Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Despite new patch, Just Cause 3’s console frame rate woes still haven’t been fixed

Just Cause 3 launched to a fairly positive reception in 2015, with its over-the-top action and new pieces of traversal equipment making it a mayhem lover’s dream. But on consoles, the game also suffered from long load times and horrible frame rate drops, and, unfortunately, it looks like the latest patch has done little to rectify the technical issues.

Digital Foundry recently conducted a comparison between patch 1.o5, which launched on both Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and an older version of Just Cause 3. The game is designed to run at a constant 30 frames per second. It isn’t ideal for an intense action game, but it’s serviceable, and what we’ve come to expect from current-generation systems.

Recommended Videos

In the “Lavanda” region, Just Cause 3 runs on both patch 1.04 and 1.05 at close to 30 frames per second, but this is only when driving slowly in a car. As soon as Rico jumps out and begins letting loose on the town with his arsenal of weapons, this number drops by about 10. There is very little noticeable difference between the two versions of the game, and huge explosions continue to cause it to chug, sometimes as low as 15 frames per second — not exactly the greatest thing for a game that focuses on blowing everything up.

The problems seem to persist equally on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Microsoft’s console sees drops of up to 15 frames per second, with its lower resolution having essentially no impact on the frame rate in this case.

Digital Foundry is quick to note, however, that this is on the original, 2013 design of the Xbox One. The Xbox One S, which does feature a slight boost compared to the original system, may fare better. But with Project Scorpio expected to offer a significant performance advantage on older games, it might be best to put Just Cause 3 on the back burner until the system launches next year.

Buy on Amazon

Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Nintendo confirms the actors saving Hyrule in the live-action Legend of Zelda film
Link pulls out the master sword in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

After months of speculation, Nintendo has finally confirmed the two actors for the lead roles in the upcoming live-action Legend of Zelda film: Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth. The casting choices were announced this morning by Shigeru Miyamoto, who said that he is "very much looking forward to seeing both of them on the big screen."

The announcement also reiterated a release date of May 7, 2027. Nintendo announced the new release date last month. Originally slated for a March 2027 release, that would have put it in direct competition with "Avengers: Secret Wars" (which has also been delayed now).

Read more
The best games that are (probably) older than you that are still worth playing
The colorful main cast of characters in Chrono Trigger.

It's no secret that there are tons of amazing games coming out every day, plus an endless list of upcoming video games across all genres. We all love getting the latest and greatest games, which tend to have the best graphics, tightest gameplay, and maybe even cross-platform support to play with friends online. But sometimes it is nice to go back and see where games were a few decades ago. Those who played games from the early console generations might have their opinions clouded by nostalgia a bit, but there are still some shining examples of games that hold up just as well today as they did back then. Watch me turn into dust as I share a handful of amazing games that are likely older than you that are still worth playing.

Tetris

Read more
Steam delists hundreds of adult games
Steam Games

Why it matters: Vague policies on platforms like Steam risk chilling developer creativity, especially for indie creators tackling edgy themes, while raising broader concerns about content freedom in gaming amid global regulations.

The news: Valve quietly updated its Steamworks guidelines to ban content violating payment processors' rules, targeting "certain kinds" of adult-only material that's not properly labeled or age-gated.

Read more