Prey PC Errors and Fixes: Stuttering, Lag, Freezes, Crash To Desktop, And More

As Arkane promised, the PC version of Prey is great. It doesn’t suffer from nearly as many issues as the PC version of Dishonored 2 did, and is generally well optimized, with very little in the way of problems that impede your enjoyment. Still, given how complex and multilayered this game is, and coupled with the sheer number of permutations and combinations there are for PC builds, you can still run into issues. That’s where we come in- in this guide, we walk you through some of the most common PC errors and fixes for Prey.

But first, the specifications:

MINIMUM:
OS: Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit versions)
Processor: Intel i5-2400, AMD FX-8320
Memory: 8GB RAM
Graphics: GTX 660 2GB, AMD Radeon 7850 2GB
Storage: 20 GB available space

RECOMMENDED:
OS: Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit versions)
Processor: Intel i7-2600K, AMD FX-8350
Memory: 16GB RAM
Graphics: GTX 970 4GB, AMD R9 290 4GB
Storage: 20 GB available space

Please be advised that the following methods are to be used at the sole discretion of the system owner. GamingBolt or its staff members take no responsibility for problems that may arise or issues that may occur from trying the below. Always remember that official support is always the best support.

GENERAL FIXES

Generally speaking, some basic troubleshooting tips should always help you resolve whatever issue you are facing with the PC version of any game. The same holds true of Prey as well. If you are running into problems, maybe first attempt the following steps, and if they don’t work out, look into some of the more specific fixes we have below.

Make sure the drivers on your PC are updated
If you have two GPUs, make sure you are using the discrete GPU instead of the integrated one
Set Prey‘s priority to High in the Task Manager
Turn off any background programs, including firewalls, chat clients, video recorders, and overlays
Try lowering visual settings on the game to see if that improves game performance

FRAMERATE, LAG, AND STUTTER

Set priority of Prey to High in Task Manager

CRASH TO DESKTOP

Verify Steam cache
Update your drivers
Check your save file for corruption

CHANGING FOV

Go to your save game folder
Find Config.ini and open it in Notepad
Find cl_hfov = 85.5656. This value can be changed to up to 120

GAME FREEZING

Turn off V-Sync
Play in Windowed mode
Turn off triple buffering
Cap framerate at 120fps
Turn off all background applications

Note: Given that the wide range of PC hardware out there, the fixes mentioned here may or may not work for you. But it’s worth giving them a shot since these have worked for players who own the PC version of Prey.