How to Fix Dead Island 2 Screen Flickering or Tearing Issue on PC

Eliminate screen flickering and tearing in Dead Island 2 on your PC with these effective solutions.


Dead Island 2 is a popular survival horror game with a vast open-world environment that has been plagued with screen flickering or tearing issues. This problem can occur due to various reasons such as outdated graphics card drivers, incorrect monitor settings, or even hardware issues. The flickering or tearing can be a major distraction and make the game unplayable for some users.

This Dead Island 2 screen flickering or tearing issue on PC can be fixed by several effective and working solutions. By updating the graphics card drivers, checking and adjusting the monitor settings such as refresh rate & resolution, and disabling VSync or using third-party software like MSI Afterburner which helps to synchronize the frame rate, players can improve performance and enjoy the game to its fullest potential.

In this article, we will explore these solutions in more detail and help PC gamers get the most out of Dead Island 2.

How to Fix Dead Island 2 Screen Flickering or Tearing Issue on PC

If you want to fix the Dead Island 2 screen flickering/tearing issue on PC, then try to;

  • Restart your PC.
  • Update Star Wars Jedi Survivor.
  • Update your Windows OS to the latest version.
  • Run Star Wars Jedi Survivor as an Administrator.
  • Close Unnecessary Background Tasks.
  • Check Your Internet Connection

If the problem still persists, then try the below potential fixes;

1. Enable V-Sync in Nvidia Control Panel

To avoid graphics issues while playing Dead Island 2, it’s recommended to use Vertical Sync in the Nvidia Control Panel software for smoother gameplay.

  • Open the Nvidia Control Panel by selecting it in the Start menu. Visit the Microsoft Store and install it if it isn’t already there.
  • In the Nvidia Control Panel interface, select 3D Settings and then Manage 3D settings.
Enable V-Sync
  • Choose Program Settings > Add and choose Dead Island 2 from the list of applications.
  • Now, scroll down to Vertical sync and click it > On to make it active. This will require the Evil West game to always utilize V-Sync and then restart your PC.
NVIDIA Control Panel verticle Sync

After applying all these steps, restart your computer to apply changes and play the game to check for the issue again.

Enable FreeSync (For AMD Users)

Screen flickering or tearing while playing Dead Island 2 on your PC could be caused by FreeSync technology. Developed by AMD, FreeSync syncs the game’s frame rate with the display’s refresh rate to eliminate screen stuttering and tearing.

  • f you have a FreeSync monitor, ensure that FreeSync is enabled in the monitor’s settings and the AMD Radeon software.
  • If your FreeSync range is not set correctly, it can cause issues with the screen flickering or tearing. To adjust your FreeSync range, launch the AMD Radeon software, navigate to the Display tab, and select the monitor you want to adjust. Then click on the Display Settings icon and select Custom Resolutions. From there, you can adjust the FreeSync range to match your monitor’s refresh rate.

Sometimes this issue can be resolved by turning off FreeSync you can also turn off FreeSync:

  • Open the AMD Radeon software on your PC. You can do this by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting “AMD Radeon Settings” from the context menu.
  • Once the AMD Radeon software is open, navigate to the “Display” tab in the top menu.
  • Find and click on the “FreeSync” option in the left-hand menu.
  • In the FreeSync section, you will see a toggle switch labeled “AMD FreeSync.” Simply toggle the switch to the “Off” position to turn off FreeSync.
  • After turning off FreeSync, click on the “Apply” button to save the changes.

Apply these steps, restart your PC, and launch Dead Island 2 to see if the screen flickering or tearing issue is resolved.

2. Update the GPU Driver

An outdated display driver is a common culprit for Dead Island 2 screen flickering on your PC. This can prevent the game from launching. Updating your display driver is an effective solution to this problem. To update the GPU drivers, follow the below steps;

  • Press Win + X on the keyboard and then click on Device Manager and expand Display adapters.
  • Right-click on the graphics card, and click on Update driver.
Update The Graphics Card Driver
  • Choose Search automatically for drivers and update the driver.

In order to update the GPU driver, NVIDIA and AMD do release game-specific updates that you can download and install on your PC. But it takes time and if you are a newbie who doesn’t have skills then you might end up downloading the wrong drivers.

So, we suggest downloading Driver Easy software to update your graphics card driver quickly and efficiently. Unlike the device manager, it can update all drivers with a single click and has a broader database for detecting the latest drivers.

3. Force Use the Dedicated GPU

In case your PC has two GPUs, then switch to the dedicated GPU on which you want to play the game. This can help you to resolve your issue. To do so, just follow the below steps.

Nvidia:

  • Right-click on the desktop screen.
  • Open Nvidia Control Panel.
  • Go to 3D Settings.
  • Click on Manage 3D Settings.
  • Open Program Settings.
  • Select Dead Island 2 from the list.
  • Select High-Performance Nvidia Processor as the preferred graphics processor for this program.
  • Make sure to save changes and reboot the PC.

AMD:

  • Right-click on the blank desktop screen.
  • Open Radeon Settings.
  • Head over to Additional Settings.
  • Go to Preferences.
  • Click on Power.
  • Click on Switchable Graphics Application Settings.
  • Select Dead Island 2 from the list (If the game is not visible, select Add Application to include the game)
  • Select High Performance from Graphics Settings.
  • Finally, reboot the PC to apply changes.

4. Change the In-Game Graphics Settings

To tackle the frame drops or stuttering problems in Dead Island 2, it is advisable to decrease the in-game graphics settings on your PC or console.

You can try disabling various display settings such as texture details, shadow effects, v-sync, anti-aliasing, etc. Doing so can result in a noticeable improvement in FPS count and overall gameplay performance, leading to a smoother experience.

5.  Adjust Your Screen Resolution

To fix screen flickering and tearing in Dead Island 2 on PC, try reducing the screen resolution. High resolutions can sometimes cause these issues. Simply go to the video settings and adjust the resolution to see if it helps alleviate the problem.

6. Verify the Integrity of Game Files

If you’re experiencing the issue of the Dead Island 2 Remake screen flickering/tearing issue on your PC, there’s a simple and highly effective solution that you can try. Repairing the game files has been reported to have a very good chance of solving this problem. To do so, just follow the below steps;

  • Open Steam > Click on Library > Go to Home.
  • Right-click on Dead Island 2 > Click on Properties.
  • Go to the Local files tab > Click on Verify integrity of game files.
Verify the Game File Integrity.

Wait for a while to finish this process.

7. Limit Your Frame Rate

If you’re encountering screen flickering or tearing issues while playing Dead Island 2, it’s possible that the high frame rate is causing the problem. Limiting the frame rate can help reduce these issues. To do this, launch the game and go to the video settings. Find the frame rate option and set it to a lower value.

8. Disable In-Game Overlay

Background-running third-party overlay applications can frequently lead to conflicts that impact the launch of a game. This is because these apps consume a substantial amount of system resources, much like the processes necessary for starting the game. To disable an in-game overlay on Steam, just follow the below steps;

  1. Open Steam.
  2. Click on Steam on the menu and go to Settings.
  3. Go to the In-game tab.
  4. Uncheck Enable the Steam overlay while in-game and click on OK.
Disable In Game Overlay

9. Set CPU Priority To High 

Use the Task Manager to inform Windows to give your game a higher priority section so it may be effectively executed.

  • Select Task Manager by performing right-clicking on the Start Menu.
  • Right-click the Resident Evil gaming task by selecting the Processes tab.
  • Set Priority to High > Close Task Manager is the choice.
  • Run Dead Island 2 once more to see whether it crashes on your PC.

10. Set High Performance in Power Options

If in case, your Windows system is running on the Balanced mode in Power Options, just set the High-Performance mode for better results. Although this option will take higher power usage or battery usage. To do this:

  • Click on the Start Menu > Type Control Panel and click on it from the search result.
  • Now, go to Hardware and Sound > Select Power Options.
  • Click on High Performance to select it.
  • Make sure to close the window and fully shut down your computer. To do this, click on the Start Menu > Go to Power > Shut Down.
  • Once your computer is turned off, you can power it on again.

11. Change the Refresh Rate

Changing the Refresh Rate helps you to resolve your issue. To do so, just follow the below steps;

  • Open Windows Settings.
  • Go to Display.
  • Then Advanced Settings for Display.
  • Go to Adapter Properties for your Display.
  • Change Refresh Rate Values.
  • Click on Save.

12. Disable Hardware Acceleration

If you’re experiencing screen flickering or tearing while playing Dead Island 2 on your PC, one of the possible solutions is to disable hardware acceleration. Hardware acceleration uses your PC’s hardware to perform certain tasks, but it can sometimes cause issues with certain programs, including games. To do so, just follow the below steps;

  1. Right-click on the desktop and select “Display Settings.”
  2. Scroll down and click on “Advanced Display Settings.”
  3. Click on “Display Adapter Properties.”
  4. Click on the “Troubleshoot” tab.
  5. Click on “Change Settings.”
  6. Move the Hardware Acceleration slider to “None.”
  7. Click “Apply” and then “OK.”

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