Spider-Man 2 Debuts to 'Mixed' Steam Reviews Amid Serious PC Performance Problems

Spider-Man 2's PC port, initially touted for its surprisingly good performance based on its system requirements, has received a mixed reception on Steam. Many players report significant technical issues, resulting in a current 55% positive user review rating. Reports include frequent crashes, even on high-end systems like those with RTX 4090 GPUs. One user with an RTX 4090 stated, “Despite having a high-end GPU and running the latest Nvidia drivers (5.66.36), the game frequently crashes.” Another user's review simply stated: “The game is completely unplayable on PC. The game crashes to desktop every five minutes. I have already requested a refund.”

One reviewer's comment summarizes the widespread sentiment: "Hold off on buying until they get a couple of stabilization patches out because holy hell… To say this is 'rough' is an understatement. Lighting doesn't load in some cutscenes, those same scenes run at seconds-per-frame, audio desync issues up the wazoo, freezing, stuttering, and just about every other performance issue I can think of. I'm gonna get a refund for now because frankly, there's other stuff I could use $70 for right now."

A common problem seems to be frequent crashes of the game's graphics controller, even on powerful PCs. A recurring error message reads: “A problem has occurred with your display driver. This can be caused by out of date drivers, using game settings higher than your GPU can handle, an overheating GPU, or an error with the game. Please try updating your graphics drivers, or lowering your in-game settings.”

Beyond crashes, other reported issues include malfunctioning DLSS and ray tracing features, lengthy loading times, missing textures, and audio problems. Several players claim performance stutters after extended play sessions often precede a hard crash, leading some to suspect a memory leak as the culprit.

Nixxes, the port's developer, acknowledged the crashes on the Steam forums, advising users to consult their troubleshooting guides and contact support with logs and crash dumps for faster resolution. They also addressed a bug affecting photo-op missions, suggesting lowering graphics settings or resolution as a workaround if the frame rate drops below 20 FPS during these scenes.