Okay, so the other day I was having some issues with Fortnite. The game was kinda laggy and the textures were all over the place, it felt like I was playing on a potato. I did some digging around the internet to see what I could find to fix it.
Then I stumbled upon this thing called “Disable Cosmetic Streaming“. Apparently, it’s a feature in the Epic Games Launcher that can help with texture issues. Sounds interesting, right?
What I did
- First, I opened up the Epic Games Launcher and went to my library.
- I found Fortnite and clicked on the three little dots underneath it. You know, the “…” thingy.
- Then, I selected “Options” from the menu that popped up.
- There it was, the fourth option down: “Disable Cosmetic Streaming“. I checked that box.
After I checked the box, the launcher started downloading something. It was about 6GB, which is not exactly tiny. I guess it was downloading all the skins and cosmetics that it usually streams during gameplay.
Did it work?
Well, after the download finished, I launched the game and… it was noticeably smoother! The textures loaded much better and the lag was significantly reduced. I mean, it’s not like I suddenly had the best gaming rig in the world, but the improvement was definitely there.
From what I gathered, disabling cosmetic streaming prevents the game from trying to download skins and stuff in real-time while you’re playing. This can be a big help if you have a slower internet connection or if your computer is not exactly top-of-the-line. It basically pre-loads a bunch of those cosmetic items, so your game doesn’t have to do it on the fly.
Now, I saw some people talking about how texture streaming can cause performance issues in a lot of games, especially if you don’t have a lot of VRAM. So, disabling it might help in other games too, not just Fortnite. Something to keep in mind.
If you’re struggling with lag or texture issues in Fortnite, give this “Disable Cosmetic Streaming” thing a try. It might just make your game run a whole lot better. Oh, and it might also free up some storage space if that’s something you’re concerned about. Just be prepared for that initial 6GB download. You’ve been warned!
