Valorant stuttering every few seconds, even with high FPS: how to fix it
When Valorant stutters with high FPS, your average is fine and a few frames take too long. Riot treats this as its own problem, with its own steps. Almost all of them are outside the game: Windows, drivers and open programs.
Rise TeamGuide written by the Rise team. The steps work with or without Rise; the facts about the game come from the sources at the end of the page, with the date we checked them.
Short answer
Riot calls this micro-freezing: Valorant pauses for a moment and then carries on, even with high FPS. Riot’s order is to check the requirements, set a laptop to Best performance, run the Riot Client as administrator, update your graphics driver and Windows, do a clean boot and repair system files with SFC and DISM. On Intel Arc graphics, Intel documents a known Valorant issue.
First, find out what is holding you back
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Stutters every few seconds, with high FPS | A background program competing with the game for your PC[1] | Do a clean boot and keep the vgc service on[4] |
| Stutters only on a laptop | Power saving holding back performance[1] | Set the Windows Power mode to Best performance[6] |
| Stutters with used memory close to the total | Other programs competing with Valorant for memory[2] | Check memory in Stats and close what’s open[3] |
| Stutters on an Intel Arc card | Known issue documented by Intel[5] | Update the Intel graphics driver[5] |
| Still there after every step | Corrupted system files or disk errors[1] | Run SFC and DISM and open a ticket with your logs[1] |
| Low FPS all the time | That’s low FPS, a different problem from stutter[1] | Follow the main Valorant FPS guide |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Stutter, low FPS or a freeze?
Riot separates three problems. With stutter, the game pauses for a split second and recovers on its own. With low FPS, the number stays low the whole time. With a freeze, Valorant stops responding and doesn’t come back. This guide covers stutter. For FPS that’s low all the time, use the main Valorant guide.
How to catch stutter in Valorant’s stats
- Open Settings, Video, Stats.
- Turn on Client FPS as a graph. The number shows an average; the graph shows the drop.
- Turn on used and available memory too. If used memory hits the total when the stutter happens, the game is running short on available memory.
- Under Settings, General, Other, turn on Instability Indicators. The Low Client FPS icon shows up in the top right corner when frames drop.
The order of fixes Riot recommends
- Make sure your PC meets Valorant’s minimum requirements.
- On a laptop, set the Windows Power mode to Best performance and test again. Power saving can hold back performance.
- Run the Riot Client as administrator. Riot says Windows permissions can get between the Riot Client, the game and Vanguard.
- Update your graphics card driver.
- Install Windows updates and restart if prompted.
- Do a clean boot, as in the section below.
- Check and repair system files with SFC and DISM.
- If nothing works, open a ticket with Riot Support and attach the logs from the Riot Repair Tool.
Clean boot without breaking Valorant
A clean boot turns off the services and programs that start with Windows. That way you can see if one of them is competing with the game. Riot adds a warning: the vgc service is Vanguard, and Valorant won’t launch without it.
- Press Windows + R, type msconfig and press Enter.
- On the Services tab, check Hide all Microsoft services before anything else.
- Click Disable all, then check vgc again.
- In Task Manager, under Startup apps, write down the ones that are enabled and disable each one. Restart and test.
- If the stutter is gone, turn them back on one at a time, restarting in between, until you find the culprit.
Antivirus, network software, overlays and screen recorders can keep running after that. Riot suggests testing without them too.
Intel Arc graphics: a known issue
Intel documents frequent stuttering and low FPS in Valorant at 1080p and 1440p with A-series and B-series Arc cards, on Windows 11, on PCs with the Realtek Gaming 2.5GbE network adapter. The first fix is updating the Intel graphics driver. If it keeps happening, Intel suggests disabling that network adapter and using Wi-Fi or another connection.
What Rise does in Valorant
Everything here shows what changes before you apply it.
- Windows, graphics card and networkWhat matters in any game: power plan, background programs and your PC’s Windows, graphics card and network settings. Each optimization shows what changes before you apply it.Optimizations · Rise Basic and Premium
- Before-and-after BenchmarkRuns the same 3D scene before and after your tweaks and compares average FPS, 1% low and stutters on your PC.Benchmark · Rise Basic and Premium
What Rise does not do in Valorant
- Doesn’t touch Vanguard and doesn’t inject anything into Valorant.
- Doesn’t improve your internet’s route to the server.
- Doesn’t promise an FPS number: measure before and after on your PC.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Valorant stutter with high FPS?
The counter shows an average, and a stutter is one frame that takes too long now and then. The average barely moves. The causes Riot points to are outside the game: background programs, outdated drivers or Windows, laptop power saving and corrupted system files.
Why does Valorant stutter every few seconds?
Stutter on a regular beat often comes from something running alongside the game. Do a clean boot with vgc left on and see if it stops. If it does, turn programs back on one at a time until you find the culprit.
Does lowering graphics fix stutter in Valorant?
Not always. Riot’s stutter checklist doesn’t mention graphics: it starts with power, permissions, drivers, Windows and open programs. If your FPS is also low all the time, check the main guide.
Can I turn off Vanguard to stop the stutter?
Not if you want to play: Riot requires Vanguard to stay active in Valorant, and its service, vgc, has to stay on even during a clean boot. If you suspect a conflict with Vanguard, follow Riot Support.
Valorant stutters on my Intel Arc card. What should I do?
Update the Intel graphics driver. If it continues, Intel suggests disabling the Realtek Gaming 2.5GbE network adapter and using Wi-Fi or another connection.
Why does Valorant stutter on my laptop but not on my desktop?
On a laptop, power saving can hold back performance. Riot suggests setting the Windows Power mode to Best performance and testing again. The mode is set separately for plugged in and on battery, so check both.
Sources
- Riot: micro-freezing or stuttering in VALORANT (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- Riot: game and network instability basics (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- Riot: patch notes 3.04 (performance stats) (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- Riot: perform a clean boot (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- Intel: Valorant stuttering on Arc graphics (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
- Microsoft: change the power mode in Windows (checked on Nov 3, 2026)
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More Valorant guides
Valorant low FPS, stuttering or input lag: how to fix it
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