Gotham Knights Patches Will Address Performance Issues on PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X

Gotham Knights is getting a series of patches. In a Twitter thread, developer WB Games Montréal has laid out problems it is looking to address via future updates, starting with the performance issues across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X. A patch for the former is now live, aimed at fixing general keyboard input issues, co-op matchmaking invites, and stability, which resulted in game crashes for several players on PC. Those on PS5 and Series S/X will receive a patch later in the week, though the studio doesn't offer many details.

“For our console players, the next Gotham Knights patch is planned for the end of the week, with more specific information to come soon. Similar to PC, this patch will address a mix of needed fixes that have popped up since launch,” the tweet reads. On a broader level, WB Games Montréal says it is aware of the performance challenge, and is hard at work on a larger update, promising “the best possible experience.” A week prior to launch, executive producer Fleur Marty confirmed on Gotham nights' official Discord server that the game would be locked to 30fps on the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.

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A 60fps performance mode on the current-gen consoles was not an option, and even then, the game posed technical issues at launch, with frequent lag spikes that would reveal themselves when traversing in the open-world. In this new tweet thread, the developers stated: “For console users, we are specifically aiming to address challenges with framerate stability.” This implies that even with patches, WB Games Montréal is not prioritising an unlocked 60fps performance on the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. At least, not any time soon.

In our PC performance review, we said: “WB Games Montréal clearly bit off more than it could chew here, resulting in a bloated mess that fails on a technical level. Running on Unreal Engine 4, Gotham Knights on PC can look visually appealing at times, but constant frame drops and high-end PC requirements essentially doom it.”

System requirements for Gotham Knights were on the higher-end, demanding an Nvidia RTX 2070 graphics card to run it at locked 60fps, at "High" presets. This is in addition to problems with general gameplay, which the developers have addressed in the latest patch.

Changes have been implemented to fix UI issues, graphical settings not being applied correctly, and “meditating animations,” which seems to be Gotham Knights' version of T-posing, where the character models glitch out. “Various crash fixes throughout the title, most notably during the S.T.A.R. Labs 'free the scientists' fight and the Harley Quinn Hospital Boss Fight,” the patch note reads. At the time of writing, WB Games Montréal is investigating compatibility issues with Nvidia photo mode tool, Ansel.

On a related note, Gotham Knights temporarily disabled its anti-piracy measure, Denuvo DRM, when pushing out the PC patch. It wasn't long before news began circulating on the CrackWatch subreddit, essentially letting pirates create free copies, albeit they would be left out of the co-op experience. A new build with the anti-tamper protection was eventually released, but damage was already done.

Gotham Knights is out now across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X.