Bethesda recommends fixes for Dishonored 2 performance: turn down your settings

It sounds like the PC release of Dishonored 2 is not quite as trouble-free as we'd hoped. User reviews on Steam are, surprisingly, "mixed," with large numbers of people complaining about stuttering, low framerates, laggy mouse controls, and other performance issues. We're digging into it and will give you a more in-depth breakdown when we can, but for now if you're suffering from troubles you can try a few of the ideas listed in the newly-posted launch FAQ.

Avoid using Alt-Tab when playing. Relaunch the game if you see performance dropping after using Alt-tab.
Avoid having background applications running in addition to the game.

Video Settings:

If you have performance issues, try lowering the resolution. Use 1440p resolution only if you have a very high-end GPU ( GTX 1070/1080 or equivalent)
Keep the V-Sync activated, especially if you have large framerate fluctuations.
If you have framerate under 30 fps, adjust the “Adaptive Resolution” between minimum (50%) and default value (75%).

Advanced Settings:

Use the “Auto” presets: this should adjust your visual settings without impacting your framerate.
If you still have performance issues with “Auto” presets, try deactivating the “TXAA Anti-Aliasing” and/or lowering the texture details.

Don't overdo it, in other words, and don't expect too much—particularly, as we pointed out in yesterday's early performance and settings post, if you're running on a mid-range rig. Phil's home system, build around an i5-6600K and GTX1070, easily manages 2560x1440, 60 fps, at high/very high settings. But his work PC, an i5-3570K with a GTX-970—still a respectable machine—struggles to maintain 60 fps at 1920x1080. You'll also want to be sure you have the latest video drivers installed.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.