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Dusk Guide

Low FPS

Low FPS fixes

Performance issues in Dusk usually come from one of three places: settings too high, thermal throttling, or a competing background load.

UPDATED 2026-05-104 minBeginner

No ROMs / no copyrighted assets

This independent guide does not host or link to game files. Use your own legally obtained copy.

Symptoms

  • Frame rate well below your hardware's normal range.
  • Stutters during specific scenes or transitions.
  • FPS drops gradually over a long session.

Likely causes

  • Graphics preset above what your GPU can sustain.
  • Thermal throttling — temperatures hit the cap.
  • Background apps consuming CPU / GPU.
  • Power profile set to 'battery saver' or equivalent.

First safe fixes

Try in this order

  • Drop graphics settings one tier and re-test.
  • Cap FPS at 60 (or 40 on Steam Deck) for a steady frame time.
  • Close background apps before the session.
  • Plug in for AC power on laptops / Deck.
  • Clean dust from intakes if device is older.

Platform-specific notes

  • Steam Deck: Set TDP cap, refresh rate and FPS limit per-game in the Steam overlay.
  • Windows: Power Plan → 'Best performance' for laptops; verify GPU is the discrete one.
  • macOS: Activity Monitor → check thermals; close Time Machine and Spotlight indexing.

Still stuck?

Open the troubleshooting wizard for a different symptom or platform combination. If everything checks out and the issue persists, file a bug at the official Dusk project.

Reference slug: low-fps

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