The First Descendant high CPU usage – how to fix and causes
Table of Contents
Since its release, The First Descendant players have been running into different issues, including stuttering. The game was even crashing for those who own some of the latest CPUs. And now, players have been facing yet another issue; high CPU usage. This basically means the game is using more CPU resources than it should.
As constant high CPU usage can put the processor under a lot of stress and damage it in the long run, you need to do something about it immediately. And to help you out, we’ve put together this in-depth guide with methods that can help you reduce The First Descendant’s CPU usage.
Why is CPU usage high for The First Descendant?
The game may be consuming more CPU resources due to several reasons, such as:
- Incorrect graphics settings.
- Upscaler.
- Temporary bug or glitch.
How to fix high CPU usage in The First Descendant
If the CPU usage is constantly high and it is not reducing on its own, you can try following these methods.
Step
Adjust the in-game settings
High CPU usage issues can be mostly fixed by adjusting the in-game settings, and here’s what you need to tweak for The First Descendant.
- Launch The First Descendant and go to its graphics settings.
- From the Performance tab, limit the Maximum Frame Rate to 30 and turn on V-Sync.
- Even if everything else is set to ultra, set Reflection to low or medium.
- Physics, Shaders, and Effects also sometimes put a stress on the CPU, so you can try lowering them down too.

After you’ve made the required changes, start playing The First Descendant again and check if the CPU usage has been reduced.
Step
Disable the upscaler
If you’re trying to use an upscaler to boost the number of FPS you’re getting in The First Descendant, you may need to disable it. This is because there seems to be an issue that is causing the upscaler to put a lot of stress on the CPU in The First Descendant.
For this, you need to go back into the graphics settings and disable the uspcaler from there. Depending on your GPU, it will be either DLSS, XeSS, or FSR.

However, if following the first method reduced the CPU usage and it’s in the safe zone now, then there’s no need to disable the upscaler.
Step
Close background applications
If you have multiple applications running in the background while playing The First Descendant, the CPU usage will be high. To fix this, right-click on the Task Bar and open the Task Manager. Then, select all unnecessary applications and click on ‘End Task.’
Conclusion
Constant high CPU usage can lead to different issues, including overheating. If the high CPU usage is caused by a temporary bug or glitch, it will reduce automatically after you restart or power cycle your PC. But if it isn’t, then you can follow the methods mentioned in our guide, which will hopefully fix the issue in no time. We also recommend checking out the best CPUs and best GPUs for the First Descendant, in case you’re thinking about upgrading.
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