Classify the symptom
Determine whether the problem is low overall FPS, scene-specific slow frames or network symptoms such as rubber-banding. Different symptoms require different evidence, not the same cleanup routine.
Troubleshooting & recovery
Frame-drop troubleshooting
Separate sustained low FPS, intermittent stutter and connectivity issues, forming hypotheses around caches, GPU selection and runtime conditions. Remediation should follow evidence; cache clearing is not a universal FPS boost.
Mechanisms and technical considerations
Cache lifecycle
Shader caches reuse prepared results. Clearing them requires rebuilding and may worsen initial stutter. Target suspected cache issues and evaluate rebuilding separately from steady operation.
Execution path and dependencies
Check the executable, GPU selection, runtime libraries and driver state. Missing dependencies, wrong paths and performance bottlenecks are distinct; passing a check does not rule out every cause of frame drops.
Validation method
- Record timing, scene and recent changes, checking whether a tuning or driver change preceded the issue.
- Act only on evidence-related items, close the game first and record outcomes.
- Retest after required restarts or cache rebuilding. Roll back relevant changes and continue targeted investigation if necessary.