Have you tried Destiny 2 on PC? Have you encountered the frustrating problem of “Destiny 2 frame drops”? Fear not, because we’ve got you covered. In this article from NewsPivot, we’ll outline several solutions to enhance your gaming experience. Let’s dive in.
Destiny 2 is a first-person shooter developed by Bungie, which is a massively multiplayer online game. Players can experience a variety of PVE and PVP modes. The Windows version of the game was released on the Steam online store in 2019, so Destiny 2 on PC will need to be logged in using the Steam client.
With Bungie and Activision discontinuing their partnership and being limited by Bungie’s own technology, the game still has a number of issues.
One of the most common problems that players complain about is “Destiny 2 frame drops”. Even now, this issue still occurs frequently. Here is the report from a PC player:
Frequent FPS drops and stuttering: After the last update, my game seems to have very frequent stuttering and massive FPS drops for a few seconds. Previously I did not face this at all and it used to run smoothly. Is it only me who's facing this? Other games run fine. Even in low graphics mode, this issue occurs. Can someone help me?steamcommunity.com
What Causes Destiny 2 FPS Drops?
It should be terrible when you play Destiny 2 and then frames are dropping or unstable. So now, let’s explore the reasons.
- Incorrect game settings: “Destiny 2 stuttering” may be caused by incorrect game settings. Proper game settings will give you a good gaming experience. However, incorrect game settings may lead to insufficient game performance, screen freezes, or even game crashes.
- Graphics driver problem: If the graphics driver has some issues or is outdated, Destiny 2’s frame rate may drop.
- Improper configuration: Basically, a large game will have configuration requirements. Destiny 2 is not the exception. If your computer configuration is insufficient or your computer configuration is poor, it’s likely to cause “Destiny 2 FPS drops” when you force your computer to run the game.
- Slow hard drive: Game load times may increase if you install Destiny 2 on a slower HDD. Then you may encounter problems like Destiny 2 being stuck on the loading screen, not launching, or FPS dropping.
- Game bugs and errors: It’s not unusual to have bugs after a game update, especially after a big update. These bugs may cause “Destiny 2 frame drops”.
- Third-party apps or other processes: If any third-party apps or services create conflicts, you may not be able to play this game smoothly. Also, if third-party software or processes take up too many GPU resources, the game will not run smoothly.
- Overheating: Excessive head buildup within your computer can cause performance throttling, leading to “Destiny 2 frame drops on PC”.
- Network issues: Poor internet connection or server issues can result in lag and frame drops, especially in multiplayer or online mode. You can check the internet connection to solve this problem.
How to Improve Destiny 2 Gaming Experience?
Now you may understand the reasons why Destiny 2 frame drops, and then, we’ll show you how to deal with this issue.
Run Destiny 2 as Administrator
Sometimes, the Destiny 2 frame drops or stutters because of insufficient permissions. To avoid privilege issues, you can operate as the following steps:
- Right-click on the game exe file or shortcut file on your PC, then select Properties.
- Go to the Compatibility tab.
- Tick Run this program as an administrator.
- Click on Apply, and then select OK to save these changes.
Close the Background Tasks
There is a possibility that you may open too many apps in the background, and you haven’t realized. As an old game, Destiny 2 requires more GPU than CPU. It means that if your GPU doesn’t have a lot of memory, it’s very difficult to play Destiny 2 with multiple apps open in the background. And it’s very likely to decrease the game performance.
On this occasion, you should right-click the Start menu and open Task Manager.
Then, find those apps or processes you won’t use under Processes.
Right-click on each of them and choose End Task.
After doing that, Destiny 2 may have more GPU to use, and the issue should have been improved.
Select the High-Performance Power Option
Currently, Windows has several performance modes, and we tend to use the balanced mode in our daily use of computers. For some high-load scenarios, such as playing Destiny 2 or other games, we should choose high-performance mode. Now let’s see how to choose it:
Step 1: Press Win + X and select Power Options.
Step 2: Click on Additional power settings.

Step 3: Choose Create a power plan.

Step 4: Select High performance and type the Plan name then click Next.

Step 5: Choose the desired settings and then select Create.

When you finish the above steps, the power plan should have been activated. Now, open Destiny 2 to see the improvement.
Enable the Game Mode
There is also the game mode in Windows 10/11 that can optimize your gaming experience. Follow the steps below to enable the game mode:
Step 1: Press Win + I to open Settings.
Step 2: Find Gaming and select it.

Step 3: Move on to the Game Mode tab, then switch the button under Game Mode to On.

Now, your Windows system will start calling more resources to improve game performance.
Verify the Integrity of Game Files
Incomplete game files may cause the game to drop frames or freeze. In this case, you need to log in to the Steam client to verify the integrity of the game files. And Steam will automatically download and replace the corrupted or missing game files.
Clear the Game Cache
Although game cache files can speed up game loading, they can sometimes cause issues like “Destiny 2 drops frames on PC”. To clear it, you can do like this:
- Open Run by pressing Win + R, then copy and paste %appdata% in the text box.
- Click OK.
- Find and open the Bungie folder.
- Delete the DestinyPC folder.
Update Destiny 2
As mentioned above, Bungie is no longer cooperating with Activision, which means they have to maintain their server and games themselves. After a major update, new bugs are sometimes found by players. If it is a minor issue, it may only need a hotfix, and sometimes you will need to download a new update pack. Usually, Steam will update your game instead of updating it yourself. But there is an update available, do it.
Upgrade Your Graphics Card Driver
It’s recommended that you upgrade your graphics card driver to ensure your games can run properly. Here is the tutorial:
First, search for Device Manager in the search bar at the bottom of your screen and open it.

Second, open Display adapters and right-click the dedicated graphics card name, then choose Update driver.

Make Sure Destiny 2 Meets System Requirements
Insufficient or poor hardware configuration is an important factor that can greatly harm your gaming experience. Here are the system requirements for Destiny 2, including Windows OS, processor, storage, and more. You can check if your device fits.
Be careful, you may be working with damaged hardware, and you should also physically inspect them.

Reinstall Destiny 2 on an SSD
If you install Destiny 2 in an HDD, since the HDD read speed is slow, it is likely to cause “Destiny 2 frame drops”. If conditions permit, you can upgrade your HDD to an SSD, then download and install Destiny 2 to the newly installed SSD. To reinstall the game, you may follow the steps below:
- Open Steam and select Library.
- Find Destiny 2 and right-click it, then choose Uninstall.
- Install the game again by clicking on the Install button.
- Choose a location located in an SSD and click on Next.
- Wait for the installation process to finish.
After finishing these steps, you can open Destiny 2 again and have a nice gaming experience.
Bottom Line
Since you have finished reading this passage, you should already know the methods to fix Destiny 2 low FPS performance. These methods are also similar to the same issue that happens in other games. Hope you have a nice gaming experience.