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Troubleshooting Graphics and Performance Problems

If you're experiencing overall poor performance or graphics issues while playing Guild Wars 2, we recommend that you begin by walking through the basic troubleshooting steps listed below. If you continue to experience issues, you'll find a list of more specific problems players have encountered—as well as solutions to those problems—in the known issues section, below.

General Troubleshooting Tips

Here are some basic troubleshooting steps to explore if you begin experiencing graphics or performance issues:

  • Verify that your hardware meets our minimum specifications to play the game.
  • Download and install the latest graphics drivers for your video card.
  • Use the Auto-Detect graphics option to set your in-game visual settings.
    1. Launch Guild Wars 2.
    2. Log in and select Play on the Guild Wars 2 Launcher.
    3. When you reach the character selection screen, press F11 to open the Options menu.
    4. Select the Graphics Options tab
    5. Under Advanced Settings, find the Settings Preset drop-down.
    6. Click the drop-down menu and select Autodetect.
    7. The game will now automatically detect the best graphics settings for your computer.

If you're still having problems, read through the known issues and troubleshooting suggestions listed below.

Known Graphics Issues & Solutions

I am using a multiple graphics card configuration (AMD Crossfire or NVIDIA SLI), but they don’t function properly.

Download and install the latest drivers from NVIDIA or AMD.

Note: NVIDIA users are encouraged to perform a "clean" installation when updating their drivers. This can be done by selecting the Custom (Advanced) option when installing the drivers, and then choosing Perform a clean installation.

I have an NVIDIA graphics card and my screen turns black, followed by a message stating, “the display driver has stopped responding."

If you are using an NVIDIA card and experience a black screen, try adjusting the Power management mode setting to "Prefer maximum performance." Here's how you make that change:

  1. Right-click your desktop and select the NVIDIA Control Panel.
  2. Under the 3D Settings section, select Manage 3D Settings.
  3. Now select the Program Settings tab.
  4. In the drop-down list, select Guild Wars 2 (gw2.exe) or Guild Wars 2 (gw2-64.exe).
  5. In the feature list, find Power management mode and change the setting to Prefer maximum performance.
  6. Click Apply in the bottom-right corner of the control panel to save your changes.

Note: This workaround may not solve the problem for everyone. If you continue to run into problems, please contact our support team.

I have AMD FX/Bulldozer-series and experience bad performance while running Windows 7.

If you are using an AMD FX/Bulldozer-series CPU or AMD Opteron 4200/6200-series CPU on Windows 7, please try the following:

  1. Navigate to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2645594.
  2. Click on the Hotfix Download Available link to download and install the corresponding version of the hotfix for your OS.
  3. Once complete, reboot your computer.
  4. Now navigate to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2646060.
  5. Click on the Hotfix Download Available link to download and install the corresponding version of the hotfix for your OS.
  6. Once complete, reboot your computer. 
  7. Launch Guild Wars 2.

Please Note: This is an operating system hotfix. As with all system changes, this can result in larger problems when trying to play the game or use other programs on your computer. If you experience any system instability after installing the hotfix, please remove them immediately.

I have an AMD graphics card and the game world and/or character selection screen are rendering black, blue, or white.

Please try downloading and installing the latest AMD Application Profiles.

Note: You must restart your computer for the fix to be applied.

Updating Your Video Drivers

Below you'll find steps to help you update your graphics card drivers. First, let's begin by figuring out what kind of graphics card your computer is using.

Windows® Instructions

On Windows XP or earlier:

  1. Click the Start button, and press Run.
  2. In the Run dialog box, type DxDiag. Click OK.
  3. Click on the Display tab to find information about your video card. The Chip Type field should list the specific card you have installed, while the current driver version and date are listed to the right.

To check your graphics card type on Windows Vista or later:

  1. Press the Windows key and begin typing to open the search window.
  2. Type DxDiag.
  3. Press the Enter key on your keyboard and a DirectX tool should appear.
  4. Click on the Display tab to find information about your video card. The Chip Type field should list the specific card you have installed, while the current driver version and date are listed to the right.

Updating NVIDIA® GeForce Drivers

To update NVIDIA® video drivers:

  • Download and save the latest video drivers for your card via NVIDIA’s Download Drivers page. Do not run the installer yet!

Before you run the installer, uninstall the old graphics drivers from your computer:

  1. Go to Start – Control Panel – Add or Remove Programs.
  2. Locate the NVIDIA Drivers item and click it.

    • IMPORTANT: Make sure that you ONLY uninstall the Display Drivers. DO NOT uninstall any NVIDIA nForce chipset drivers, as this will cause system instability.

  3. Click the Change/Remove button.
  4. On the NVIDIA Uninstall window, click the Yes button to continue.
  5. Once the drivers have been uninstalled, allow your computer to reboot.
  6. During startup, the Windows® Hardware Wizard will appear. Cancel out of it.
    • Note: You may have to cancel twice if your card supports a secondary display.

Now run the driver installer:

  1. Install the latest video drivers by running the installer you downloaded from NVIDIA.
  2. Reboot once more to complete the installation process.

Alternatively, you can also download NVIDIA'S GeForce Experience tool, which will not only alert you when a new driver update is available, but will help you perform a quick, clean installation of your drivers.

Updating ATI™ Radeon® Drivers

To update ATI™ video drivers for Radeon cards:

  • Download and save the latest video drivers for your card via AMD's Drivers & Support page. Do not run the installer yet!

Before you run the installer, uninstall the old graphics drivers from your computer:

  1. Click Start.
  2. Click Control Panel.
  3. Click Add or Remove Programs. (Alternatively, Programs and Features if you are running Windows Vista or later.)
  4. Locate the ATI Display Driver and click it.
  5. Click the Change/Remove button.
  6. On the ATI Uninstall window, click the Select all button and then OK.
  7. Once the drivers have been uninstalled, allow your computer to reboot.
  8. During startup, the Windows Hardware Wizard will appear. Cancel out of it.

    • You may have to cancel twice if your card supports a secondary display.

Now run the driver installer:

  1. Install the latest video drivers by running the installer you downloaded from ATI.
  2. Reboot once more to complete the installation process.

Updating Intel® Drivers

To install Intel® video drivers, please do the following:

  1. Visit Intel's Driver Update website.
  2. Click the link that corresponds to your video card model or chipset.
  3. Under the Drivers and Download section, click the graphics driver link to navigate to the download page for the driver.
  4. Now find your operating system and download the latest driver (either as a .zip or .exe file) by clicking the button.
  5. Run the installer executable.
  6. When the installation finishes, reboot your system to complete the installation process.

If you are unable to install these drivers, please check with your system manufacturer to obtain the latest video drivers for your computer.

Updating Video Drivers on a Laptop

Laptop video drivers must be obtained from the laptop manufacturer.

Unfortunately, laptop manufacturers don't release updates as frequently as video card manufacturers. This means that while the latest ATI driver could be one week old, the most recent driver from your laptop manufacturer may be much older.

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