The Elden Ring release date has finally arrived, yet with it, an assortment of PC performance issues have many in the community negatively reviewing the game out of spite and anger. Steam alone has a 60% positive rating with a general "Mixed" on overall reviewer feedback, which paints an otherwise ugly picture for a game that has been hailed as an utter masterpiece relatively across the board.
Oh wow the PC version has a genuinely very bad problem. This is my first time seeing it myself. I mean it will get patched but it’s a hell of a thing for sure. https://t.co/vGt7SmtEdX
— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) February 24, 2022
In addressing these surmounting concerns, FromSoftware voiced forthcoming patches in a Tweet posted on Friday, Feb. 25. No, not Trusty Patches or Patches the Hyena, genuine updates to Elden Ring that should, hopefully, amend the stuttering on PC. In its own words, FromSoftware relays:
"We are currently experiencing some issues that are preventing the game from playing properly under some conditions. We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause and ask for your patience."
Several items on the docket that needs addressing, according to FromSoft, are:
- Mouse sensitivity on PC will be amended shortly, or "in the near future."
- Easy Anti-Cheat launch failing due to users' Steam names having specific characters, such as kanji.
- Framerate drops and various performance woes on PC, which FromSoft says it will be "constantly working to improve the game" across a multitude of "PC environments and platforms." The company does highlight potentially upgrading GPU drivers for more stable gameplay, which can be found either on Nvidia's, AMD's, or your specific GPU provider's site.
- Save file data not working as expected on PlayStation 5. FromSoft details that turning off or setting the console in rest mode mid-gaming may cause data not to save properly, which the company is working to patch. In the meantime, FromSoft says to save and exit out of the game as one normally would via "Quit Game" in the system menu.
Despite these flaws and the review bombing, FromSoftware's open-world epic still has amassed the most praise awarded a game since the arrival of Red Dead Redemption 2 and Zelda: Breath of the Wild, marking it as among the most heralded experiences to hit the industry in nearly a decade. Throughout various articles, specifically PC-based, writers noted the stuttering but highlighted that it didn't get in the way of the action at all.
In our Elden Ring review playthrough, we did experience some hiccups here and there, minor stuttering and framerate drop on PC, but nothing too game-breaking. All it really comes down to is tweaking some graphics settings depending on the rig and, of course, waiting for more word from FromSoft on any additional patches.
Most PC reviews scattered across Steam note that these issues have suddenly arisen following the most recent day one patch of 1.02, which may or may not be worse than what was experienced by reviewers (who played the game on 1.01). Many people who played the game early rely on Twitter. The best place to experience Elden Ring is on PS5. It is markedly the most favorite platform iteration on review aggregator sites, like Metacritic.
While this is unfortunate on the launch day of all days, it seemingly has not slowed the behemoth down. From amassing nearly a million views on Twitch to having a record-shattering player count on Steam for a FromSoft debut, it's clear Elden Ring has not only met the hype but has smashed cleanly through the ceiling of anticipation. In all, while still only launch day, and even with the performance hiccups and woes, Elden Ring may well already be one of the best games ever made.
Hopefully, FromSoft can patch the game in due time so the masses can experience this impeccable title without minor drawbacks.
