Game Error Fortnite

Fortnite Stutters Every 2 Seconds - Complete Fix Guide

📅 Published: 2026-02-05 🔄 Updated: 2026-02-05 👥 Reports: 8 ⚡ Severity: 🟢 Low

🎯 Quick Answer

Clear the AMD Shader Cache and disable the Realtek PCIe 2.5GbE Family Controller network adapter in Device Manager to resolve the recurring stutter.

SECTION 1: OVERVIEW

The Fortnite stuttering error is a periodic, rhythmic frame-time spike and audio dropout occurring at approximately 2-second intervals. This error manifests as a complete freeze for a brief duration, followed by a frame skip. The issue is platform-specific to Windows PCs and occurs across all game versions, including the current Chapter 5 Season 3 build. The error frequency is classified as occasional but persistent for affected systems. Severity impact is game-breaking, as the consistent interruption prevents competitive gameplay and occurs even in non-demanding environments like the game's menu and locker. No specific error codes are generated; the failure is observed as a performance anomaly within the game engine's rendering and audio pipelines.

SECTION 2: SYMPTOMS

The application exhibits a consistent, periodic stutter with a frequency of approximately 2 seconds. During gameplay and in static menus, the video output freezes for 100-300 milliseconds. The audio stream cuts out simultaneously with the video freeze. Following the freeze, the game engine skips several frames to resynchronize with the game server's tick rate. This behavior persists regardless of graphical API selection (DirectX 11, DirectX 12, or Performance Mode) and occurs with all graphical settings at their minimum values. The issue is reproducible in other titles using similar anti-cheat and network architectures, such as Valorant.

SECTION 3: COMMON CAUSES

Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: A full or corrupted AMD Shader Cache forces the GPU to compile shaders in real-time during gameplay. The cache management system purges old data at regular intervals, causing a cyclical performance penalty every time specific assets are required. Why this causes the problem: The stutter coincides with the engine requesting a shader not present in the cache, triggering a blocking compilation operation on the CPU/GPU. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: The Realtek PCIe 2.5GbE Family Controller network adapter driver has a known issue with its power management or interrupt moderation that creates periodic system latency spikes. Why this causes the problem: The latency spike interrupts the game's main thread and audio processing, causing the universal freeze and audio cutout. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Outdated or corrupted AMD chipset drivers for the system's motherboard cause improper communication and power delivery between the CPU, PCIe bus, and GPU. Why this causes the problem: Inconsistent power states or bus latency result in the GPU or storage device briefly stalling, which manifests as a frame freeze. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Windows Power Plan is set to a balanced or power-saving mode, allowing the CPU and PCIe bus to aggressively downclock or enter low-power states. Why this causes the problem: The 2-second interval may align with Windows performance governor checks, causing a momentary reduction in performance that stalls the game loop. Category: Game Bug / Anti-Cheat Interaction Specific technical explanation: The Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) or Fortnite's own anti-cheat service performs periodic memory scans or integrity checks. Why this causes the problem: If these scans are not properly scheduled to low-priority threads, they can monopolize CPU or storage I/O at regular intervals, blocking the main game thread. Category: Hardware Issue Specific technical explanation: A faulty or underperforming storage device (NVMe/SSD) where the game is installed has high latency or fails to sustain read operations. Why this causes the problem: The game engine's streaming of assets hitches when data cannot be read quickly enough from the storage medium, causing the main thread to wait.

SECTION 4: SOLUTIONS

Solution 1: Clear AMD Shader Cache and Adjust Cache Size

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Administrator privileges required. Steps:

Press Windows Key + R, type %localappdata%, and press Enter.
Navigate to the AMD folder, then open the DxCache and GLCache folders.
Select all files (Ctrl + A) inside both folders and delete them (Shift + Delete for permanent delete).
Open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition. Navigate to Settings (gear icon) > Graphics > Advanced.
Locate the Shader Cache Size setting. Increase this value to its maximum allowable setting (typically 100 GB).
Restart the computer.

Technical Explanation: This forces a complete rebuild of the GPU shader cache with a new, larger storage allocation, eliminating stutter caused by cache thrashing or corruption. A larger cache prevents frequent purges of necessary game shaders. Verification: Launch Fortnite and enter a match or the locker. The initial minute may have compilation stutters, but the periodic 2-second stutter should be absent after shaders are cached.

Solution 2: Disable Problematic Network Adapter

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 3 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: None. Steps:

Right-click the Windows Start button and select Device Manager.
Expand the Network adapters section.
Locate the Realtek PCIe 2.5GbE Family Controller entry.
Right-click on it and select Disable device. Confirm any prompts.
If this adapter is your primary internet connection, you will need to use an alternative (e.g., Wi-Fi or a different Ethernet controller). If no alternative exists, proceed to Solution 2b.

Technical Explanation: Disabling this specific adapter removes its driver from the system's interrupt chain, eliminating the periodic latency spikes generated by its faulty power management or interrupt moderation routine. Verification: The 2-second stutter and audio cutout cease immediately in Fortnite menus and gameplay. Network connectivity is maintained via another enabled adapter.

Solution 2b: Adjust Power Management for Network Adapter

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 4 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Required if the Realtek adapter is your sole network connection. Steps:

In Device Manager under Network adapters, right-click Realtek PCIe 2.5GbE Family Controller and select Properties.
Navigate to the Power Management tab.
Uncheck the option labeled Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
Navigate to the Advanced tab.
Locate and select the property Energy Efficient Ethernet. Set its value to Disabled.
Locate and select the property Interrupt Moderation. Set its value to Disabled.
Click OK and restart the computer.

Technical Explanation: This prevents the network adapter from entering low-power states or moderating interrupts, which are the typical causes of the regular latency spikes associated with this hardware. Verification: The consistent 2-second interval stutter is eliminated. Latency in online games may also improve.

Solution 3: Update AMD Chipset Drivers

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 10 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Administrator privileges, knowledge of motherboard model. Steps:

Identify your motherboard model. Press Windows Key + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter. Note the BaseBoard Product value.
Visit the motherboard manufacturer's website (e.g., ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI) support page for your specific model.
Navigate to the Driver or Support section and download the latest Chipset Driver package for your operating system.
Run the installer, select a Factory Reset or Clean Install option if presented, and complete the installation.
Restart the computer when prompted.

Technical Explanation: Chipset drivers manage communication between CPU, RAM, PCIe devices, and storage. Outdated drivers can cause micro-latencies in PCIe bus communication, directly affecting GPU and storage response times in a periodic manner. Verification: System latency is reduced. Verify using a tool like LatencyMon run alongside Fortnite; the reported DPC/ISR latency should show no regular, high spikes at 2-second intervals.

Solution 4: Configure High-Performance Power Plan

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 4 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Administrator privileges for some steps. Steps:

Press Windows Key + R, type powercfg.cpl, and press Enter.
Select High performance. If not visible, click Show additional plans.
Click Change plan settings next to High performance, then click Change advanced power settings.
In the new window, expand PCI Express > Link State Power Management.
Set both On battery and Plugged in to Off.
Expand Processor power management > Minimum processor state. Set Plugged in to 100%.
Click Apply and OK. Restart the computer.

Technical Explanation: This configuration prevents the CPU from downclocking and stops the PCIe bus from entering lower-power link states, ensuring consistent maximum performance and eliminating stalls caused by power state transitions. Verification: CPU clock speeds remain at their maximum turbo frequency under load. The periodic stutter caused by performance governor adjustments is resolved.

Solution 5: Perform a Clean GPU Driver Installation

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 15 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Administrator privileges. Steps:

Download the latest AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition driver package from AMD.com.
Download the Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) utility from wagnardsoft.com.
Boot Windows into Safe Mode. Access this by navigating to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Advanced startup > Restart now. Then select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, and press 4 or F4.
Run DDU in Safe Mode. Select AMD for the GPU vendor and click Clean and restart.
After the restart into normal Windows, install the previously downloaded AMD driver package. Select Factory Reset during the installation options.
Restart the computer after installation completes.

Technical Explanation: A clean installation removes all previous driver files, registry entries, and configuration profiles that may contain corruption or conflicting settings causing scheduling conflicts with the game engine. Verification: The AMD driver is at the latest version with a default configuration. In-game stuttering caused by driver-level scheduling is eliminated.

Solution 6: Adjust Fortnite Process Priority and Affinity

Difficulty: Advanced Time Required: 7 minutes Success Rate: Low Prerequisites: Knowledge of your CPU's core count. Steps:

Launch Fortnite and enter a match or the lobby.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Go to the Details tab.
Right-click on FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe and select Set priority. Choose High. Do not select Realtime.
In the same menu, select Set affinity. By default, all CPUs are checked. If you have a CPU with more than 8 physical cores (e.g., 12 or 16), uncheck the highest-numbered cores (e.g., CPUs 8-15 on a 16-thread CPU), leaving only the first 8-10 cores selected.
Click OK. Note: This setting resets when the game closes. Use a third-party tool like Process Lasso to make this permanent if it resolves the issue.

Technical Explanation: This ensures the game process receives preferential CPU scheduling and can prevent stutter caused by the game thread being migrated between CPU cores or competing with background services on specific cores. Verification: Using a monitoring tool like HWiNFO, observe that the Fortnite process threads are confined to the selected CPU cores and maintain high priority, reducing scheduling-induced hitches.

SECTION 5: PREVENTION

Maintain system stability by performing regular, clean installations of GPU and chipset drivers every 3-4 major releases. Configure the Windows Power Plan to High Performance as a permanent setting for gaming. Monitor the AMD Shader Cache folder (%localappdata%\AMD) monthly and clear its contents if it approaches the maximum allocated size. Use LatencyMon periodically to identify new driver or software introductions that cause system latency spikes. Disable automatic driver updates via Windows Update for GPU drivers to prevent untested driver versions from installing.

SECTION 6: WHEN TO CONTACT SUPPORT

Contact Epic Games Support if all documented solutions fail and the stutter persists exclusively in Fortnite. Before contacting support, gather the following diagnostic information: the full output of the DXDiag tool (run dxdiag and Save All Information), the specific model of your motherboard and storage device, and the latest FortniteGame.log file located in %localappdata%\FortniteGame\Saved\Logs. Provide a detailed timeline of troubleshooting steps already performed. Official support channels are accessible via the Epic Games Help Center at epicgames.com/help.