, you might experience a small freeze at the exact moment when you need precise reactions.

To improve shader performance:

• Open the Windows Start menu and search for Disk Cleanup.
• Select your main Windows drive, usually C:.
• Enable DirectX Shader Cache and remove the cached files.
• Open your GPU control panel after cleaning the cache.
• NVIDIA users should go to NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D Settings.
• Change Shader Cache Size from Driver Default to Unlimited.

Increasing the shader cache size prevents Windows from constantly removing stored shaders. This is especially useful if you regularly play demanding games with large worlds and complicated visual effects.

Adjust Windows Graphics Settings and HAGS

Windows includes several gaming features designed to improve performance, but they do not work perfectly with every system configuration. One example is Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS).

Some players see better performance with HAGS enabled, while others experience worse frame pacing and random stutters. From my experience testing different gaming setups, this setting is highly dependent on your GPU model, driver version, and Windows installation.

Try changing this option:

• Press Windows Key + I and open Settings.
• Go to System → Display → Graphics.
• Select Default graphics settings.
• Toggle Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling.

If HAGS is enabled, disable it and test the game. If it is already disabled, try enabling it. Check your 1% low FPS numbers rather than only average FPS, because smoother frame delivery matters more than a high benchmark result.

Also make sure The Relic: First Guardian uses your dedicated graphics card:

• Open Windows Graphics Settings.
• Add the game’s executable file.
• Select Options.
• Choose High Performance.

This prevents Windows from accidentally assigning the game to integrated graphics.

Lock Your FPS for Better Frame Pacing

A common mistake players make is chasing maximum FPS. In many games, unstable 120 FPS feels worse than a locked and consistent 90 FPS experience. The Relic: First Guardian has demanding combat encounters where sudden GPU spikes can create noticeable hitching.

If your graphics card constantly runs at 99% usage, there is no performance headroom when a heavy effect appears. A stable frame limit can make the game feel significantly smoother.

For the best results, use RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS) because it usually provides more consistent frame pacing than many built-in game limiters.

If you use MSI Afterburner, consider disabling constant hardware monitoring for GPU power and power percentage. Some systems experience small repeated stutters because monitoring software continuously polls sensors.

Optimize CPU Performance and Windows Power Settings

The Relic: First Guardian relies heavily on real-time CPU processing for combat calculations, enemy behavior, and world streaming. If Windows aggressively reduces CPU frequency, you may notice inconsistent performance.

Open:

Control Panel → Power Options

Then select:

• High Performance power plan.
• Or Ultimate Performance if available.

You should also check processor boost behavior. Some systems constantly change CPU clock speeds, creating small performance spikes. A stable boost configuration often produces smoother gameplay.

Another useful change is disabling Fast Startup:

• Open Power Options.
• Select additional power settings.
• Disable Fast Startup.

This forces Windows to perform cleaner restarts and can help prevent driver-related problems from carrying over between sessions.

Disable Background Applications and Overlays

Even powerful PCs can lose performance because of unnecessary software running in the background. Modern games already consume significant RAM and CPU resources, so extra applications can create problems.

Before launching The Relic: First Guardian, close:

• Web browsers with many open tabs.
• Cloud synchronization programs.
• RGB control software.
• Unused launchers.
• Recording applications you do not need.

Disable overlays as well:

• Steam Overlay.
• Discord Overlay.
• NVIDIA GeForce Experience Overlay.
• Xbox Game Bar.

These features are useful, but they can sometimes interfere with frame timing and input response.

Players with limited available memory can also try Intelligent Standby List Cleaner (ISLC) to automatically clear standby memory and reduce asset-loading stutters.

Best Graphics Settings for Stable Performance

The Relic: First Guardian has a beautiful but demanding visual style. The dark environments, atmospheric lighting, particles, and large boss effects can push GPUs hard.

For smoother gameplay, adjust the settings below:

Ray tracing is usually the first feature I recommend disabling. It looks impressive, but the performance cost is huge. Turning it off often improves stability immediately.

For NVIDIA cards, DLSS Quality is usually the best balance. AMD users should test FSR, while Intel GPU owners can try XeSS.

Verify Game Files and Use a Faster Drive

Sometimes stuttering is not caused by settings but by damaged files or slow storage. The Relic: First Guardian should ideally be installed on an SSD, preferably an NVMe drive.

Modern games constantly stream textures, animations, and environmental data, and traditional HDDs can create noticeable delays.

Make sure:

• Your SSD has at least 10-15% free space.
• The game is installed on a fast drive.
• Your installation files are not corrupted.

To verify files through Steam:

• Open Steam Library.
• Right-click The Relic: First Guardian.
• Select Properties.
• Open Installed Files.
• Click Verify integrity of game files.

Steam will automatically replace missing or damaged files.

Final Thoughts

The Relic: First Guardian is a promising action RPG with ambitious ideas, but like many modern PC releases, it can suffer from performance problems that hurt the experience. The good news is that most stuttering issues can be reduced through proper system optimization.

From my experience with difficult action games, smooth frame pacing is often more important than chasing the highest possible FPS. A stable experience makes every dodge, counterattack, and boss encounter feel much better.

By clearing shader cache, adjusting Windows graphics settings, limiting FPS, optimizing power management, reducing background processes, and choosing the right visual settings, you can transform The Relic: First Guardian into a much smoother PC experience.