Despite the fact that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was released more than eight years ago, the game still continues to be very popular among fans of the series and fans of the RPG genre. However, this product from CD Projekt RED is also known for its high system requirements. Therefore, if you are faced with the fact that "The Witcher 2" lags at the minimum - this is not a reason to blame the developers for poor optimization. Although in some cases the problem is not at all in the hardware of the gamer.
Game system requirements
What to do if "The Witcher 2" lags on the minimum graphics settings? First of all, we strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the system requirements of the game. Despite the fact that the product was released in 2011, it is one of the most demanding to this day:
- processor - Intel Core i3 or AMD Athlon (best possible);
- RAM - 4 gigabytes for Windows 7/10;
- graphics card - 1 gigabyte (GTX 8800 or better);
- hard drive - 16 gigabytes of free space;
- operating system - Windows or Vista;
- Internet connection is necessary.
As you can see, even for many modern machines, such requirements are considered quite high, especially when it comes to the processor (it is precisely in it that the reason for lags often lies). However, if you are wondering what to do if "The Witcher 2" lags on a powerful computer, then the information in the following sections will be very useful to you.
Install the old version
The fact is that in 2015, the developers of "The Witcher 2" released patch 2.0, which was necessary in order to port the game to a Macbook. After that, many gamers began to experience serious problems with optimizing the game on the Windows operating system.
CD Project RED tried their best to fix the problem so as not to offend any of their fans, however, in reality, the latest version of the game left a ton of unnecessary information that interferes with the normal operation of the product on a PC. Therefore, if your "The Witcher 2" lags on a powerful computer - be sure to install an earlier version of the game.
Perform system optimization
In some cases, the drop in FPS in the game during battles or visiting cities may be due to insufficient optimization of the operating system. Of course, an experienced computer user will never lose sight of any process or background mode that consumes device resources, however, for novice gamers, this problem is far from uncommon.
To check the load level on RAM, it will be enough to start the task manager (Ctrl + Alt + Del) and go to the "Processes" tab. In normal mode, the RAM usage indicator is in the region from 1 to 4 percent. However, if the computer has some kind of virus that opens a malicious process, the load level during the game can reach 100%.
Try to optimize the game.
Now you know why the Witcher: 2 lags on a weak computer. However, if you own an old PC - this is not a reason to be upset. It is in your power to optimize the game using internal settings. For example, you can reduce the quality of textures or turn off functions that are almost invisible to the eye of a beginner gamer.
Also, owners of weak computers should first turn off vertical synchronization and anti-aliasing. These two parameters load the processor and RAM very much, but practically do not change the schedule. In addition, it is recommended that all users set the level of detail settings to high and not exorbitant - the difference for the human eye is not so great, and the drop in FPS is felt strongly.
Install unofficial patch
Fans of The Witcher: 2 came up with a special program that allows you to optimize the game offline, so even owners of very weak computers can play a masterpiece from CD Project RED. To do this, go to any site with modifications and go to the "Patches and Fixes" section.
The program’s action is based not only on changing the graphics settings to optimal performance, but also on removing unnecessary program codes from the game that only load the process. Such an unofficial patch will increase the product optimization by about two times, however, remember that even a product from fans can not do the impossible.
Use graphic modifications
Also on the Internet you can find a huge number of different graphic modifications that replace heavy textures with more lightweight ones (the quality remains the same). For example, replacing only the vegetation in the game, players will achieve an increase in FPS by 5-10 units. And what will happen if we completely change all the textures? That's right, The Witcher will stop lagging even on old cars.
A feature of such modifications is that they practically do not change the canonicity of the game and its ENT. Of course, Geralt’s weapons and armor may look a little different, but the game still remains the second “The Witcher” - with the same tasks, gameplay and atmosphere. However, some creators of modifications also offer to install third-party add-ons that change the mechanics for the better. Whether or not to do this is up to you.
As you can see, there are many ways to optimize The Witcher 2. In most cases, the reason for the lags lies in the lack of RAM or a too weak video card. However, it may be that the game lags due to an unsuccessful version or poor system optimization. Be that as it may, one can cope with the problem even in the most seemingly hopeless case. Therefore, if your “The Witcher 2” lags or even crashes, just try to study the problem in more detail. There is a way out!