How to Fix The Witcher 3 Not Using GPU?

The Witcher III is an online dark fantasy action role-playing video game developed by the CD Projekt RED team. This fantasy action role-playing game series was released in 2007, and it has since received glowing reviews across multiple platforms, including Xbox, Windows, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, etc. We’ll talk about the issue of Witcher 3 not using GPU, which was reported by some players after the latest patch.

How to Fix The Witcher 3 Not Using GPU?

You can expect problems with the game’s launch or performance once it begins using the PC’s integrated GPU instead of the dedicated or external graphics card. In addition to the stuttering, the game may experience graphical anomalies, frame drops, crashes, and so on. If you’re experiencing this problem as well, or if the game stutters and lags for no apparent reason, you’ll need to take matters into your own hands.

We have provided you with a few potential workarounds that we believe will be of great assistance to you. Let’s not waste any more time and get right down to business, shall we?

1. Use a Dedicated Graphics Card

For optimal performance when playing The Witcher 3, check to see that your computer is equipped with a dedicated or external graphics card. Game stutters, lags, and frame drops should become less frequent as a result. If you are unsure which settings need to be adjusted, then you should follow the steps that are provided below.

For Nvidia:

If you are using a graphics card manufactured by Nvidia, you are able to perform the following tasks.

• Right-click the desktop’s empty window > NVIDIA Control Panel should be selected.
• Select 3D settings. the left pane, click Manage 3D settings.
• Choose the tab for Program Settings. Pick Witcher 3 from the menu that appears.
• Choose an NVIDIA High-Performance processor now.
• To apply changes, save changes and restart the computer.

For AMD:

Users of AMD graphics cards have the ability to do the following.

• Click with the right mouse button on the empty desktop and then choose AMD Radeon Settings from the context menu.
• Click System > Select Switchable Graphics to continue.
• To apply changes, make sure to save your changes and restart your computer.

2. Update GPU Drivers

Multiple games or system performance issues can be triggered when the driver for the graphics card is either outdated or corrupt. Checking for graphics driver updates is something that should definitely be done. To do so:

• To access the Quick Link Menu, press the Windows + X keys together.
• Select Device Manager from the list and then double-click Display Adapters.
• Right-click on the dedicated graphics card you’re currently using and select Properties.

• Select Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
  If a new update is available, it will automatically download and install it.
• When finished, restart the computer to make the changes take effect immediately.

You also have the option to use the official website to manually download the most recent graphics driver version and then install it on your personal computer. Make sure that you download the graphics driver file that corresponds to the model and manufacturer of your graphics card.

Users of graphics cards manufactured by Nvidia can update the GeForce Experience app by visiting the official website of Nvidia, while users of graphics cards manufactured by AMD can do the same by visiting the website of AMD.

3. Close Background Running Tasks

The performance of the system can be negatively impacted when unnecessary tasks or programs are allowed to run in the background, as this can consume a significant amount of the system’s resources, such as the CPU or memory. As a result, issues such as crashing at startup, lagging during startup, and not loading at all frequently occur. Simply terminate all of the tasks that are running in the background that are not necessary. To accomplish this:

• To open the Task Manager, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
• Now, select the Processes tab > to select tasks that are running in the background unnecessarily and consuming too many system resources.
• To close each task, click End Task.

4. Change Power Plan

Also, since Windows by default uses the Balanced power plan, it is strongly suggested that you switch to a different power setting. But it slows down performance, which can be enhanced by switching the power strategy. It’s important to remember that the performance plan may increase your power consumption. So as to:

• To open the Run dialogue box, press the Windows + R keys together.
• To open it, type Control Panel in the field and click OK from the search result.
• Now, find and open Power Options (Power & Battery).

To save changes immediately, select Best Performance > Reboot your PC.

5. Tweak In-Game Graphics Settings

You can also experiment with the in-game graphics settings to see if the issue persists.

1. To play Witcher 3, fire up the Steam client and navigate to the game’s Library.
2. You can access the game’s configuration menu by clicking the gear icon.
3. Now, you must disable VSync by clicking the appropriate menu option.
4. Then, place each option in Advanced Settings at its lowest or second-lowest setting.

6. Disable Overclocking of the GPU

If you have MSI Afterburner or another GPU overclocking software installed on your PC, we recommend that you disable the overclocking option and uninstall the software to avoid GPU-related issues.

Though the GPU overclocking function can help your system and hardware run graphics-intensive games or programs more smoothly, it can also cause a number of performance issues. So you should give it a shot.

7. Delete ‘SGA’ Prefix Game Files

Launching the game or using a specific feature may be impeded if certain game files on the PC are corrupted. There have been rumblings that the SGA-extension files used in The Witcher 3 are causing problems with the game’s functionality.

The GPU not working or not being detected is something you can fix by erasing all the SGA prefix files from the game’s installation folder. So as to:

1. To launch File Explorer, press Windows + E.
2. Open the Rockstar Games folder by going to the Documents folder in the left pane.
3. Go to the Settings folder in the Witcher 3 folder by opening it.
4. Three files with the SGA prefix are displayed here. Simply remove the SGA files.
5. Once finished, shut down File Explorer, restart your computer, and then try to launch The Witcher 3 once more.

8. Tweak Launch Options or Arguments

In order to run a game with a particular feature, the game client or launcher can be given additional (strong) command prompts via the command line. Therefore, you can force a feature or option to be used by providing appropriate command-line arguments, even if the game or client does not support them.

If you encounter an ERR GFX STATE error in Witcher 3 or the game is unable to recognize your dedicated GPU, you can fix the problem by following these steps.

For Steam:

1. Launch the Steam client and select LIBRARY.
   From the left pane, right-click Witcher 3 and choose Properties.
2. Click on SET LAUNCH OPTIONS to continue.
   In the field, enter -ignorepipelinecache, then click OK.
3. Once you’ve finished, launch Witcher 3 to see if the error is still an issue.

For Epic Games Launcher:

1. Launch the Epic Games app. On the bottom left, select Settings.
2. Select Witcher 3 > Additional Command Line Arguments by checking the box.
3. In the field, enter “-ignorepipelinecache” and then return to the main menu.
4. Run Witcher 3 again to look for any problems.

9. Verify and Repair Game Files

Crashes, lags, stutters, GPU errors, graphical glitches, and so on are all possible if your installed game files are corrupted or missing files.

No matter what game launcher you use, it is best practice to have the files automatically checked for damage and repaired. Files can be checked using the following methods, depending on the game launcher or client you’re using. So as to:

For Steam:

1. Log into the account by launching the Steam client on a PC.
2. Go to the library.
3. From the left pane, right-click on the Witcher 3 game.
4. Select Properties > Local Files from the drop-down menu.
   then select the game files’ Verify Integrity button.
5. Wait for the procedure to finish, then shut down the Steam client.
6. To apply changes, restart the computer.

For Epic Games Launcher:

1. Launch the Epic Games app. Select Library.
2. Select the Witcher 3 icon with three dots.
3. When you click Verify, the game files will begin to be verified.
4. Restart the launcher after the procedure is finished.

10. Reinstall Witcher 3

If none of the aforementioned solutions worked for you, you can try reinstalling The Witcher 3 on your personal computer to see if doing so helps you fix the issue of lagging or FPS drop that is caused by not using a dedicated GPU (graphics card).

1. Start up the Steam client on your personal computer.
2. Navigate to Library, then right-click on Witcher 3 to start the game.
3. Click the Uninstall button >. To confirm, click the Delete button.
4. Attend until the process of uninstallation has been finished > Put an end to the Steam client session.
5. Now, launch the application known as File Explorer > To search for the location, copy and paste the following path into the address bar: C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommon and then hit the Enter key.
6. Navigate to the folder containing The Witcher 3, and then delete the folder entirely.
7. To make the changes take effect, restart the computer.
8. Launch the Steam Client and perform a fresh installation of
9. The Witcher 3 game. [It is obvious that this could take a significant amount of time, but you should give it a shot]
10. It ought to completely fix the issue with the lag or the drop in FPS.

That wraps things up, guys. We are going to assume that this guide was beneficial to you. You are welcome to leave a comment below if you have any further questions.