Fix FC 26 Stuttering, Lagging, Freezing, Crashing, and Black Screen Issues

EA FC 26 is the latest football simulator from EA. It will be released on the 26th of September. However, Advanced Access has already started on the 18th and 19th on consoles and PC. Like its previous installments, FC 26 also has bugs, errors, and issues. Some of the common technical problems we found are stuttering, lagging, freezing, crashing, and black screen issues.

Players are reporting that their games are freezing right in the middle of the matches. The stuttering issues make players’ movements look choppy, while lagging causes delayed reactions. On the other hand, many players are unable to launch the game due to black screen issues. If you are also experiencing one of these issues, this guide will help you fix these annoying problems.

How to Fix FC 26 Stuttering, Lagging, Freezing, Crashing, Black Screen Issues

According to reports, several players have already attempted multiple workarounds, but none of them have been successful. If you are one of them, this comprehensive guide will help you fix stuttering, lagging, freezing, crashing, and black screen issues in FC 26.

1. Updating Your Graphics Drivers

The very first solution suggested by many players is to update your graphics drivers. Outdated drivers are a common cause of instability or performance issues. So, it is advisable to keep your drivers updated to the latest version. Download the latest version for your GPU from the official site only and then relaunch the game.

2. Reinstall EA Anti-Cheat

Any corrupted or outdated anti-cheat files can cause these issues, so the best solution is to reinstall the EA Anti-Cheat, which will help you make the game smoother and reduce input delay. Follow the steps below to do this:

1. Close the game completely
2. Open the EA App 
3. Go to your FC 26 game settings >> click Manage >> select Uninstall EA Anti-Cheat.
4. After removal, restart your PC
5. Relaunch the game, and it will automatically prompt you to reinstall EA Anti-Cheat.
6. Once installed, enjoy your game without any issues.

3. Lowering Graphics Settings

If your game has high graphics settings, especially shadows and resolution scaling, it can be the root cause of stuttering, lagging, freezing, and crashing issues. The best tip is to lower your graphics settings to eliminate these problems. Additionally, try switching from full-screen to borderless windowed or windowed mode for the best gaming experience.

4. Disable GPU Overclocking

Overclocking your GPU or CPU can help you squeeze out extra performance, but it often causes instability in high-demanding online games like FC 26. So, if you’ve applied custom overclocks through MSI Afterburner, NVIDIA Control Panel, or BIOS settings, revert them to default to fix the issues. 

1. Open MSI Afterburner or any other overclocking tool
2. Reset all sliders, such as Core Clock, Memory Clock, and Voltage, to the Default
3. Apply changes, reboot your PC, and relaunch the game.

5. Update Windows 

For the best PC and gaming performance, it is always recommended to update your Windows to the latest version because outdated Windows can cause several issues, including the ones we are talking about in this guide. To update your Windows: Click on the Start button >> Settings >> Update & Security or Windows Update for Windows 11 >> Check for updates. After updating your Windows, reboot your PC once and then relaunch the game.

6. Run the Game as Administrator / Disable Overlays

Sometimes modern online games, including FC 26, require additional permissions to properly access system files on your PC while running the game. Additionally, overlays from apps like Discord, Steam, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, or MSI Afterburner can sometimes interfere with performance and cause FPS drops or freezes. So, the next solution we suggest is to run the game as an administrator and disable overlays. Follow the steps below to do this:

1. Go to the installation folder where the game is installed on your PC
2. Find FC26.exe >> Right-click on it >> Properties
3. Go to the Compatibility tab >> check Run this program as administrator >> click on Apply. 
4. Open Discord >> Settings >> Game Overlay >> disable in-game overlay
5. In Steam, go to Library >> right-click on the game >> Properties >> disable Enable Steam Overlay
6. Close MSI Afterburner or GPU monitoring tools before launching the game.
7. Reboot your PC and relaunch the game.

7. Repair Game Files

Any missing or corrupted game files can often cause several problems. So, the next best solution is to repair such game files. Here is how you can do it through Steam. Go to Steam Library >> Right-click on the game >> Properties >> Local Files >> Verify integrity of game files. Once the scanning process is done, relaunch the game.

8. Delete Shader Cache

This simple method has worked for many players to resolve these issues. You simply need to delete the shader cache, which stores corrupted shader data. Follow the steps below to do this:

1. Go to SteamLibrary/steamapps/shadercache/ >> delete the folder inside
2. Go to SteamLibrary/steamapps/common/ >> make FC26 executable run as Administrator
3. Start a Quick Match for about 5 minutes, then leave and rejoin the game
4. After this, the second half lag and menu lag reportedly disappear.

9. Add Windows Defender Exclusions Only

The next workaround suggested by many players is to add Windows Defender exclusions only. Windows Defender actively scans processes in real time, and that sometimes interferes with sensitive anti-cheat systems like EA AntiCheat, which eventually causes freezing and crashing issues. Here is how you can add it.

1. Press Win + S and search for Windows Security
2. Go to Virus & Threat Protection
3. Click Manage settings under “Virus & threat protection settings”
4. Scroll down to Exclusions >> click Add or remove exclusions
5. Select Add an exclusion
6. Add the following items:
7. FC26.exe (game executable)
8. EA App install folder
9. EA AntiCheat folder
10. Close Windows Security, reboot your PC, and relaunch the game.

10. Limit FPS to 100 or Lower & Set V-Sync Off

Frame rate is the main reason why the game is crashing. If the game is running at very high FPS, like 120+, it conflicts with the animations of the game and starts crashing and freezing. The best method to fix this is to limit FPS to 100 or even lower. Additionally, try disabling V-Sync, which will help to prevent the game from attempting to dynamically adjust the frame rate. This simple solution has helped many players, so it might work for you too.

11. BIOS RAM Frequency Adjustment

A few players have managed to resolve this issue by adjusting the BIOS RAM frequency. EA AntiCheat is sensitive to unstable memory configurations, and if your PC is running higher RAM speeds, then it can cause freezing and crashing issues. So, try lowering RAM speed for the best gaming performance. Here is how you can change it.

1. First of all, reboot your PC and enter the BIOS settings by pressing DEL or F2 during the booting process.
2. Then, go to the Overclocking/Advanced Memory settings
3. Find RAM Frequency or DRAM Frequency
4. If currently set at 3000 MHz or higher, reduce it to 2400 MHz.
5. Save changes and exit from the BIOS settings.
6. Reboot into Windows normally
7. Relaunch the game.

12. Enable NVIDIA Low Latency Mode (Ultra) + Max Performance

A few other players suggest enabling NVIDIA low-latency mode (Ultra) + Max performance for a better gaming experience. Here is how you can do it:

1. Right-click on your desktop >> open NVIDIA Control Panel
2. Go to Manage 3D Settings >> find Program Settings >> select FC 26 from the list
3. Set Low Latency Mode >> Ultra
4. Set Power Management Mode >> Prefer Maximum Performance
5. Apply changes and restart the game.

13. Clear Shader Cache + Rebuild

Some other players have resolved the above issues by clearing the shader cache and letting the game rebuild it. Follow the steps below to do this:

1. Close FC 26 completely
2. Go to your installation directory: SteamLibrary >> steamapps >> shadercache
3. Delete the folder inside (for FC 26, it’s usually a numeric ID like 3405690).
4. Go to: SteamLibrary >> steamapps >> common >> EA SPORTS FC 26
5. Right-click on FC26.exe >> select Run as Administrator
6. Relaunch the game.

14. Change Visual Settings from Auto to High

A few players suggest setting graphics from Auto to High instead of Low/Auto to fix lagging issues in the game. If you have no idea how to do it, follow these steps:

1. Go to in-game Settings >> Video 
2. Change Preset from Auto to High 
3. Keep V-Sync off
4. Restart the game and test if you are able to play the game flawlessly.

That’s all for this guide on how to fix FC 26 stuttering, lagging, freezing, crashing, and black screen issues.