How to Fix Killing Floor 3 Lagging, Stuttering, and Low FPS

By Ambar Jimenez | 2025-07-30 09:19:14
Killing Floor 3, the latest installment in the co-op action/horror franchise, is now available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. As with many new releases, players are reporting several technical issues, including frustrating lagging, stuttering, and low FPS. These problems can make the fast-paced gameplay feel unplayable. Fortunately, the community has identified several workarounds that can help improve performance and provide a smoother experience.

Fixing Lagging, Stuttering, and Low FPS Issues in Killing Floor 3

Here is a comprehensive guide to potential solutions for these performance issues.

1. Turn Off Lumen

One of the most frequently recommended solutions is to disable Lumen, Unreal Engine 5's real-time global illumination and reflections system. While it provides excellent visual quality, it can be poorly optimized and very demanding on hardware.
  • Go to Settings > Graphics in the game's menu.
  • Find the Global Illumination or Lumen option.
  • Change the setting from Lumen to None.
  • Save the changes and relaunch the game.

2. Set Shadows to Low

If disabling Lumen doesn't fully resolve the issue, lowering the shadow quality can also provide a significant performance boost without a major impact on visual fidelity. Many players have reported gaining around 20 FPS by setting shadows to low, especially when combined with turning off Lumen.
  • Go to Settings > Graphics.
  • Find the Shadow Quality setting.
  • Set it to Low.
  • Save the changes and relaunch the game.

3. Enable DLSS (or FSR/TSR)


For players with NVIDIA GPUs, enabling DLSS (Deep Learning SuperSampling) can dramatically increase your frame rate. DLSS uses AI torender frames at a lower resolution and then intelligently upscale them, resulting in a significant FPS gain with minimal visual degradation.Players with mid-range GPUs like the RTX 3060 have reported smoothframerates of 60–100 FPS with DLSS enabled and Lumen off.

  • Go to Settings > Graphics or Video.
  • Find the Upscaling Method or DLSS option.
  • Enable it and select one of the following modes:

    • Performance: Best for systems with very low FPS.
    • Balanced: A good middle ground between visuals and performance.
    • Quality: Provides the best visuals with a decent FPS boost.
  • Save the changes and relaunch the game.
  • Note: If you have an AMD or other GPU, you can use similar upscaling technologies like FSR or TSR if they are available in the game's settings.

4. Close Unnecessary Background Applications

Running intense online games like Killing Floor 3 requires significant system resources. Having unnecessary applicationsrunning in the background can consume CPU, GPU, and RAM, leading toperformance issues.

  • Open your Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc on PC).
  • Close any applications that are not essential for gameplay, such as web browsers, streaming software, or Discord.

5. Use Medium or High Settings Instead of All-Low

Counterintuitively, setting all graphics options to the lowest possible settings may notalways improve performance in games built on Unreal Engine 5. Someplayers have found that a mix of settings can provide better performance and visuals.

  • Keep Lumen Off and Shadows Low.
  • Set Textures, Effects, and Post Processing to Medium or High.
  • Keep Foliage Quality at Low or Medium.
  • Save your settings and relaunch the game.

Additional Tips

  • Update Graphics Drivers: Ensure your GPU drivers are up-to-date. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intelfrequently release new drivers with optimizations for the latest gamereleases.
  • Check Your Internet Connection: If youare experiencing "lag" as a result of poor network performance (highping, packet loss) rather than low FPS, ensure you have a stableinternet connection. Using a wired Ethernet connection is recommendedover Wi-Fi.
  • Verify Game Files: Corrupted ormissing game files can cause a variety of performance issues. Use yourgame client's built-in feature (e.g., Steam's "Verify Integrity of GameFiles") to check for and repair any problems.
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