Persistent "Slow-Motion" / Server Tickrate Slowdown Bug - Happens Even in The Meat Grinder

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Technical Support
,
1

Issue Type (Required):

Performance

Issue Description (Required):

Issue Description:
I have been experiencing a severe and persistent issue where my game completely slows down, feeling like it is running in slow-motion or heavy “sirup” mode. This is not standard network rubberbanding or typical low FPS—the actual game physics, character movements, and animations are slowed down dramatically.
Crucially, this slow-motion effect occurs even when playing completely solo inside The Meat Grinder (the training grounds), which rules out active multiplayer server lag or matchmaking routing issues.
Steps Taken So Far (Without Success):
To resolve this, I have systematically tried almost every troubleshooting step available with no improvement:
• Network: Tested using USB tethering via a mobile 4G/5G connection to completely bypass my regular ISP, router, and ethernet setup. The issue remained identical.
• Cache & Settings: Fully cleared the Fatshark AppData folder (http_cache, shader_cache.hans, logs, and configurations).
• Graphics & Display: Changed the display mode to Borderless Windowed, disabled V-Sync, disabled Nvidia Reflex Low Latency, lowered Max Ragdolls to minimum, and turned Scatter Density to 0%. Locked the framerate cap to 60 FPS.
• Hardware Software: Reinstalled my GPU drivers using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) in Safe Mode. Changed my Windows Power Options to “High Performance”.
• Peripherals: Adjusted my SteelSeries mouse polling rate down to 500Hz/250Hz, disabled Angle Snapping/Acceleration, and turned off SteelSeries GG features (Moments/Prism).
• Windows Settings: Disabled Control Flow Guard (CFG) for the Darktide executable, turned off Steam Overlay, and ran the executable as an Administrator in Windows 8 Compatibility Mode.
• Config Files: Verified via user_settings.config that hidden Ray Tracing settings (rtxgi_enabled) were forced to false.
Since the issue persists locally in the Meat Grinder after exhausting all client-side network, hardware, and driver optimizations, it appears to be a fundamental engine/deadlock conflict with my specific system environment.

[PC] Do You Use Mods? (Optional):

Yes, and I’ve tried disabling them

Reproduction Rate (Required):

Common (<50%)

Platform (Required):

Steam (PC)

2

Sorry to hear this @BennyTheBit

I’ve responded to your support ticket, but will reply here also :slight_smile:

If possible, could you please provide us with a video of the slow/“sirup” mode gameplay you’re experiencing, and your console log from a session the issue occurs, along with your user_settings.config file?

Both can be located in the Darktide AppData directory using the instructions below:

  1. Press the Windows key + R
  2. Enter %appdata% within the search input and select ‘OK’
  3. Navigate to AppData\Roaming\Fatshark\Darktide

Thanks in advance!

3

console-2026-10-30-23.04.18-ef221400-898c-43ff-8a69-85d7583dc89b.log (517.0 KB)

4

user_settings.config (393.8 KB)

5

Thanks for the log @BennyTheBit

In the session, we can see the game clock stayed in step with real time. The log doesn’t include any time in the Meat Grinder, and shows several mods running - could you play a short session in the Meat Grinder with all mods disabled and send us that session’s log? A short screen recording with an fps counter would also be helpful to see. Thanks!

7

its hard ive recorded thru steam but files too big..