The Mortal Kombat series, originally from Midway Games, is one of the most popular fighting game series in the world. Mortal Kombat 1, the 12th main installment in the series, was released back in 2023, and it was a hit. Like its predecessors, MK1 attracted fans worldwide, and the ratings for the game also skyrocketed. However, despite all the praise, Mortal Kombat 1 isn’t immune to different errors and bugs. In a recent problem, Mortal Kombat 1 players are suddenly suffering from FPS drop issues in the game. The FPS drop issue has troubled so many fans that people are actively searching for workarounds. In this guide, we’ve shared some potential workarounds that can fix the FPS drops in Mortal Kombat 1. So, continue reading this guide till the end for more details on the same.
The FPS drop issue is certainly a frustrating one that seriously undermines the gameplay experience. As Steam user Clementine pointed out on the Steam Discussion forum, they used to play the game at a stable 60 FPS previously, now, however, it’s dropping to 20 or 30 FPS, making the game unplayable for them. And they’re certainly not alone. Multiple players have reported such FPS drops in Mortal Kombat 1 as well. We understand how frustrating this can be for you. So, what can you do if you’re a victim of this problem? Let’s find out!
Mortal Kombat 1 FPS Drop Issue: How to Fix?
Despite being around and troubling players for a while, the FPS drop issue in MK1 doesn’t have an official fix, at least not yet. However, lucky for you, we do have a number of workarounds if you’re indeed facing this problem.
Restart Your PC
Since we want you to start with the simplest of all fixes, try restarting your PC and see if it works. Sometimes, a quick restart is all it takes to fix such issues in a game. If it didn’t work, however, move on to the next fixes.
Update Your GPU Driver
- Press the Windows + X keys together to open the Quick Link Menu.
- Go to Device Manager.
- Select and open Display Adapters.
- Locate your dedicated GPU and right-click on it.
- Click on “Update Driver“.
- Select “Search automatically for drivers“.
- Wait until the download is finished and then run the game. See if the issue persists.
Note: You can also download the GPU driver updates from the support software of your GPU manufacturer. Alternatively, visit their official website and download the latest drivers from there.
Cap FPS at 60
You can try capping the in-game FPS to 60 and see if it works. Steam user Dukeinator shared that this can fix the issue for you. If you have a Nvidia Card, open the Nvidia Control Panel and go to Manage 3D Settings. Then, select Program Settings and choose MK12.exe. Under the “Specify the settings for this program” section, locate the Max Frame Rate option and set it at 60. Then, scroll down and go to Power Management mode. Here, select “Prefer Consistent Performance“. Click on OK to apply the changes. Then, restart your device and run Mortal Kombat 1. See if your issue is solved.
Tweak Other Settings in Nvidia Control Panel
Steam user Godzillas Todespranke shared that changing the following settings in the Nvidia Control Panel fixed the issue for them. So, apply these changes accordingly:
- Anti-Aliasing – FXAA: On
- Anti-Aliasing – Transparency: 8x
- Tripple Buffering: On
- Texture Filtering – Anisotropic sample optimization: On
Tweak these settings and see if you get a stable FPS in the game. Other than these, try setting the Latency mode to Ultra and see if it works.
Disable Upscaling Method
Steam user Ashy Slashy claimed that disabling the Upscaling Method fixed the issue for them. To do so, launch the game and go to Settings. Then, open Graphics and go to Upscaling. Locate the Upscaling Method option and turn it off. This should help you fix the low FPS issue.
Remove Core Parking
As Steam user acowsik explained, Mortal Kombat 1 is a CPU-heavy game. Removing core parking can fix this issue for you. Here’s how you can do it:
- Press the Windows + R keys together to open the Run Command Box.
- Type “regedit” and hit enter.
- Click on the first search option to open the Registry Editor. You may need to select Yes on a UAC prompt for this.
- Navigate to the following directory: “Computer\ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Control\ Power\ PowerSettings“.
- Right-click on this PowerSettings folder.
- Search and open dec35c318583.
- Double-click on ValueMax and set it to 0. After this, restart your PC.
- This should disable your CPU Core Parking. Now, run MK1 and see if the FPS drops continue to occur.
Try the 60 FPS Patch
Steam user Ashy Slashy also claimed that they fixed the FPS drop issue by using the MK1 60 FPS patch from GitHub. However, after the June 18, 2024, update, this patch wasn’t really needed. You can still download and use it to see if it works for you. But, as Steam user acowsik pointed out, using the 60 FPS patch can lead to certain graphical glitches. So, you have to be cautious with that.
Turn off Auto Replay
If you’re using an Nvidia GPU, you need to turn off the Auto Replay option to fix the FPS drop issue, as Steam user Half-A.L.F. shared. Also, try disabling Nvidia Overlay and Nvidia Shadowplay and see if it works.
Change Windows Power Settings
- Press the Windows + R keys together to open the Run Command Box.
- Type the “ms-settings:System” command and hit enter. This should open the Windows Settings.
- Go to Power & Battery.
- Open Power Mode and change it to Balanced or Power Saver.
- Save the changes, and if needed, restart your PC.
- Run the game and see if the issue persists.
Disable E-Cores
Multiple players shared that disabling the efficiency cores on Intel processors helped solve the FPS drop issue for them. However, motherboard manufacturers don’t really recommend changing this setting. What you can do is use the Process Lasso software to restrict e-cores for MK1. Open Process Lasso, and right-click on MK12.exe under Processes. Then, select CPU Affinity > Always > Select. Uncheck the e-cores from the dialog box and click on OK to save your changes. Then, run Mortal Kombat 1 and see if the FPS drop continues.
Close Logitech G Hub from Background
Steam user Artemis Zane shared that if you have Logitech G Hub running in the background, it’ll interfere with MK1 and cause FPS drops. So, close the process from the Task Manager and see if it solves the issue for you.
Reinstall the Game
If nothing has worked so far for you, the last option is to reinstall the game. Uninstall the game and then install it again on a different SSD drive. See if this fixes the issue.
Well, these are all the workarounds worth trying if you’re experiencing the FPS drop issue in Mortal Kombat 1. Hopefully, you can fix the problem by following the workarounds we shared in this guide. If these workarounds don’t work for you, then you’ll have to wait for an official fix. That said, if you found this guide insightful and informative, stay tuned to DigiStatement for more such gaming content and information!
