NetEase Games has announced an experimental feature coming to Marvel Rivals in Season 2 that aims to solve performance issues for players with limited RAM. The "Switch Shader Compilation Mode" will significantly reduce memory usage during gameplay, potentially eliminating stutters, frozen screens, and crashes for many players.
New Shader Compilation System Targets Memory Bottlenecks
Players of Marvel Rivals with 16GB of RAM or less have been experiencing significant performance issues, with systems forced to use swap memory leading to stuttering and crashes. The April 10, 2025 announcement reveals that the development team is addressing these concerns head-on with their new shader compilation technology.
When enabled through the PC launcher in the upcoming Season 2 update, the feature changes how the game handles shader compilation—the process will only run when first entering the game after installing a new version or updating graphics drivers, rather than continuously during gameplay.
How Will This Improve Your Gaming Experience?
The benefits of this experimental feature are substantial:
- Significantly reduced memory consumption during gameplay
- Fewer FPS drops and frozen screens
- Reduced crashes caused by memory shortages
- More stable performance on systems with limited RAM
This update specifically targets players who have been forced to close other applications or make system adjustments just to run the hero shooter smoothly.
Known Issues and Recommendations
NetEase has been transparent about potential drawbacks with the experimental feature. Players might notice some materials rendering abnormally for a few frames when starting new matches, along with occasional stutters during the first rendering of certain effects.
Additionally, systems with limited CPU threads (6 or fewer) might experience additional stuttering when using this feature alongside AMD FSR3 Frame Generation. The developers recommend this feature primarily for players with 16GB RAM or less who have experienced significant performance issues.
Availability and Platform Support
While Marvel Rivals is available across multiple platforms including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, this shader compilation feature appears targeted specifically at PC players, accessible through the game's launcher with the Season 2 update.
Players experiencing issues after enabling the feature are encouraged to contact support through the game's official channels, including their Discord community.