You have a high refresh rate monitor and you expect to play games in high FPS to make use of your setup. The problem is, sometimes the game locks itself to frames lower than what your system is capable of. That being said, for some Path of Exile 2 players, the FPS is locked at 60. So, if you are encountering a similar issue, you might be wondering whether there is any fix yet for this issue, right? Well, in this guide, we have shared all the details regarding the same.
The issue is simple: the FPS in Path of Exile 2 is locked at 60 and for some, even at 45 and 30, making the game feel stuttery. Also, don’t think that this is related to your system’s GPU, as even those with powerful 40-series GPUs have faced the same problem. Being in early access, issues like these are expected. The important thing is a fix. But is a fix available? More information is shared below.
Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) FPS Locked at 60 Issue: Is there any fix yet
The game is still a work in progress as the developers are focusing on ironing all the bugs out, but as of writing this guide, there is no update on this issue. That leaves you with some player-suggested fixes that could do the job. Here are some of those potential fixes.
Basic Restarts
Before you try any other potential fixes, the simplest fix to try is restarting your PC. This can help resolve temporary glitches or conflicts and often resets system resources, leading to improved game performance. Just restart your PC and check if the issue persists. It solved the issue for some so do give it a shot.
In Game Settings
Launch the game and either from the main menu or the pause menu, select Options. Next up, click on the Graphics tab and disable Vsync. Then lower the GPU-intensive settings like texture quality, shadows, etc. Most importantly, scroll down to the advanced settings section and make sure the FPS is not capped and the target frame rate is set to match that of your monitor’s refresh rate.
Update Drivers
A suggested fix is to update GPU drivers and update DLSS manually with a DLSS updater to use the latest version. After this, a restart of the PC will be required for the changes to take effect. Launch the game and see if this fixes the issue.
Don’t Cap FPS
If your FPS in Path of Exile 2 is unexpectedly capped, check your NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD display settings to ensure you haven’t inadvertently set a frame rate limit to run games on. Look under the “Manage 3D Settings” section (for NVIDIA) or “Graphics” settings (for AMD), and verify that options like V-Sync or FPS limits are disabled, or set a custom cap if needed.
Switch to DirectX 11
Another thing you can try is to switch to DirectX 11. You can do this by right-clicking the game in your Steam Library, selecting Properties, and entering -dx11 in the Launch Options under the General tab. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, you can adjust DirectX settings through the NVIDIA Control Panel or modify the game’s config files to force DirectX 11. Here is how you can modify the config file.
PCle workaround
A bit advanced workaround is switching PCIe to x16 mode for both your SSD and GPU, which can significantly boost performance, achieving peaks of 200-300 FPS and stable 100 FPS in intense combat. To do this, enter your BIOS/UEFI settings during startup, navigate to the PCIe configuration under “Advanced” or “Chipset,” and set both GPU and SSD slots to x16 mode if supported. You might have to look at the steps up online for your specific motherboard.
Update BIOS
If your GPU, like a 4060, is stuck at PCIe x1 4.0, updating your BIOS can resolve the issue and allow the GPU to run at its full potential, such as x16. To do this, download the latest BIOS version from your motherboard manufacturer’s website, follow their specific instructions for your model, and update carefully. Since the steps vary by motherboard, check your user manual or look up a guide for your setup.
Remove PoE 1 from Steam Library (if already installed)
- For this workaround, remove Path of Exile 1 entirely from your Steam library.
- Open the NVIDIA Control Panel or GeForce Experience.
- Navigate to the section showing your games (e.g., Graphics or Manage 3D Settings).
- Select “Refresh Program Settings” for your game configurations and restart your PC.
This workaround has helped some players, but note that you may need to refresh the game settings and reset them every time before launching Path of Exile 2 to avoid FPS caps.
Physically reinstall GPU
If you’re facing FPS issues, check that your graphics card is installed in the correct PCIe slot on your motherboard—usually the primary x16 slot. Installing it in the proper slot can significantly boost performance, as using a lower-bandwidth slot can bottleneck your GPU. So, if you have a PC and the know-how of the port, remove the GPU and slot it in the other available PCle ports. Launch the game and see if this fixes the issue.
Change Buffering type
For those using low-end hardware to run PoE 2, changing the buffering type in your GPU settings can help. Triple buffering, which is more resource-intensive, may limit performance. Switch to double buffering or disable it entirely in your GPU configuration (e.g., NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD settings) to improve FPS and reduce capping issues.
Reinstall Drivers and Switch to Windowed mode
For this workaround, start by removing your current NVIDIA drivers, allowing Windows to reinstall them automatically, and then configuring the game to switch between DirectX 11 and DirectX 12. Start by uninstalling NVIDIA Experience and using DDU to remove all NVIDIA drivers. Restart your PC and let Windows automatically download the necessary drivers. Next, launch Path of Exile 2 in windowed mode, set it to DirectX 11, and restart the game. Afterward, switch to DirectX 12, restart your PC again, and open the game. This process can help resolve performance issues and ensure the game runs normally in DirectX 12.
Last resort
Finally, if nothing works out, as a last resort workaround, check if an update is available for Path of Exile 2 and install it, as updates often fix bugs and improve performance. If no update is available, try reinstalling the game on an SSD, as it can significantly improve load times and overall performance, especially if the game was previously installed on a slower drive.
Well, those are all the potential fixes that could help you fix the capped FPS issue in Path of Exile 2. We hope this guide has been helpful. Now before you leave, don’t forget to bookmark DigiStatement for more guides and news like this on all the latest gaming trends. Also, click here to know how you can fix the Kernelbase.dll error in Path of Exile 2.
