Fix: Need for Speed Heat Stuttering, Lags, or Freezing constantly

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10
Processor: Ryzen 3 1300X or Equivalent; Core i7-4790 or Equivalent
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: AMD: Radeon RX 480 or Equivalent; NVIDIA: GeForce GTX 1060 or Equivalent
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 50 GB available space

Fix: Need for Speed Heat Stuttering and Lags Badly

Fixing in-game lags or frame drop issues isn’t an easy thing to do because it depends on multiple factors such as PC hardware, the display resolution of the game, maximum FPS limit count, conflicting third-party apps, and more. So, we will recommend you try following all the methods one by one until the problem gets fixed or reduced a lot. Mostly changing the in-game graphics-related settings or keeping them low can fix several problems in a jiffy.

It may include the Screen Resolution of the game, in-game Texture Resolution, Shadow Resolution, Maximum Frame rate, number of Characters Displayed, or other visual effects that require higher graphics or memory. So, you can follow the steps below to try reducing the lags or frame drops up to some extent depending on which resolution and quality you’re playing the game apart from FPS count.

1. Use Launch Options

Open your Steam client > Go to Library > Right-click on Need for Speed Heat.
Select Properties > On the General tab, you’ll find Launch Options.
Enter the launch options -fullscreen = Forces the engine to start in fullscreen mode.

2. Update Graphics Drivers

Right-click on the Start Menu to open up the Quick Access Menu.
Click on Device Manager from the list.
Now, double-click on the Display adapters category to expand the list.
Then right-click on the dedicated graphics card name.
Select Update driver > Choose Search automatically for drivers.
If an update is available, it’ll automatically download and install the latest version.
Once done, make sure to reboot your computer to change the effects.

3. Run the game as an administrator

Make sure to run the game exe file as an administrator to avoid user account control regarding privilege issues. You should also run the Steam client as an administrator on your PC. To do this:

Right-click on the Need for Speed Heat exe shortcut file on your PC.
Now, select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.
Make sure to click on the Run this program as an administrator checkbox to checkmark it.
Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.

4. Set High Priority in Task Manager

Make your game priority in the higher segment via the Task Manager to tell your Windows system to run the game properly. To do this:

Right-click on the Start Menu > Select Task Manager.
Click on the Processes tab > Right-click on the Need for Speed Heat game task.
Select Set Priority to High.
Close Task Manager.
Finally, run the Need for Speed Heat game to check for the issue.

5. Verify Integrity of Game Files

If in case, there is an issue with the game files and somehow it gets corrupted or missing then make sure to perform this method to easily check for the issue. To do so:

Verify Game Files on Steam:

Launch Steam > Click on Library.
Right-click on Need for Speed Heat from the list of installed games.
Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.

Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
Once done, just restart your computer.

Verify Game Files on Epic:

You can watch our video tutorial on verifying the game files on Epic launcher.

For Origin:

Open the Origin client on the PC.
Go to My Game Library > Select F1 2022 from the list of installed games.
Now, click on the Settings icon > Select Repair.
Wait for the client to do the job for you.
Once done, make sure to close the client, and restart the PC to change effects immediately.

For EA Desktop:

Open the EA Desktop client > Go to ‘My Collection’.
Now, right-click on Need for Speed Heat from the list of games.
Click on Repair and wait for the verification process to be completed.
Once done, make sure to restart the computer to apply changes.

6. Change GPU Settings

Make sure to change the graphics card settings on the PC by following the steps below to check if the problem has been fixed or not.

For Nvidia:

Open up Nvidia’s Control Panel > Right-click on the desktop screen.
Click on Nvidia Control Panel > Click on Manage 3D Settings.
Select Program Settings > Find ‘Need for Speed Heat’ and manually add the game if it’s not in the list:
- Monitor Tech: G-Sync (If available)
- Maximum Pre-rendered frames: 2
- Threaded optimization: On
- Power Management: Prefer Maximum Performance
- Texture Filtering – Quality: Performance

For AMD:

Monitor Tech: G-Sync (If available)
Maximum Pre-rendered frames: 2
Threaded optimization: On
Power Management: Prefer Maximum Performance
Texture Filtering – Quality: Performance

7. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Full-screen optimization and DPI settings are the default ones on Windows. You should try disabling it by following the steps below:

Locate Need for Speed Heat game directory.
Find and right-click on the Need for Speed Heat.exe file.
Select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.
Checkmark the ‘Disable Full-Screen Optimizations’ box.
Now, click on the ‘Change high DPI setting button.
Checkmark the ‘Override high DPI scaling behavior’ > Select ‘Application’ from the drop-down menu.
Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.

8. Update Need for Speed Heat

If in case, you haven’t updated your Need for Speed Heat game for a while then make sure to follow the steps below to check for updates and install the latest patch (if available). To do this:

Steam Users:

Open the Steam client > Go to Library > Click on Need for Speed Heat from the left pane.
It’ll automatically search for the available update. If there is an update available, make sure to click on Update.
It may take some time to install the update > Once done, make sure to close the Steam client.
Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and then try launching the game again.

Epic Launcher Users:

Open the Epic Launcher client > Go to Library > Look for Need for Speed Heat from the left pane.
On your Need for Speed Heat application, you have to tap on the three-dot icon.
Make sure to check the auto-update to get a new update installation automatically.
It’ll automatically search for the available update. If there is an update available, make sure to click on Update.
Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and then try launching the game again