How to Reset Marathon Shader Cache, Keybinds Not Saving? Fast Fix (2026)

As a gamer, there’s nothing worse than hitting a frustrating “shader compilation” freeze or witnessing visual glitches during your playthrough. If you’re diving into Marathon (2026) and you’re running into issues like stuttering or graphical artifacts, there’s a solid chance your shader cache is at fault. Here’s my personal take on how to reset your shader cache for smoother gameplay, along with a few extra tips to keep things running at peak performance.

Why You Should Clear Your Shader Cache in Marathon

Shaders are responsible for rendering the game’s graphics—think lighting, shadows, textures, and all those pixel-perfect effects. If something goes wrong with the cache, your game can start stuttering, or worse, freeze while compiling shaders. Whether it’s an update, a driver conflict, or just some weird corruption, clearing your shader cache might be the fix you need.

Step-by-Step Guide to Reset Shader Cache in Marathon

1. Resetting NVIDIA Shader Cache (Most Common Solution)

If you’re using an NVIDIA card, this method is a game-changer. Most users swear by it because it gets rid of pesky conflicts caused by old cache files.

Steps:

• Disable Shader Cache: Go to the NVIDIA Control Panel > Manage 3D Settings > Global Settings. Set Shader Cache Size to Off, and click Apply.
• Restart Your PC: Critical—this ensures the cache is unlocked for deletion.
• Delete the Cache Folders:
  • Press Win + R, type %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\NVIDIA, and hit Enter.
  • Open the DXCache and GLCache folders and delete everything inside.
  • Then, navigate to NVIDIA Corporation\NV_Cache and delete its contents as well.
• Re-enable Shader Cache: Go back to the NVIDIA Control Panel, set Shader Cache Size back to On (set a limit of 10GB or 100GB if you have space), and click Apply. This prevents the game from overwriting shaders too often.

2. Resetting AMD Radeon Shader Cache (If You’re Using an AMD GPU)

AMD users can easily reset the shader cache directly through their software, but if you’re looking for a more thorough clean-up, here’s what to do.

Steps:

• Using Adrenalin Software: Open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, go to Settings (Gear Icon) > Graphics > Advanced, and click Perform Reset next to Reset Shader Cache.
• Manual Cleanup: For a deeper clean, head to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\AMD and delete cache-related files in those folders.

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3. Cleaning Steam-Specific Shaders

Steam has its own shader pre-caching system, and it can sometimes hold onto outdated data. Here’s how to clear that:

Steps:

• Steam Settings: Go to Steam > Settings > Storage. Here, you can see how much space is being taken up by the Shader Cache.
• Clear the Cache: Select your drive and clear the cache.
• Deep Clean: Navigate to your Steam folder (Steam\steamapps\shadercache), find the Marathon folder, and delete it.

4. Advanced Optimizations for Marathon (2026)

After resetting your shader cache, there are a few extra tweaks that can further enhance performance.

Tips:

• Set Marathon to High Priority: Open Task Manager while the game is running, right-click Marathon.exe, and set Priority to High.
• CPU Affinity Adjustment: In Task Manager, right-click the Marathon process, select Set Affinity, and uncheck CPU 0. This tweak has helped some users who struggle with poor CPU utilization.
• Enable High-Performance Mode in Windows: Go to Settings > System > Display > Graphics, find Marathon, and set it to High Performance to fully utilize your dedicated GPU.
• Adjust Shadows for Extra FPS: Dropping shadow quality from Highest to Medium can give you a decent FPS boost without sacrificing the game’s aesthetic too much.

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What Happens After Resetting the Shader Cache?

After clearing the shader cache, expect some initial stuttering when launching Marathon—this is normal. The game will take a few minutes to rebuild a clean cache, but once it’s done, you should notice much more consistent frame rates and smoother visuals.

Key Takeaways:

• Clear Cache Regularly: Keeps your game running smoothly, especially after updates or crashes.
• Tweak Your Settings: Optimizing both GPU and CPU settings can result in noticeable performance boosts.
• Expect Initial Stuttering: It’s just the game rebuilding the cache—normal and temporary.

If you’ve been struggling with performance issues in Marathon, these steps should help you out. As a gamer, there’s nothing better than a smooth, stutter-free experience, and clearing your shader cache can make a huge difference!

Marathon 2026: How to Fix Keybinds Not Saving (Ultimate Guide)

So you’ve spent the last hour in Marathon, mapping out your ideal keybinds and abilities, only to drop into a match and find everything reset. It’s frustrating, right? Especially after hearing all the rave reviews about Marathon’s neon aesthetics and intense gameplay. But don’t worry—you’re not alone. A lot of players, especially on PC, are experiencing this annoying keybind issue. Thankfully, after digging through multiple forums (Reddit, Steam, and even Bungie’s Help pages), we’ve put together the ultimate fix. Let’s get you back to fragging in style.

Why Aren’t My Keybinds Saving?

It boils down to a couple of things. From cloud saves to file permissions to pesky third-party overlays, there are a few common culprits causing your settings to reset every time you launch the game. But don’t stress—it’s fixable.

5 Proven Ways to Fix the Keybind Issue in Marathon:

1. Reset to Default and Restart (The Fan-Favorite Fix)

This one might sound counterintuitive, but resetting everything to default before customizing your keybinds works surprisingly well for many players.

• Open the Main Menu → Settings → Keyboard & Mouse tab.
• Click on Reset to Default (for all categories—Common, Character, Runner’s Devices, and Social).
• Restart Marathon immediately (don’t mess with anything yet).
• Relaunch, set your custom binds, and properly exit the game (don’t just Alt+F4).

Many users swear by this fix, as it clears any hidden bugs stopping your settings from saving.

2. Turn Off Cloud Save Syncing (Steam & Epic Users)

Steam Cloud and Bungie Cross-Save have been known to overwrite your local files, causing your settings to reset every time you load the game. Here’s how to fix it:

• Steam Users: Right-click Marathon in your Library → Properties → General → Uncheck “Keep game saves in Steam Cloud.”
• Epic Games Store Users: Go to Settings → Uncheck “Enable Cloud Saves.”

This should stop the cloud service from overwriting your settings. You can turn cloud saves back on once Bungie rolls out a fix.

3. Manually Edit GameConfig Files (For the Advanced)

If the in-game options aren’t cutting it, you can go deep into the game’s files and make changes manually. Here’s how:

• Navigate to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Marathon\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor\ (or similar).
• Find GameUserSettings.ini and right-click > Properties > Uncheck Read-only.
• If the file still causes issues, delete it. The game will generate a new, fresh one when it restarts.

Pro Tip: This can be especially helpful if your keybinds aren’t registering at all.

4. Check for Interfering Overlays (Discord, OBS, Steam)

A lot of players have noticed that active overlays (like Discord’s Game Overlay, OBS’s Game Capture, or even Steam’s overlay) can mess with keybinding and input registration.

• Discord Overlay: Disable it via Discord Settings → Game Overlay.
• OBS Game Capture: If you stream, switch to Display Capture instead of Game Capture.
• Steam Overlay: Try disabling it from Steam’s settings.

Overlays may be causing some of the keybind issues, so try disabling them and see if that helps.

5. Use the “Dead Key” Trick for Double Binding Issues

Some players have found that they can’t unbind certain keys (like Quick Melee or Interact) without the game automatically reassigning them. If this happens to you, use a “dead key” (one you never use) as a placeholder.

• Map unwanted actions to keys like P, [, or ]. This satisfies the game’s requirement for an assigned key, leaving your main layout intact.

Bungie’s Official Response: Keybinds Bug Acknowledged

Bungie is aware of the ongoing issues with keybinding and UI freezes in Marathon and has stated that a fix is expected in the next weekly update. For now, following these manual steps is your best bet to make sure your settings stick. Keep an eye on Bungie’s Help page for the upcoming patch.

Quick Tips to Avoid Future Keybinding Issues in Marathon

By following these steps, you should be able to finally fix your keybinds and enjoy a smoother gaming experience in Marathon. If these don’t work, check for updates or keep an eye out for Bungie’s upcoming patch. In the meantime, stay frosty!