Games of 2022 with the worst optimization on PC

DSOGaming has created a list of 2022 games with the worst PC optimization. The site rated the current versions of the games and shared their opinions about each of them, based on the following criteria: underutilization of all processor cores, console flaws, regular stuttering, and non-compliance with GPU requirements.

Games of 2022 with the worst optimization on PC

Nextgen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Many of us have been looking forward to the next-generation version of The Witcher 3, but as we know, it is currently in a very bad state. The game has serious issues with CPU optimization, which can cause frame rates to drop below 60 fps with ray tracing enabled, even on high-end CPUs. In addition, there are visual problems with ray tracing shadows and reflections.

To be honest, the only thing that distinguishes the updated The Witcher from the previous version is the tracing. If you do not need this functionality, you can modify the old version of the game (which runs much faster) and make it look better than the next-gen version of The Witcher 3 for DirectX 11. CD Projekt RED failed again, as it did with Cyberpunk 2077.

The Callisto Protocol with ray tracing

The Callisto Protocol is yet another disappointing game. At the beginning, she had huge problems with optimization on PC. Luckily, Striking Distance Studios was able to fix a lot of them, so the game now runs well without ray tracing. However, optimization still suffers when using ray tracing.

The Callisto Protocol, like The Witcher 3, cannot take full advantage of multiple processor cores/threads. Therefore, frame rates often drop below 60 fps, even on advanced CPUs/GPUs. In addition, Callisto Protocol does not support DLSS 3, which means that there is currently no computer on which it will work with tracing at a stable 60 fps. Again, this is due to insufficient CPU usage.

Gotham Knights

Gotham Knights is another AAA game that doesn’t take full advantage of multiple CPU cores/threads. At the beginning of the release, the game had significant problems with stuttering and CPU optimization. Warner Bros. recently released a patch that reduced stuttering to a minimum, however, fps drops and frame synchronization problems are still observed. However, the current version is better than the original.

But the situation gets much worse as soon as you enable ray tracing. As in the case of The Witcher 3 and Callisto Protocol, ray tracing puts additional load on the processor and leads to optimization problems. We don’t mind when a game is CPU loaded and using 80% available cores/threads. However, we don’t like it when a game only uses 3-4 cores/threads on modern processors with more than 12 cores. In 2022, developers should offer proper support for multi-core processors.

We’ve previously criticized Turn10 and Creative Assembly for doing the same, but luckily both studios released patches for “Forza Horizon 3” and “Halo Wars 2” that significantly improved CPU performance and multi-core/thread scaling. If they managed to do it, then CD Projekt RED, Striking Distance Studios and WB Games Montréal/QLOC have no excuse.

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires

It’s no secret that in Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires, controlling the camera with a mouse turned out to be very difficult and inconvenient. This was to be expected, as KOEI Tecmo often encounters such issues in their games. In addition, the requirements for playing at 1440p and 4K resolutions were very high and unreasonable, which significantly complicated the game for many users. In general, this was an expected problem with such a game from KOEI Tecmo.