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nickp28's avatar
nickp28
Seasoned Newcomer
4 months ago

[PS5] Severe stutter after 2 hours of continuous Kick Off play (Disc Version)

Platform: PlayStation 5 (Disc Version)
Game: EA SPORTS FC 26
Mode: Kick Off (Offline)
Frequency: 100% reproducible
Connection: Offline mode
Resolution: 4K 60Hz
Storage: Internal SSD (PS5 Slim with disc drive)

Description:
After playing continuous Kick Off matches using the same teams and repeatedly selecting "Restart Match" for about 2 hours, the game begins to stutter and lag heavily. 
The frame rate drops significantly and gameplay becomes choppy.

This issue occurs consistently in EA SPORTS FC 26 (Disc version), but does NOT occur in EA SPORTS FC 25, which runs smoothly even after 8+ hours of continuous play under identical conditions. 
When the game is closed and reopened, the stutter will appear again after approximately 2 hours of continuous play, confirming that it is not a PS5 system or thermal issue.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Launch EA SPORTS FC 26 on PS5.
2. Go to Kick Off mode (Offline).
3. Choose any teams (e.g., Real Madrid vs Barcelona).
4. Start the match.
5. After finishing, select "Restart Match" repeatedly without returning to the main menu.
6. Continue for ~2 hours.
7. Observe progressive frame rate drops and heavy stutter.

Troubleshooting Tried:
- Rebuild PS5 database (Safe Mode)
- Reinstalled game from disc
- Deleted and recreated save data
- PS5 and game fully updated to latest versions
- Tested with different teams, stadiums, and controllers
- Checked PS5 temperature and ventilation
→ Issue persists 100% of the time in FC26, but not in FC25.

Expected Result:
Smooth and stable performance even after long continuous play sessions.

Actual Result:
After ~2 hours of continuous Kick Off play, the game begins to stutter severely until the app is closed and relaunched.

Additional Notes:
This appears to be a memory leak or cache accumulation issue within Kick Off mode. 
Please forward to the QA/Development team for investigation, as this affects offline playability and consistency for PS5 disc users.

Thank you.

2 Comments

  • nickp28's avatar
    nickp28
    Seasoned Newcomer
    4 months ago

    Update:
    I have also submitted a supporting bug report in the EA SPORTS FC 24 Bug Reports forum, since this exact same issue has existed since FC 24 and still occurs in FC 26.

    Here’s the link to the FC 24 thread:
    https://forums.ea.com/discussions/fc-24-technical-issues-en/ps5-stutter-after-2h-continuous-kick-off-play-disc-version/12870626

    This confirms the issue is a legacy/regression performance bug affecting Kick Off mode on PS5 (disc version), consistent across multiple titles (FC24 → FC26).

    Please forward this information to the QA/development team for further investigation.

  • nickp28's avatar
    nickp28
    Seasoned Newcomer
    4 months ago

    🚨🎥 UPDATE – Short Video Showing Severe Stutter (PS5 Disc, FC26)

    I’ve recorded a short clip highlighting the severe stutter in Kick Off after ~2 hours of continuous play. This issue is 100% reproducible in FC26 but does not occur in FC25 under identical conditions.

    In this short clip, the stutter is clearly visible. Notably, the game returns to normal performance after closing and reopening, which further indicates a memory or cache accumulation issue rather than a system or thermal problem.

    Watch here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jg1e5BgxGaEzHODfyYZUP2mI3TmZa3GW/view?usp=sharing

    Please escalate to QA/Development for investigation – this affects offline gameplay consistency.

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