Severe FPS Drops (5-10 FPS) in every game mode, even in Menus

[SOLVED] FC26 Sudden FPS Drops + 100% GPU Usage - Ultimate Fix

Hey everyone! I wanted to share the solution to this frustrating issue I had with FC26. Maybe this will help others with similar problems.

My Problem:

• Sometimes I could play perfectly with stable FPS and normal GPU usage
• But randomly (especially in Ultimate Team menus), FPS would suddenly drop to 10-20 FPS with GPU stuck at 100%
• Had to exit and re-enter menus to temporarily fix it
• All settings were on LOW, using MSI Afterburner + RivaTuner for monitoring and FPS cap

What I Tried First (helped but didn't solve completely):

• Disabled GPU Power Percent monitoring in MSI Afterburner
• Disabled Windows Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS)
• Updated NVIDIA drivers

The Final Solution That Worked:

The main issue was FC26 automatically resetting graphics settings (especially Strand Based Hair) back to HIGH in certain menus, even though I set everything to LOW.

Step 1: Edit Configuration Files (overrideAutodetect.lua & fcsetup.ini)

Navigate to: C:\Users$$YourName]\AppData\Local\EA SPORTS FC 26\

Key Settings to Change (adapt the values to your setup):

overrideAutodetect.lua:

FullscreenEnabled = 1           # 1 = fullscreen, 0 = windowed
FullscreenScreen = 0            # Monitor index (0 = primary)
ResolutionWidth = 1920          # Change to your resolution
ResolutionHeight = 1080         # Change to your resolution  
OverallGraphicsQuality = 0      # 0 = Low, 1 = Medium, 2 = High, 3 = Ultra
VSyncEnabled = 0                # 0 = disabled, 1 = enabled
FullscreenRefreshRate = 165     # Change to your monitor's refresh rate
MaxFrameRate = 87               # Your desired FPS cap
TargetFrameRate = 87            # Same as MaxFrameRate
ResolutionScale = 0.850000      # 0.5-1.0 (lower = better performance)
PresentInterval = 0             # 0 = no frame pacing
WindowedBorderless = 1          # 1 = borderless windowed
StrandBasedHair = 0             # CRUCIAL - 0 = disabled
UseGoalNets3d = -1              # -1 = auto, 0 = disabled, 1 = enabled
NisAtFullFps = 1                # NVIDIA Image Scaling
CrowdQuality = 0                # 0 = Low, 1 = Medium, 2 = High
GrassQuality = 0                # 0 = Low, 1 = Medium, 2 = High
MotionBlur = 0                  # 0 = disabled, 1 = enabled
ClothQuality = 0                # 0 = Low, 1 = Medium, 2 = High
DynamicAOQuality = 0            # Ambient Occlusion quality
DynamicResolution = 1           # 1 = enabled (helps maintain FPS)
MinWindowWidth = 1280           # Minimum window size
MinWindowHeight = 720           # Minimum window size

fcsetup.ini:

AUDIO_MIX_MODE = 0              # Audio mixing mode
CONFIG_APP_LOCALE = en-US       # Language setting
FULLSCREEN = 1                  # 1 = fullscreen
FULLSCREEN_OUTPUT_INDEX = 0     # Monitor index
MSAA_LEVEL = 0                  # Anti-aliasing (0 = off)
RENDERING_QUALITY = 1           # Base rendering quality
RESOLUTIONWIDTH = 1920          # Your screen width
RESOLUTIONHEIGHT = 1080         # Your screen height
REFRESH_RATE = 165              # Your monitor refresh rate
VOICECHAT = 0                   # Voice chat (0 = disabled)
WAITFORVSYNC = 0                # VSync (0 = disabled)
MAX_FRAME_RATE = 87             # FPS cap
TARGET_FRAME_RATE = 87          # Target FPS
RENDERING_SCALE = 0.85          # Match overrideAutodetect.lua
WINDOWED_BORDERLESS = 1         # Borderless windowed mode
STRAND_BASED_HAIR = 0           # CRUCIAL - main FPS killer
USE_GOAL_NETS_3D = -1           # 3D goal nets
NIS_AT_FULL_FPS = 1             # NVIDIA Image Scaling
CROWD_QUALITY = 0               # Crowd detail level
GRASS_QUALITY = 0               # Grass quality
DYNAMIC_RESOLUTION = 1          # Dynamic resolution scaling
GRAPHICS_PRESET = 0             # 0 = Low preset
MOTION_BLUR = 0                 # Motion blur effect
CLOTH_QUALITY = 0               # Cloth physics quality
DYNAMIC_AO_QUALITY = 0          # Dynamic ambient occlusion
RESOLUTION_FOR_DISPLAY_MODE_LIST = 0_125830200|1_125830200|2_125830200|

Step 2: Lock the Files (CRUCIAL!)

1. Right-click each file → Properties → Security → Edit
2. Select your user account
3. Check "Deny" for "Write" permission
4. Apply and OK

This prevents FC26 from overwriting your settings.

How to Adapt for Your System:

• Lower-end GPU: Set ResolutionScale to 0.7-0.8, MaxFrameRate to 60
• Higher-end GPU: Set ResolutionScale to 0.9-1.0, increase MaxFrameRate
• Different resolution: Change ResolutionWidth/Height to match your monitor
• Different refresh rate: Change FullscreenRefreshRate to your monitor's rate

My Setup:

• Acer Nitro 5 GTX 3050
• i5-11400H
• 64GB RAM

Hope this helps anyone dealing with the same issue, let me know if you need any clarification!