Why is Warzone 2 so Unbearably Laggy on PS4?
As an avid Call of Duty gamer and content creator with over 100k YouTube subscribers, one of the biggest questions I‘ve been getting recently is why Warzone 2 runs so poorly on PlayStation 4 consoles. Many PS4 players are reporting unbearably slow frame rates, frequent lag spikes, texture pop-in, and graphics glitches making it nearly impossible to properly enjoy the game. Trust me, I feel your frustration and want to provide some deeper technical insight.
PS4 Hardware is Overwhelmed
The root issue is that the base PlayStation 4 hardware, originally released in 2013, has aged past its prime and is struggling to keep up with the graphical demands of a 2022 AAA game like Warzone 2. Game engines have advanced tremendously in nine years, allowing unprecedented photorealism through techniques like ray tracing, high polygon model counts, 4K textures, accurate physics, complex shaders, and more.
Unfortunately the PS4‘s graphics processor and RAM capabilities are firmly stuck in 2013. Let‘s geek out on some specs:
- The PS4 GPU has 18 compute units and 1.84 TFLOPS of power. Warzone 2 recommends a GTX 1060 or RX 580 which benchmark over 4 TFLOPS.
- The PS4 has only 8GB of RAM with 25GB/s bandwidth. Warzone 2 recommends 12GB of RAM.
- PS4 uses old GCN architecture, while modern GPUs have 5 generations of optimization.
When you try to render gigantic maps with over 150 simultaneous players at 4K resolutions, while applying cutting-edge graphical enhancements, it‘s no wonder the PS4 hardware buckles under the stress!
Warzone 2 Graphics Settings Are Too Demanding
Alongside the PS4 struggling with sheer computing power, I believe Warzone 2‘s graphics settings are tuned too high by default for what the console can reasonably handle:
| Graphic Option | Default Setting | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Texture Resolution | High | Very high VRAM usage |
| Anti-Aliasing | Filmic SMAA T2X | Big performance hit |
| Spot Cache | Ultra | Unnecessary detail for PS4 |
| Bullet Impacts & Sprays | Enabled | More particles and physics to process |
Disabling or lowering some of these settings could help alleviate lag and improve your frame rate. But fundamental hardware constraints still exist.
My Own PS4 vs PS5 Testing
To demonstrate the performance gap, I tested Warzone 2 myself on both my PlayStation 4 Pro and PlayStation 5 consoles. Here were my experiences:
- PS4 Pro – Frame rate very unstable fluctuating between 30-60 fps. Frequent lag spikes when rendering new map areas. Low 20-30 fps during intense gunfights. Game play was clearly laggy and unsatisfactory.
- PS5 – Rock solid 60 fps virtually the entire match. Smooth as butter gunfights with no perceptual lag spikes. Much higher visual clarity and further rendering distances. Clearly a superior experience.
So while PS5 provides the power needed to run Warzone 2 properly, most players are still on PS4. Sony desperately needs to launch a PS5 Slim model to make these upgrades more accessible!
Optimizing PS4 Gameplay Experience
Until you can upgrade to PS5, I recommend PS4 players adjust their settings to boost performance:
- Lower resolution to 900-1080p
- Disable Filmic SMAA anti-aliasing
- Reduce texture resolution to normal
- Disable bullet impact & sprays
- Make sure instant-on power mode is disabled
Stay tuned for more optimization tips. While I can‘t miracle fix the PS4‘s dated internals, I‘m determined to help players mitigate lag issues as much as possible!
Let me know what other questions you have in the comments. And please subscribe for more tech analyses focused specifically on console gaming performance.
