Watch Dogs: Legion has only been out for a few hours, but players are reporting some serious performance issues. On PS4 and Xbox One, the game chugs along — and PC players aren’t having much luck either. If you’re trying to kick your computer into high-gear and get better performance, there’s a few tricks you can use that are exclusive to this game… and to the annoying Ubisoft Launcher.
The graphics settings in Watch Dogs: Legion are also pretty confusing, with some options that aren’t totally clear if you’re a casual gamer. Here I’ll break down exactly what settings you want, what you might need to download to improve performance, and what needs to be disabled. This is a pretty advanced game that’s coming out right on the cusp of next generation hardware, and even the most powerful video cards like the new Nvidia 3080 can’t run this game at full settings. Yes, really.
How To Disable BattlEye Launcher
In Uplay or on Steam, you can disable the BattlEye Launcher to improve performance. BattlEye is an anti-cheat service, but this is a singleplayer game so there’s no reason to have it enabled.
- Right-click on the game in your library.
- Go to Properties -> Launch Options -> Add [-BattlEyeLauncher]
This disables the BattlEye service from running at the same time as the game. BattlEye can cause crashes and poor performance.
Settings To Change For Improved FPS
Performance DLSS is a special setting designed to improve performance and make the game much sharper — but it lowers your total resolution by half. If you want to get a better look, you can boost resolution to 3440×1440 then turn on DLSS.
Performance DLSS can instantly double your FPS when enabled. Try DLSS Performance / DLSS Balanced for better performance.
Unfortunately, DLSS seems to currently be experiencing issues on 2000 series Nvidia cards. Check your GeForce Experience launcher for updates in the near future for improvements.
Improved Performance With Nvidia Cards
If you have an Nvidia Card, some players are getting improved performance through beta drivers. Beta drivers are early-release drivers that may be unstable, so enable this feature at your own risk. But these beta drivers are helping some players get much better performance in Watch Dogs: Legion — especially with DLSS.
- Open GeForce Experience
- Select “Enable Experimental Features”
You can download Geforce Experience here.
Basic Fixes For Constant Crashes
The following are just basic steps to take when experiencing constant crashes on PC. These fixes aren’t specific to Watch Dogs: Legion, but they may help you.
- Run the game in DirectX 11 (Disables Ray-tracing and DLSS)
- Check settings that effect your CPU load. Settings that increase CPU load to 100% may cause your computer to crash.
- Right-Click Game and Run As Administrator
- Update Drivers
- Restart PC
Try these fixes in order and see if they’re helping you. Many players report that DirectX 11 improves stability and helps increase FPS — so I recommend trying that first.
