Spider-Man 2 Launches with 'Mixed' Steam Reviews Due to PC Performance Issues

The much-anticipated PC release of *Spider-Man 2*, developed by Nixxes, has garnered a 'mixed' rating on Steam, with only 55% of user reviews being positive. Many players have reported significant technical issues, casting a shadow over what was initially touted as a surprisingly performant game given its system requirements.

Players with high-end hardware, such as those equipped with an RTX 4090 and the latest Nvidia drivers (5.66.36), have encountered frequent crashes. One frustrated user stated, "The game frequently crashes despite my high-end GPU and updated drivers." Another echoed this sentiment, claiming, "The game is completely unplayable on PC, crashing to desktop every five minutes. I have already requested a refund."

The severity of the issues has led some to advise caution, with one reviewer warning, "Hold off on buying until they get a couple of stabilization patches out because holy hell. To say this is 'rough' is an understatement." They reported a litany of problems, including lighting failures in cutscenes, audio desynchronization, freezing, stuttering, and other performance issues, prompting them to seek a refund.

The root of the problem seems to be centered around the game's graphics controller, which crashes frequently, even on higher-end systems. One 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 This can be caused by out of date drivers, using game settings higher than your GPU can handle, an overheating GPU, or an error with the game.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."

Additional complaints include malfunctioning features like DLSS and ray tracing, long loading times, missing textures, and audio issues. Some players have alleged that performance deteriorates after extended play sessions, leading to hard crashes, with some suggesting a memory leak as a potential cause.

In response, Nixxes has addressed the reported crashes on the Steam forums, advising affected users to consult the troubleshooting guides on the Nixxes Support website and to submit logs and crash dumps to facilitate quick resolution. They have also acknowledged a specific bug affecting photo-op missions in *Spider-Man 2*, recommending that players lower their graphics settings or resolution if their framerate falls below 20 FPS during these scenes.