9 Fixes for Dead Island 2 Not Using GPU

Recently launched, Dead Island 2 is an action role-playing video game by Dambuster Studios and Deep Silver that offers a stunning, vibrant, and gore kind of gameplay experience with zombies. After the release of Dead Island back in 2011, Dead Island 2 is another major title in the Dead Island series. Players love this game due to the improved characters, zombie blood-flooding gore, better physics, and more. Though the title has received positive reviews on Epic Games, some players complain that Dead Island 2 is Not Using GPU on the PC.

Dead Island 2 is not a new video game that encounters low GPU (graphics processing unit) usage on the Windows computer during startup and gameplay sessions. It seems that most PC games do have some stability issues or bugs with the Windows system as well as PC hardware optimization at a certain level which eventually triggers multiple conflicts such as lags, stutters, graphical glitches, frame drops, 100% CPU usage, and so not using GPU or low GPU usage.

It’s also quite surprising that low-budget and mid-budget gaming PCs and some high-end gaming rigs can have issues with using graphics card resources on the Windows system. So, no matter your specification, the Dead Island 2 title might go through some hurdles unless you’ve optimized in-game graphics settings.

Dead Island 2 Best Graphics Settings for PC, PS5 and Xbox

OS: Windows 10
Res/FPS: 1080p, 30 fps
CPU: AMD FX-9590 or Intel Core i7 7700HQ
RAM: 10GB
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 480 or GeForce GTX 1060
Storage: 70GB

Recommended Requirements:

OS: Windows 10
Res/FPS: 1080p, 60 fps
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or Intel Core i9 9900K
RAM: 16GB
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT or GeForce RTX 2080 Super
Storage: 70GB

2. Use a Dedicated Graphics Card

Ensure your computer system uses the dedicated or external graphics card to run the Dead Island 2 game. It’ll eventually reduce game stutters, lags, and frame drops without any doubt. If you don’t know which settings to adjust, follow the steps below.

For Nvidia:

You can do the following if you’re using the Nvidia graphics card.

Right-click on the desktop blank screen > Click on NVIDIA Control Panel.
Click on 3D settings > Select Manage 3D settings in the left pane.
Select the Program Settings tab > Choose Dead Island 2 from the drop-down list.
Now, select a High-performance NVIDIA processor.
Save changes and reboot the PC to apply changes.

For AMD:

AMD graphics card users can do the following.

Right-click on the desktop blank screen > Select AMD Radeon Settings from the context menu.
Now, click on System > Select Switchable Graphics.
Make sure to save changes and reboot the PC to apply changes.

3. Update GPU Drivers

An outdated or corrupted graphics card driver can trigger multiple game or system performance issues. It’s highly recommended to check the graphics driver update. To do so:

Press the Win+X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
Click on Device Manager from the list > Double-click on Display adapters.
Right-click on the dedicated graphics card that you’re currently using.

Device Manager Update Display Adapter

Click on Update driver > Choose Search automatically for drivers.
If the latest update is available, it’ll automatically download & install the latest version.
Once done, restart the computer to apply changes immediately.

Alternatively, you can manually download the latest graphics driver version and install it on the PC via the official website. Download the graphics driver file respective to your graphics card model and manufacturer. Nvidia graphics card users can update the GeForce Experience app via the Nvidia official site, and AMD graphics card users can visit the AMD website for the same.

4. Update Dead Island 2

Even an outdated game patch version can trigger several potential gaming device issues that lead to crashes, lags, stutters, CPU/GPU-related issues, and more. It’s recommended to check for the game update periodically and install the latest update whenever available. You can follow the steps below to do the same.

Open the Epic Games Launcher > Head over to Library.
Now, click the three dots icon next to Dead Island 2.
Make sure the Auto Update option is turned on.

5. Verify and Repair Game Files

Corrupted or missing game files may trigger issues with the game launching or running smoothly. Verify the game files and repair them via the Epic Games Launcher by following the steps below to fix Dead Island 2 Not Using GPU easily.

Open the Epic Games Launcher > Go to your Library.
Click on the three dots icon next to Dead Island 2.
Click Verify > Wait for the repair process to be completed.
Once done, reboot the PC to apply changes.

6. Try Disabling Overlay Apps

Sometimes a couple of applications may come with an additional overlay app that basically helps the streamers or gamers a lot. However, these overlay apps can eventually conflict with the game files to run smoothly and may cause several issues like FPS drops, black screen issues, lags, glitches, etc. You should try disabling the overlay apps manually before launching the game again to cross-check whether the crashing issue has been fixed or not. To do so:

Disable Discord Overlay:

Launch the Discord app > Click on the gear icon at the bottom.
Select Overlay under App Settings > Turn on the Enable in-game overlay.
Click on the Games tab > Select Dead Island 2.
Finally, turn off the Enable in-game overlay toggle.
Make sure to reboot your PC to apply changes.

Disable Xbox Game Bar:

Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
Click on Gaming > Go to Game Bar > Turn off Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using the Game bar option.

Disable Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay:

Launch the Nvidia GeForce Experience app > Head over to Settings.
Click on the General tab > Disable the In-Game Overlay option.
Finally, restart the PC to apply changes, and launch the game again.

There are some other overlay apps that can cause trouble for you something as MSI Afterburner, Rivatuner, RGB software, etc. You should turn them off as well.

7. Close Background Running Tasks

Unnecessary background running tasks or programs can eat up a lot of system resources like CPU or Memory usage literally reducing system performance. Hence, the startup crashing, lagging, and not loading issues appear quite often. Simply, close all the unnecessary background running tasks completely. To do this:

Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.
Now, click on the Processes tab > Click to select tasks that are unnecessarily running in the background and consuming enough system resources.
Click on End Task to close it one by one.
Once done, restart your system.

8. Turn Off V-Sync

V-Sync or FreeSync mostly comes enabled by default in the Dead Island 2 game. It seems that V-Sync or FreeSync is somehow conflicting with the game’s refresh rate and monitor’s refresh rate. So, it’s better to simply turn off this feature on the PC by following the steps below.

For Nvidia:

Run Epic Games Launcher.
Launch Dead Island 2 > Go to the in-game Settings menu.
Under Display Options, make sure to turn off V-Sync.
Now, open NVIDIA Control Panel > Select Manage 3D Settings in the left panel.
Under Global Settings, scroll down to Vertical Sync and turn it off.
Click on Apply then reboot the PC to apply changes.

For AMD:

Make sure to launch Dead Island 2 > Open the in-game Settings menu.
Under Display Options, make sure to turn off V-Sync.
Now, open the AMD Radeon app and head over to the Global Settings option.
Under the Global Graphics tab, check to Wait for Vertical Refresh option.
Then click on the Down arrow icon > From the drop-down list, select Always Off to deactivate VSync or Enhanced Sync.
Finally, Turn Off the Wait for Vertical Refresh option, and restart the PC.

9. Disable Raytracing

Last but not the least, you should try disabling the Raytracing feature on your game settings menu to ensure there is no issue with the overkill optimization. Raytracing is a pretty useful feature for high-end gaming rigs to offer stunning visual quality without compromising other aspects. But if your PC is not that powerful or old enough, you should turn it off by following the steps below.

Open the Dead Island 2 game via Epic Games.
Now, go to the in-game Settings menu.
Under Graphics options, select both the Fidelity and Raytracing feature.
Make sure to select Performance to disable Raytracing. [You can select Balanced to reduce Raytracing]
Once done, reboot the PC to apply changes.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For additional queries, you can comment below.

9 Fixes for Dead Island 2 Not Using GPU

Fix: Dead Island 2 Not Using GPU

1. Check System Requirements