During a rather serene game of Apex Legends, unarguably the worst distraction would be a terrible lag inflicting serious hindrance against the performance of your gaming set-up. Here is a complete guide to detect and fix whatever may be the source of this lag.
Table of Contents
What is a Lag and what causes it?
A lag or latency is basically a delay between the player’s action and server’s reaction. Substantial strain on your network or Apex Legends’ server might result in a decreased speed and poor ping response.
Why is Apex Legends lagging?
The presence of a delayed response in your Apex Legends setup may be due to a number of different reasons such as incompatible system requirements or game/PC settings, network connectivity issues and server strain among others. Apex Legends has different symbols to display connection issues.
- Speedometer > High latency.
- Red squares > Packet loss (extreme latency).
- Branch symbol > Congestion (server-side issue).
- Dotted lines >Prediction error (server-side issue).
Fixing Apex Legends Lag:
1. Fulfilling system requirements:
Significant lagging and terrible FPS implies that the minimum system requirements specified by the Apex Legends developers for a better gaming experience are not being fulfilled.
The minimum system requirements according to the official EA site are:
- OS: 64-bit Windows 7
- CPU: Intel Core i3-6300 3.8GHz / AMD FX-4350 4.2 GHz Quad-Core Processor
- RAM: 6GB
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 / Radeon HD 7730
- GPU RAM: 1 GB
- HARD DRIVE: Minimum 22 GB of free space
Recommended system requirements are:
- OS: 64-bit Windows 7
- CPU: Intel i5 3570K or equivalent
- RAM: 8GB
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 / AMD Radeon R9 290
- GPU RAM: 8GB
- HARD DRIVE: Minimum 22 GB of free space
2. Patch Fix:
A patch is basically an update to improve the software’s quality. Game developers frequently release patches to resolve gaming issues thus installation of the latest patch updates can considerably eliminate lagging.
3. Updating device drivers:
Updating your device driver may be a simple solution against an Apex Legends lag for it is not always the product of a low performance graphic card. Various tests have confirmed a significant increment in performance with updated drivers.
- Search for device manager, select Device Manager.
- Select a device to update from the category.
- Select Search automatically for updated driver software.
- Select Update Driver.
You can also visit the manufacturer’s website and search for the latest version of the driver to install on your system.
4. Configuring Graphics settings:
Graphics settings’ configuration can provide a quick fix for lagging and low FPS.
- In the search bar, type graphic settings and select Graphics settings.
- Under the Choose an app to set preference, select Classic App.
- Click Browse and browse to the location where your Apex Legends application is saved.
- Select the Apex Legends.exe file.
- Click the Apex Legends app listed under the Graphics settings and select options.
- Click on High performance and select save.
5. Configuring in-game settings:
You can also try to configure in-game settings to reduce latency:
- Select My Game Library in Origin.
- Right click on Apex Legends and select Game Properties.
- Uncheck Enable Origin In Game For Apex Legends and save.
- Select Advanced Launch Options.
- In Command line arguments, paste +fps_max 60 command and click save.
6. Screen Settings and optimizations:
Setting all video and game settings such as graphics, resolution and shadow quality to low may be the way to provide a considerably lag free gaming experience.
7. Disabling Game DVR:
A Game DVR records video of an ongoing game thus disabling the feature may significantly reduce background activity and possible lag:
For Windows:
- Open the windows settings (Windows + I).
- Select Gaming > Game DVR.
- Switch off Record in the background while I’m playing a game.
- Further switching off the Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game bar option in the Game Bar window under Gaming can also resist lag.
For Xbox:
- Go to Xbox > Settings > Game DVR.
- On the Game DVR, select Turn Off.
8. Rebooting router and/or modem:
Rebooting your router or modem is a common fix for lagging issues. It re-establishes the connection by emptying cache and reloading firmware. Further enabling the QoS feature on the router can also help to prioritize traffic.
9. Network Bandwidth and Background Activity:
For a lag free gaming experience make sure that Apex is the priority of your network’s bandwidth by switching off all activities such as background downloads, updates or browsing that might affect your network speed. If resetting the modem isn’t working for you, an Ethernet cable is recommended instead of a wireless connection.
“Related: Should You Consider Renting a Server or Buying a Dedicated One “
10. Using a VPN:
A VPN can fix Apex Legends lag along with providing the user with the option to connect via a different server thus eliminating issues evolving from server strain all while keeping your system protected from various DDoS attacks.
11. Restart apex:
Bugs may also be the cause of minor lags. This may be resolved by simply restarting the game. Rebooting the device may also help.
12. Reinstall apex:
Eliminating all possible causes is crucial to narrow down the source of lag. Incorrect installation of Apex may be one of these few reasons giving rise to some undetected bugs. After uninstalling Apex make sure to delete all files related to Apex from your system in order to ensure a proper and clean re-installation.
13. Repair your installation:
Origin provides an option for game repair used to resolve corruption issues or game stuttering:
- Select Apex Legends.
- Click on the cog icon below Play in the center.
- Click on Repair.
14. Try port forwarding:
Port forwarding adjusts the way in which packages are sent from a system to a gaming server. This will direct you away from lines which are strained by players. Based on your Modem’s model, you can refer to a guide or a user manual. Ports for Apex Legends:
TCP
- Windows/PC: 1024-1124, 3216, 9960-9969, 18000, 18060, 18120, 27900, 28910, 29900
- PlayStation4: 1024-1124,1935,3216,3478-3480,9960-9969,18000,18060,18120,27900,28910,29900
- Xbox: 1024-1124, 3074, 3216, 9960-9969, 18000, 18060, 18120, 27900, 28910, 29900
UDP
- Windows/PC: 1024-1124, 18000, 29900, 37000-40000
- PlayStation4: 1024-1124, 3074, 3478-3479, 18000, 29900, 37000-40000
- Xbox: 88, 500, 1024-1124, 3074, 3544, 4500, 18000, 29900, 37000-40000
So here you have almost all possible ways in which you can fix the Apex Legends lag for a non-stuttering and lag-free gaming experience.
