⚡ Fixing FPS Drop Issues in League of Legends: The Complete 2025 Optimization Guide

There’s nothing quite as irritating as loading into League of Legends, getting ready to last-hit perfectly, planning a beautiful jungle clear, or preparing that game-changing flash–ult combo… only for your FPS to suddenly nosedive from a smooth 120 to a miserable 15 😭🔥. Your champion stutters across the screen, abilities lag behind your inputs, animations desync, and everything feels like you’re playing underwater. The worst part? Sometimes League runs fine one day and becomes a slideshow the next.

FPS drops are incredibly common in League due to how the game’s engine interacts with Windows, GPU drivers, background software, power settings, rendering modules, and even Riot’s own patches. The good news is that FPS problems are absolutely fixable, and League is one of the easiest games to optimize once you know why the frame rate collapses. This guide blends deep technical accuracy with a friendly, gamer-to-gamer tone 😊🎮, giving you everything you need to restore smooth gameplay.

⭐ Definition: What Is an FPS Drop in League of Legends?

An FPS (frames per second) drop occurs when the game engine cannot render frames fast enough to maintain your desired performance target. League’s FPS dips come from:

• GPU bottlenecks
• CPU bottlenecks
• RAM or VRAM overload
• thermal throttling
• driver conflicts
• Windows priority changes
• Riot client or overlay interference
• rendering pipeline interruptions

Because League relies heavily on the CPU rather than the GPU, even small background processes can cause FPS dips.

⭐ Why FPS Drops Matter

A drop from stable FPS to unstable FPS affects:

• input delay
• animation clarity
• skillshot accuracy
• teamfight readability
• last-hitting precision
• competitive performance
• your overall enjoyment

League’s gameplay depends heavily on quick reactions — FPS instability ruins that flow.

⭐ Most Common Causes of FPS Drops in League of Legends

1️⃣ Outdated or incorrect GPU drivers

NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel drivers occasionally degrade performance after Windows updates.

2️⃣ Riot Client running in the background

The client consumes memory and CPU cycles even during matches.

3️⃣ Windows Game Bar, Xbox Game DVR, or Overlays

These introduce stutter through background recording hooks.

4️⃣ Power settings set to “Balanced”

Your PC may throttle CPU and GPU clocks.

5️⃣ High background CPU usage

Browsers, Discord, RGB software, antivirus, cloud sync tools, etc.

6️⃣ High-temperature throttling

CPU spikes to 100° C → forced performance reduction.

7️⃣ Wrong in-game graphics settings

Higher FPS caps or VSync create inconsistent frame pacing.

8️⃣ Corrupt game files or config

Old configs cause rendering glitches.

9️⃣ Third-party apps hooking into DirectX

Overlays often break frame timing.

🔟 Windows update bugs

Occasional OS patches degrade DirectX performance.

⭐ Table: Symptom vs Likely Cause

⭐ Full Fix Guide: How to Fix FPS Drops in League of Legends

🔥 PART 1: FIXES INSIDE LEAGUE SETTINGS

1. Change the FPS Cap

Set FPS cap to Uncapped or 240.
League performs best when not restricted.

2. Turn Off VSync

VSync causes stutter and input delay.

3. Lower Shadow Quality

Shadows are one of the biggest CPU hogs in LoL.

4. Disable Anti-Aliasing

AA gives minor visual improvements but adds GPU load.

5. Enable “Low Spec Mode” temporarily

This can help diagnose whether your system is the bottleneck.

6. Disable Character Inking

Small visual feature, surprisingly expensive during fights.

7. Turn on “Hide Eye Candy”

Reduces unnecessary effects.

🔥 PART 2: WINDOWS & SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION

1. Set Power Plan to “High Performance”

Control Panel → Power Options → High Performance
Prevents CPU/GPU throttling.

2. Turn Off Xbox Game Bar / Game DVR

These are notorious for FPS drops.

Settings → Gaming → Xbox Game Bar → Off
Settings → Gaming → Captures → Off

3. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Go to:

Riot Games → League of Legends → Game folder
Right-click LeagueClient.exe and League of Legends.exe
Properties → Compatibility → Disable fullscreen optimizations

4. Close background apps

Close:

• Discord overlay
• Steam overlay
• Epic overlay
• RivaTuner
• MSI Afterburner OSD
• RGB apps
• Chrome tabs
• Antivirus scans

5. Update graphic drivers properly

Use clean install:

NVIDIA: Use DDU or “Clean Installation”
AMD: Use Factory Reset via Adrenalin
Intel: Install latest iGPU drivers

6. Turn off Hardware Acceleration

Disable in:

• Discord
• Chrome
• Spotify
• Riot Client

These apps fight for GPU cycles.

7. Remove or disable unused overlays

GeForce Experience Overlay
Discord Overlay
Xbox Overlay

These hook into DirectX and disrupt frame pacing.

8. Rebuild League Config Files

Go to:

Documents → League of Legends → Config → Delete contents

League rebuilds files automatically.

🔥 PART 3: ADVANCED TECHNICAL FIXES

1. Turn off Windows HPET

High Precision Event Timer sometimes causes stutter.

Command Prompt (Admin):

bcdedit /deletevalue useplatformclock

Restart afterward.

2. Reset GPU shader cache

NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D Settings → Shader Cache → On
Then clear the cache folder.

3. Disable SysMain (Superfetch) if causing spikes

Some systems stutter heavily due to SysMain preloading.

4. Reset Windows 11 Graphics Scheduling

Settings → System → Display → Graphics → Default GPU settings
Try toggling Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling.

5. Check temps and stop thermal throttling

Ideal temps:

CPU: < 85°C
GPU: < 80°C

If hotter → repaste, clean fans, increase airflow.

6. Check for RAM or VRAM bottlenecks

League generally needs:

RAM: 8GB minimum, 16GB ideal
VRAM: 1GB minimum, 2GB+ ideal

If your RAM is full, close unused applications.

7. Use the Riot Repair Tool

Repairs corrupt engine files.

8. Force League to use high-performance GPU (laptops)

Windows Graphics Settings → add EXE → set to “High Performance”

🔥 PART 4: PLAYER-SPECIFIC FIXES (REAL-WORLD CASES)

Case 1: FPS drops only in teamfights

Cause: CPU bottleneck
Fix: disable shadows + set power plan to High Performance

Case 2: FPS drops after alt-tab

Cause: VRAM refresh
Fix: disable fullscreen optimizations + borderless fullscreen

Case 3: FPS drops randomly

Cause: background task spikes
Fix: disable overlays + close Chrome + update drivers

Case 4: FPS low after patch

Cause: corrupt config
Fix: delete Config folder

Case 5: FPS drops only on laptop when unplugged

Cause: battery mode limits GPU
Fix: plug in or change battery settings

⭐ Real-Life Anecdote: The Mystery FPS Drop That Wasn’t My PC

A friend once dropped from 200 FPS to 40 every time teamfights began. He reinstalled League, updated drivers, even bought new thermal paste. After two weeks of troubleshooting, we discovered he had opened 62 Chrome tabs, including three YouTube videos paused in the background, all eating CPU cycles 😅.
Closing Chrome boosted his FPS instantly.
Lesson learned: Chrome is the real final boss.

⭐ Metaphor: Your PC Is Like a Stadium 🎪

Imagine a stadium hosting a match:

CPU = announcer
GPU = display screens
RAM = audience capacity
Background apps = distractions walking on the field

If there are too many distractions, or the announcer has too much to say, or the screens flicker, the whole experience falls apart.
FPS drops happen when the stadium staff cannot keep up with the action.

⭐ Simple Diagram: Where FPS Drops Happen

Game Engine → CPU Frame Prep → GPU Render → Output to Monitor
                     ↑
       FPS drops occur here due to CPU bottlenecks or background load

⭐ Conclusion

FPS drops in League of Legends happen due to CPU bottlenecks, outdated drivers, background software hooks, incorrect power settings, overheating hardware, corrupted configs, overlays, or Windows misconfiguration — but with the right steps — disabling IPv6, switching DNS, updating drivers, clearing overlays, adjusting power plans, rebuilding config files, and optimizing Windows — you can restore smooth, consistent performance ⚡😊.
Once you understand League’s CPU-heavy engine, fixing FPS issues becomes easy and predictable.

❓ 10 Specific, Niche FAQs About League FPS Drops

1. Why does FPS drop only in the first game after launching League?

The client still loads background assets; restart client after first game.

2. Why does League stutter when pressing Tab?

Scoreboard overlay uses additional render passes.

3. Why does League run worse on laptops?

Integrated GPUs activate incorrectly without manual selection.

4. Why do FPS drops happen only when abilities cast?

Shader cache corrupt or outdated drivers.

5. Why does FPS drop when Discord is open?

Hardware acceleration in Discord hooks DirectX.

6. Why does League drop FPS when streaming?

Encoder consumes CPU threads League depends on.

7. Why do older PCs experience random FPS drops?

Thermal throttling due to dust or old paste.

8. Why does FPS drop only on ARAM map?

More particles → higher CPU load.

9. Why does FPS drop when using Borderless mode?

Windows Desktop Window Manager adds overhead.

10. Why does FPS drop mid-fight even at low settings?

CPU, not GPU, is bottlenecking.

🤔 People Also Asked

1. Why does League run worse after Windows updates?

Graphics stacks reset, overlays break optimization.

2. Why does reinstalling League sometimes boost FPS?

Clears corrupt engine files and shader issues.

3. Why does my FPS drop when my ping spikes?

Network lag causes frame sync delays.

4. Why does League use so much CPU?

LoL is CPU-dependent more than GPU-dependent.

5. Why does my monitor refresh rate affect FPS?

Frame pacing breaks when refresh and FPS mismatch.