The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is one of the best games I've ever played. But as such a massive fan of the franchise, I was somewhat disappointed by the occasional stuttering and framerate issues I encountered, even while in the very first dungeon in the game. Luckily, such problems have an easy fix, and if you're easily annoyed like me and want the game to perform like the eternal masterpiece it is, check out the solutions I came up with.
How to fix stuttering in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom - Fix frame drops and lag
We have devised three solutions that can fix frame drops and lag in Tears of the Kingdom. We have listed them in simplicity:
- Play in docked mode
- Lower the resolution while docked
- Put your Nintendo Switch into Flight mode or turn off the wifi
Related: Top 5 places to visit in Hyrule in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Fixing The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom FPS by playing in docked mode
Multiple users reported that playing in docked mode helped fix the FPS drops in TotK because Nintendo Switch pushes a lot more GPU processing power while connected to the cable and not relying on a battery. To put your Switch into docked mode, you simply have to plug it into the power outlet.
Lowering the resolution in docked mode to reduce FPS issues in The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
If the previous solution didn't work, you could lower the resolution in docked mode to reduce FPS issues in TotK. This solution was the one that did it for me, reducing my processor usage. Here are the steps on how to do it:
- Turn on your Nintendo Switch.
- Select the Cogwheel icon on your Home Screen to access System Settings.
- Scroll down and find TV Output.
- Press the joystick left and then press A to select TV Resolution.
- Switch it to 720p. If you're still experiencing a low FPS, switch it to 480p.
- Press A to confirm settings.
Fixing The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom FPS by playing in Wifi Off mode
Several of my colleagues have reported that they managed to fix Tears of the Kingdom FPS by playing in Flight mode with wifi off. We know this method worked for the previous Zelda game, Breath of the Wild, because Switch steals some processing power while connected online. Since TotK is a graphical improvement over BotW, it's worth trying. Here are the steps to put your console in Flight mode:
- Select the Cogwheel icon on your Home Screen to access System Settings.
- Find Flight Mode near the bottom of the menu.
- Push the joystick to the left and press A to toggle the Flight Mode.
Looking for more Tears of the Kingdom guides to help you out? You're in the right place! Check out How to fly on Zonai Wing glider in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom and How to make Fan from Korok Frond in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom here on Pro Game Guides!
Luka Rakocevic works as a full-time staff writer at Pro Game Guides and is a new-generation gamer. Backed with old-school gaming knowledge, his oldest gaming memories are on SNES, trying to beat Super Mario. Games are his big inspiration, and he frequently draws from that well to create new art. He prefers narrative-driven games like God of War, Killzone, Half-life, Uncharted and similar.
Luka mainly writes science fiction in his free time. When he's not home banging away at his computer keyboard, you will most likely find him at a local pub or a metal concert in the middle of a mosh pit.