FPS Drops and Stutter in League
FPS that sinks as the game goes on is usually heat.
Riot names an overheating processor, graphics card or laptop as a cause of lag that builds during a match.
Cool the laptop first
Run HWMonitor through a match and read the Max column. Past 80 °C (176 °F), Riot says to get better cooling, and to clear fans and vents with compressed air.
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Laptop cooling pad
havit HV-F2056
3 fans, 15.6 to 17in laptops. Specs: havit manual
Riot names overheating as a cause of lag that builds during a match. This pushes air under the laptop.
- 3 fans
- USB powered
- 2 height settings
Laptop cooling pad
See this cooling pad on AmazonThen Riot's settings
Drop the Video settings
In a custom game, press Esc and open Video.
Video setting Riot's value Resolution Match your desktop Character Quality Very Low Environment Quality Very Low Shadows No Shadow Effects Quality Very Low Frame Rate Cap 60 FPS Wait for Vertical Sync Off Anti-Aliasing Off On the Interface tab Riot also turns off HUD animations, the target frame on attack, line missile display and the attack range indicator.
The 60 cap is for a struggling PC. If yours holds well above it, cap at your monitor's rate (144 Hz guide).
Laptop? Put League on the dedicated GPU
Windows sometimes runs it on the weaker integrated chip.
NVIDIA, AMD and Intel steps
NVIDIA: in the NVIDIA Control Panel's Manage 3D settings, add
LeagueClient.exeandLeague of Legends.exeand pick the high-performance NVIDIA processor for each. The game file is inC:\Riot Games\League of Legends\Game\; Riot's article still names an old RADS folder.AMD: Radeon Settings, Preferences, Radeon Additional Settings. Switch League of Legends.exe to High performance.
Intel: in Intel Graphics Settings set Power to Maximum Performance, then enable the global 3D setting.
Drivers, overlays and Riot's low-spec tools
Drivers, overlays, Low Spec Mode and MinConfig
Drivers. Windows+R,
dxdiag: the Display tab names your card's maker. Use their updater. Riot also lists chipset, BIOS and network drivers, plus Windows Update.Overlays. Riot singles out Discord, OBS and Steam. Microsoft's clean boot starts Windows with only its own services.
Low Spec Mode is a checkbox at the top of the client's General settings, outside a game. MinConfig is Riot's download of two files,
game.cfgandPersistedSettings.json, copied intoC:\Riot Games\League of Legends\Config. It replaces your settings, so back them up.
Still short? Hardware that clears Riot's spec
Mini PC
Desk setupBeelink EQR7
Ryzen 7 7735HS, Radeon 680M integrated. Specs: Beelink
A palm-sized Windows 11 Pro desktop on integrated graphics, which Riot's spec allows.
- ✓RAM 24GB Riot: 4GB
- ✓SSD 1TB Riot: 16GB SSD
- ✓Windows 11 Pro Riot: retail Windows
Mini PC
See this mini PC on Amazon1080p 180Hz gaming monitor
Acer Nitro KG241Y
M3biip, 23.8in IPS. Specs: Acer
Exactly Riot's recommended resolution, fast enough to make a higher frame cap worth it.
- 1920x1080
- 180Hz
- IPS
- 23.8in
1080p 180Hz gaming monitor
See this monitor on AmazonGaming laptop
Entry pickASUS TUF Gaming A15
FA506NC: Ryzen 5 7535HS, RTX 3050 4GB. Specs: ASUS
Dedicated NVIDIA graphics and a 144Hz screen, with a free memory slot on the 8GB model.
- ✓Video memory 4GB Riot: 2GB
- ✓RAM 8GB or 16GB Riot: 4GB
- ✓SSD 512GB Riot: 16GB SSD
Not an FPS problem?
Rubber-banding
That's network lag. Riot recommends a wired connection and closing streams. Everyone lagging? Check server status.
An error message
Out of video memory, unknown DirectX error and the quick repair loop have their own fixes.
On a Mac
Riot says to switch off Hot Corners and Shake Mouse Pointer to Locate. How.
More on running League
Sources: Low Frame Rate (Lag), Updated Client Performance Issues - Multiple Graphics Cards on Windows, Fix My League: The First Steps to Tech Help, Minimum and Recommended System Requirements (League of Legends) and Optimal Settings for Mac Players, all from Riot Games. Riot's guidance is paraphrased here, not copied; checked October 1, 2026.