Are you experiencing FPS drops when playing the Hearts of Iron IV Steam game? This can be due to an issue with your hardware resources, a graphics setting issue, or issues with the game files. To fix this you will need to perform several troubleshooting steps.

Hears of Iron IV is a strategy wargame set in the most engaging conflict of human history which is the time of World War II. This game which is developed and published by Paradox Interactive is available for the Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. It can be played in single player or cross platform multiplayer mode. Your aim is to lead your chosen nation to victory by developing its war assets and creating strategic diplomatic relations with neighboring nations.

How to fix FPS drop in Hearts of Iron IV

One of the issues that you might experience when playing Hearts of Iron IV is when the frame rate drops. When this issue occurs you will notice that the game will slow down, stutter, or freezes for a few seconds. This can be an annoying issue that can negatively affect your gaming experience.

Here’s what you can do to fix the Hearts of Iron IV FPS dropping issue.

Solution 1: Check your PC hardware requirements

You need to make sure that your computer can handle the Hearts of Iron IV. If your computer does not meet even the minimum system requirements needed to play the game then there’s a possibility that you will constantly experience this frame rate drops issue.

Minimum system requirements:

• OS: Windows 7 64 Bit, Windows 8.1 64 Bit, Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
• Processor: Intel® Core i5 750, AMD FX 4300
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 (1.28GB), AMD HD 5850 (1GB), Intel Iris Xe G7 (Tiger Lake), AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, Steam Deck
• DirectX: Version 9.0c
• Storage: 2 GB available space
• Sound Card: Direct X- compatible soundcard.
• Additional Notes: Mouse and keyboard are required. Latest available WHQL drivers from both manufacturers, Internet Connection or LAN for multiplayer, Up to 32 other players in multiplayer mode.

Recommended system requirements:

• OS: Windows 10 Home 64 bit
• Processor: Intel Core i5 2500K, AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
• Memory: 6 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 570 (1.28GB), AMD Radeon HD 7970 (3GB), Intel Iris Xe G7 (Tiger Lake)
• DirectX: Version 9.0c
• Storage: 2 GB available space
• Sound Card: Direct X- compatible soundcard.
• Additional Notes: Mouse and keyboard are required. Latest available WHQL drivers from both manufacturers. Internet Connection or LAN for multiplayer, Up to 32 other players in multiplayer mode.

Solution 2: Update graphics card drivers

Since this is a graphics related issue you need to make sure that you have the latest graphics drivers installed. Graphics car manufacturers will usually release driver updates to their products to introduce new enhancements as well as bug fixes that could make games run better. If you have outdated drivers then I suggest that you update them.

You can also update the graphics driver using the Nvidia GeForce Experience app if you have an Nvidia card or the Radeon Software if you are using a Radeon card.

Once the graphics card has been updated you should restart the computer then check if the Hearts of Iron IV game frames increases.

Solution 3: Update your Microsoft Windows operating system

You will experience the Hearts of Iron IV frame rate dropping issue if your Windows operating system is not updated since it might not have the latest components needed for the game to run properly. In order to fix this you should get the latest Windows updates.

Manually download Windows updates

• Right click the Start button.
• Click Settings.
• Click Windows Update section found on the bottom left side of the new window that appears.
• Click Check for updates.
• If new updates are found then click on the Install now button.

After the new updates have been installed you will have to restart your computer then check if the Hearts of Iron IV FPS issue still occurs.

Solution 4: Check if your Windows antivirus is causing FPS issues in Hearts of Iron IV

Your Hearts of Iron IV will lag or have FPS issues if the antivirus program keeps on checking the game files. You can check if this is the culprit by disabling the antivirus software of your computer then try playing Hearts of Iron IV . If the game does not lag or have decreased framerates with the antivirus software disabled then you will need to add Hearts of Iron IV to its exception list.

Disable the Windows antivirus software

• Click the Start button.
• Click on Settings.
• Click on Update & Security.
• Click on Windows Security.
• Click on Virus & threat protection.
• Click on Manage settings.
• Turn off the Real time protection switch.

Adding Hearts of Iron IV to the exception list of antivirus software

• Click the Start button.
• Click on Settings.
• Click on Update & Security.
• Click on Windows Security.
• Click on Virus & threat protection.
• Click on Manage settings.
• Click Add or remove exclusions.
• Click Add an exclusion.
• Click Folder.
• Find the folder location of Hearts of Iron IV and select it.

After adding Hearts of Iron IV to the exception list try checking if the FPS drops issue still occurs.

Solution 5: Close background application running when playing Hearts of Iron IV

You will experience the Hearts of Iron IV game fps drop issue if there are too many programs running in the background while you are playing the game. You should make sure that no other applications are running such as your Chrome browser, Office apps, or Discord as these applications will use your computer system resources leaving a less amount of CPU, GPU, and RAM available for Hearts of Iron IV to access.

Close running applications

• Open task manager window by right clicking the Start button then select Task Manager.
• Make sure to click on More details.
• Click on the Processes tab.
• Right click on the apps running and select End task.
• Try checking if the Hearts of Iron IV fps drops issue still occurs.

Solution 6: Lower the Hearts of Iron IV graphics setting

If you don’t have a powerful video card and you are playing Hearts of Iron IV at extremely high resolution then there’s a possibility that the fps drops significantly. You need to lower the graphics settings of the game to increase its frame rate.

• Launch Hearts of Iron IV.
• Click Options on the main menu screen.
• Click the video tab.
• Change Multisample level to 2 or 4.
• Change Texture Quality to low or medium.
• Uncheck high quality pixel shaders.
• Uncheck full rendering resolution.
• Click on Apply then back.

Solution 7: Verify the integrity of game files

Your Hearts of Iron IV game will crash if it has corrupted or missing game files. In order to fix, this you will need to verify the integrity of the game files using the Steam launcher. Any missing or corrupted file will be replaced with new ones automatically downloaded from the servers.

Verify integrity of the game files

• Open the Steam client.
• Click on your Steam Library.
• Find Hearts of Iron IV then right click it and click on Properties.
• On the new window that appears, click on the Local Files tab.
• Click Verify integrity of game files…

Once the game files have been fixed try checking it the game still crashes.

Solution 8: Reinstall the game

In case the problem persists then this might already be caused by a corrupted game installation. You will have to uninstall Hearts of Iron IV and install it again.

Uninstalling the game

• Go to the Steam Library tab.
• Right click on Hearts of Iron IV then click on Manage then uninstall.
• Click on Uninstall again to uninstall the game.

Installing the game

• Go to the Library tab.
• Right click on Hearts of Iron IV then click on install.
• Click next to proceed with the installation.

After installing the game try to launch it and check if it crashes.

Feel free to visit our YouTube channel for additional support and troubleshooting guides on various devices.