Marvel Rivals is an Unreal Engine 5 hero shooter that leaves Lumen global illumination and Lumen reflections enabled by default on most presets, and that single decision explains the majority of low-FPS complaints. Lumen is a real-time GI system designed for cinematic single-player games; in a match with twelve heroes, destructible buildings and screen-filling ultimates, it costs a large and uneven share of GPU time. The second UE5 trait at work is shader compilation: the game compiles on launch and after every patch, and if you queue before it finishes you will see low and stuttery frame rates for the whole match. The third is CPU load, because destruction and ability logic run on the game thread and NetEase’s anti-cheat runs alongside it. So the first three fixes here are about turning Lumen down, letting shaders finish and separating GPU from CPU limits, in that order. Your settings live in GameUserSettings.ini under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Marvel\Saved\Config\Windows, and that file is worth backing up before you begin in 2026.
- Likely Causes
- Fix 1: Turn Lumen off
- Fix 2: Let shader compilation finish
- Fix 3: Use an upscaler instead of native resolution
- Fix 4: Check whether you are CPU-bound
- Fix 5: Force the discrete GPU on laptops
- Fix 6: Fix the frame limit and V-Sync
- Fix 7: Disable overlays and background load
- Fix 8: Update the GPU driver
- Fix 9: Reset GameUserSettings.ini
- If Nothing Works
- FAQ
Quick answer: Our top pick in 2026 is the Lumen global illumination and reflections enabled — our #1 rated choice. See the full ranked comparison, alternatives and buying advice below.
Likely Causes
| Cause | How to confirm | Fix difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Lumen global illumination and reflections enabled | FPS jumps when Global Illumination is set to SSGI or Off | Easy |
| Shader compilation still running | Low, stuttery FPS right after a patch; improves over a session | Wait it out |
| Rendering resolution too high for the GPU | Lower Super Resolution mode or scale restores FPS | Easy |
| CPU-bound on game thread and anti-cheat | GPU usage well under 100 percent; CPU high in fights | Moderate |
| Laptop running on the integrated GPU | Task Manager shows the discrete GPU idle | Easy |
| Frame rate limit or V-Sync capping output | FPS pinned at a fixed value below what hardware can do | Easy |
| Overlays and background applications | FPS improves with Discord, Afterburner and Game Bar off | Easy |
| Outdated GPU driver | Driver predates the current season | Moderate |
Fix 1: Turn Lumen off
How to check
Open Settings, Display, Graphics Settings. Find Global Illumination and Reflection Quality. If either reads Lumen (Low, High or Ultra), that is where your frame time is going. Enable the in-game performance stats or your GPU overlay and toggle Global Illumination between Lumen and SSGI while standing in the practice range.
What to do
Set Global Illumination to SSGI (screen-space, much cheaper) or Off, and Reflection Quality to Screen Space Reflections or Off. Lighting looks slightly flatter, but visibility of enemies is unaffected and most mid-range GPUs gain a large amount of headroom. Set Post-Processing to Medium and Effects Detail to Medium as well; both spike during ultimates.
How to undo it
Return Global Illumination and Reflection Quality to their Lumen options.
Fix 2: Let shader compilation finish
How to check
On launch after a patch or driver update, the game compiles shaders in the background, sometimes with a visible progress indicator and sometimes only as high CPU usage in Task Manager. Queuing during that period produces low FPS and hitching for the entire match.
What to do
Wait at the main menu until CPU usage settles, then play a round in the practice range with a few heroes before queuing. If compilation seems stuck, close the game, delete Steam\steamapps\shadercache\2767030 and %LOCALAPPDATA%\NVIDIA\DXCache or %LOCALAPPDATA%\AMD\DxCache, and relaunch.
How to undo it
Not applicable; caches rebuild.
Fix 3: Use an upscaler instead of native resolution
How to check
In Graphics Settings, look at Super Resolution Mode and the Rendering Resolution slider. Rendering at native 1440p or 4K with UE5’s feature set is beyond most GPUs at high frame rates.
What to do
Set Super Resolution to DLSS (NVIDIA RTX), FSR (AMD and others) or XeSS (Intel) in Quality or Balanced mode, which renders internally at a lower resolution and reconstructs. If your card supports it, Frame Generation can be enabled once base frame rate is comfortably above 60; below that it adds latency without helping the feel. Pair it with NVIDIA Reflex or the Low Latency Mode option.
How to undo it
Set Super Resolution to Off and Rendering Resolution to 100.
Fix 4: Check whether you are CPU-bound
How to check
Watch GPU usage during a team fight. If it sits at 60 to 80 percent while FPS is low, the CPU is the bottleneck. Marvel Rivals’ destruction system and anti-cheat both consume game-thread time, and six-core and older processors feel it.
What to do
Lower Model Detail and Foliage Quality, which reduce draw calls, and set Shadow Detail to Medium. Set Windows power mode to Best performance and enable Game Mode. Close background applications and browsers. Update BIOS and chipset drivers so hybrid CPUs schedule the game thread on performance cores.
How to undo it
Raise the settings and return the power mode to Balanced.
Fix 5: Force the discrete GPU on laptops
How to check
Open Task Manager, Performance, and watch both GPU entries while the game runs. If the integrated GPU is busy and the discrete one is idle, Windows chose the wrong adapter.
What to do
Windows Settings, System, Display, Graphics. Add Marvel-Win64-Shipping.exe from Steam\steamapps\common\MarvelRivals\MarvelGame\Marvel\Binaries\Win64 and set it to High performance. Restart the game.
How to undo it
Remove the entry or set it back to “Let Windows decide.”
Fix 6: Fix the frame limit and V-Sync
How to check
In Display settings, check Frame Rate Limit and V-Sync. A limit left at 60 from an earlier setup, or V-Sync fighting an adaptive-sync monitor, both cap output below what the hardware can do.
What to do
Set Frame Rate Limit to your refresh rate or slightly above. On G-Sync or FreeSync monitors, turn in-game V-Sync off and enable it in the driver control panel. Enable Reflex if available.
How to undo it
Restore the previous limit and V-Sync values.
Fix 7: Disable overlays and background load
How to check
Discord’s overlay, the NVIDIA App overlay, RivaTuner, Xbox Game Bar and browser tabs all compete with a game that is already CPU-heavy.
What to do
Turn off each overlay and Game Bar background recording. Close browsers and streaming apps. Test in the practice range with the performance stats visible.
How to undo it
Re-enable each item you want back.
Fix 8: Update the GPU driver
How to check
Compare the driver date with the current season’s release. UE5 performance depends heavily on driver-side optimization, and new seasons usually coincide with driver profiles.
What to do
Install the current driver with the clean installation option, reboot, and repeat Fix 2 because a driver update triggers recompilation.
How to undo it
Roll back through Device Manager or install the previous version.
Fix 9: Reset GameUserSettings.ini
How to check
If settings appear not to apply, or your frame rate is well below players with similar hardware, stale values in the config may be forcing hidden options.
What to do
Close the game. Rename %LOCALAPPDATA%\Marvel\Saved\Config\Windows\GameUserSettings.ini to .bak. Launch to regenerate defaults, then rebuild your settings using Fixes 1 and 3. Some players edit this file to force lower scalability values than the menu allows; if you did that in the past, be aware that the anti-cheat treats certain edits as unsupported, and the menu settings are the safe path.
How to undo it
Delete the regenerated file and restore the backup.
If Nothing Works
Establish a baseline in the practice range with the Low preset, Global Illumination Off, and DLSS or FSR in Balanced mode. If that runs well, walk settings back up one at a time until you find the cost that matters on your hardware. If even the baseline is poor, verify game files in Steam, test a fresh Windows user account, and check thermals; laptops in particular throttle under UE5 loads. If a season update brought the drop and many players report it, the cause is likely engine-side and the next patch is the realistic fix.
FAQ
Does turning Lumen off make it harder to see enemies?
No. Lumen affects indirect lighting and reflections, not character visibility. Many competitive players run SSGI or Off.
Why is my FPS low right after a patch?
Shaders are recompiling. Wait at the menu and warm up in the practice range before queuing.
Is Frame Generation worth using?
Only when your base frame rate is already above 60. Below that it adds latency and does not make the game feel faster.
Can I run Marvel Rivals in DirectX 11?
The game is built around DirectX 12 for Lumen and Nanite support, and no supported switch exists. Lowering Lumen and using an upscaler is the intended path.
Ready to decide? Our #1 pick for 2026 is the Lumen global illumination and reflections enabled.
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