Compare the whole target, including upscaling

A minimum-spec result at native 1080p is a different test from the upscaled target. Keep resolution, preset and rendering mode together when comparing a video, a friend's PC or your own result with the store listing. The full component lists are on our PC requirements page.

Treat the target as a starting point for a test on your machine. Reaching it in a quiet area does not tell you what happens during the part of a match where you noticed the problem.

Read the symptom before changing graphics

Use the visible symptom to choose what to measure.

What you seeWhat to recordA useful next test
Camera movement is consistently choppy and FPS stays lowResolution, preset and GPU readingLower the rendering resolution temporarily and compare a similar scene.
The game is generally fluid but pauses for a momentThe FPS graph around the pause and the action immediately before itRepeat that action if practical; note whether it happens only on first entry or keeps recurring.
The camera stays fluid while players jump or movement is correctedServer or region, time, and whether FPS changes at the same instantCheck service reports and compare another available server before changing image quality.
The application closes or the PC restartsExact message and the last successful screenUse the crash diagnosis.

A lower-resolution test is evidence only when the surrounding scene is comparable. If the number barely changes, that is a reason to stop lowering image quality and gather more information. It does not prove that the CPU is responsible.

Use Steam's monitor to capture the bad moment

Valve places its performance overlay in Steam Settings → In Game. It can show an FPS history graph and CPU, GPU and memory information, with more detailed views available for diagnosis. Some readings depend on the platform and hardware. EVIDENCE / 02Valve: Steam In-Game Performance MonitorOpen source (opens in a new tab)

Capture one screenshot during ordinary movement and another when the problem occurs. Keep the same overlay detail level for both. Write down the game build, graphics preset, output resolution and any rendering mode you selected, so another player can understand the comparison.

If the monitor distinguishes actual game frames from generated frames, retain both readings. Valve explains that the overlay can separate those numbers; a single headline FPS number can leave out that distinction. This describes the monitoring tool, without assuming a particular frame-generation option exists in your WARDOGS build. EVIDENCE / 02Valve: Steam In-Game Performance MonitorOpen source (opens in a new tab)

Decide whether a change helped

A useful change survives a second comparison. Return to the original option after trying the new value. If both runs now perform similarly, the first improvement may have come from a quieter fight or a different view.

Keep a short record: original value, new value, observed difference, and whether aiming or visibility became worse. Use the settings tuning guide once you have a repeatable performance symptom.

If the slowdown still recurs without a clear setting response, preserve the screenshots and describe the trigger in a report through WARDOGS' official community channels. Include whether it follows a particular location or action. A report that says “the pause happens each time I enter this building” gives the developers something more specific to investigate than a best FPS number.