Spider-Man 2 Faces Mixed Steam Reviews Due to PC Performance Issues

Spider-Man 2's PC port, developed by Nixxes, has launched with a 'mixed' user review rating on Steam, despite initial optimism around its system requirements. The game has faced criticism from players reporting various technical issues, leading to a 55% positive review rating.

A user with an RTX 4090 and the latest Nvidia drivers (5.66.36) reported frequent crashes, stating, “Despite having a high-end GPU and running the latest Nvidia drivers, the game frequently crashes.” Another player found the game "completely unplayable," mentioning crashes every five minutes and had already requested a refund.

One reviewer advised holding off on purchasing until stabilization patches are released, describing the game's state as "rough." They noted issues like lighting not loading in cutscenes, scenes running at seconds-per-frame, audio desynchronization, freezing, stuttering, and other performance problems. This user also decided to seek a refund, citing better uses for the $70.

The primary issue seems to be frequent crashes of the game’s graphics controller, affecting even users with high-end PCs. An error message suggests possible causes such as outdated drivers, settings too high for the GPU, an overheating GPU, or a game error, advising users to update drivers or lower in-game settings.

Other complaints include malfunctions with features like DLSS and ray tracing, as well as long loading times, missing textures, and audio issues. Some players have reported performance stuttering after several hours of gameplay, leading to hard crashes, with speculation about a memory leak being the cause.

Nixxes has acknowledged these issues on the Steam forums, apologizing and directing users to troubleshooting guides on the Nixxes Support website. They encourage users to submit logs and crash dumps to aid in quick resolution. Additionally, Nixxes has identified a specific bug during photo-op missions in Spider-Man 2, related to very low framerates (below 20 FPS), and suggested lowering graphics settings or resolution as a temporary fix.