Performance Challenges for Rise of the Ronin on Steam
This week marked the arrival of Rise of the Ronin on Steam, a full year after its initial launch on PlayStation 5. However, the transition has not been smooth, as players are encountering significant performance issues that have marred their gaming experience. Koei Tecmo has acknowledged the situation, stating that they are currently “investigating” the reports and are in the process of developing a patch aimed at addressing these concerns.
Players have reported a variety of performance-related complaints, with no single issue emerging as the primary culprit. Instead, the game struggles to run efficiently, even on high-end PCs. Commonly cited problems include:
- Stuttering and choppy gameplay
- Low and inconsistent frame rates
- Frequent crashes
- Input delays that disrupt gameplay
To compound these issues, many users express disappointment with the game’s graphical fidelity, noting that it fails to impress even when settings are maximized. As a result, the game has garnered a “mixed” rating on Steam, with only 44% of user reviews offering a positive outlook.
On the Rise of the Ronin subreddit, opinions are divided. While some players report satisfactory experiences, a significant number voice their frustrations regarding performance. Among those who are content, there is a noticeable tendency to temper their enthusiasm. One user remarked, “Feels like there’s a slight stutter/choppiness but it’s nothing I’m not used to playing Team Ninja PC ports. You get used to it pretty fast.” They noted maintaining a frame rate between 70-110 with DLSS balanced and high settings, although they did encounter some graphical glitches during cutscenes.
The phrase “you get used to it” is rarely a reassuring response in any context, yet it reflects a growing acceptance of subpar PC ports in the gaming community. Recent examples of such challenges include titles like Monster Hunter: Wilds, Spider-Man 2, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and The Last of Us Part 1, among others. This trend has prompted discussions about the increasing difficulties faced in delivering quality PC ports, with the consensus being that the process is both costly and complex.
Koei Tecmo has taken note of the feedback and provided an update on Steam, acknowledging that FPS drops, sluggish performance, and “model rendering issues” can occur when using the Ultra graphics preset, regardless of the user’s PC specifications. They also noted that setting the FPS limit to 120 can result in the game running in slow motion. As a temporary solution, the publisher recommends adjusting the graphical preset to either High or Standard and lowering the FPS limit to 60, which may alleviate some of the performance problems until the patch is released.
