Based on the July 17 Early Access build. Optimization complaints are a visible slice of the negative Steam reviews: reports of stutter in busy matches, frame drops on hardware that clears the requirements, and ping spikes that make a physics game feel unfair. We are not going to pretend a settings screenshot fixes an Early Access netcode; what follows is the stack of things that genuinely help, from the machine up.
First, the official system requirements
These are verbatim from the Steam store page as of July 19, 2026:
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 (64-bit) | Windows 11 |
| Processor | Intel i5 or higher | Intel i7 or higher |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | GTX 1650 / RX 570 or higher | RTX 3060 / RX 6600 or higher |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 12 |
| Network | Broadband internet connection | Broadband internet connection |
| Storage | 2 GB available space | 2 GB available space |
Two readings worth noting. The 2 GB install is tiny, so an SSD versus HDD debate barely applies here. And the jump from minimum to recommended is mostly CPU and RAM, which matches what reviewers report: simulation of 10 to 22 physics-driven players plus netcode is CPU work. If your GPU meets minimum but your CPU is old, expect the rough end of the experience in 11v11. For a tier-by-tier read on whether your specific machine clears the bar, see the system requirements page.
What players are reporting (and what it tells you)
- Stutter during crowded moments, goalmouth scrambles and set pieces, on otherwise capable machines. Consistent with CPU-bound frame pacing rather than GPU load.
- Ping and rubber-banding complaints, heavily region dependent. The game added region filters in a June patch, and a July patch (v0.80.2) reduced bandwidth usage, so the developers are actively working this problem.
- Reports improving patch to patch. Five updates shipped in the three weeks around launch. Performance in week one is not a verdict on performance in month three.
Fixes on your side of the screen
Network first, because physics is honest about lag
- Pick the right region.Use the in-game region selection and choose the closest population. In a server-authoritative physics game, 40ms versus 120ms is the difference between your touch and someone else’s.
- Wire the connection if you can. Ethernet or powerline beats Wi-Fi for jitter, which matters more than raw speed here. If Wi-Fi is unavoidable, be on 5 GHz and close to the router.
- Kill background bandwidth. Cloud sync, game downloads on other devices, and streaming on the same network all produce exactly the ping spikes players describe.
Then the machine
- Update your GPU driver. Launch-window games get driver-level fixes fast; a three-month-old driver is a real handicap.
- Close CPU-hungry background apps. Browsers with 40 tabs, overlays, and recording software compete for the same cores the match simulation needs. Task Manager, sort by CPU, be ruthless.
- Use a balanced or performance Windows power plan on laptops, and play plugged in. Thermal throttling mid-match reads exactly like a game bug.
- Verify game files through Steam if you hit crashes or asset weirdness: right-click the game, Properties, Installed Files, Verify integrity.
In-game expectations
We deliberately do not publish a “best settings” table of exact menu options yet, because the settings menu is changing across Early Access patches and we only document what we have verified in the current build. The principles that will hold regardless: prefer a stable frame rate over a pretty one in a physics game, cap your frame rate near what your machine holds in crowded moments rather than its empty-pitch maximum, and if the game offers a lower match size, remember that 5v5 is meaningfully lighter than 11v11 on CPU. We will publish an exact settings walkthrough as the menu stabilizes; the updates page tracks every patch.
Symptom checklist: what is what
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Your move |
|---|---|---|
| Smooth frames, but the ball teleports or rewinds | Network latency or packet loss | Region choice, wired connection, quiet the network |
| Frame drops only in goalmouth pileups | CPU-bound simulation load | Close background apps, cap FPS, prefer 5v5 over 11v11 |
| Consistently low FPS everywhere | GPU settings above your hardware | Lower resolution or quality settings, update drivers |
| Good for 20 minutes, then slideshow | Thermal throttling, usually laptops | Plugged in, hard surface, check cooling |
| Stutters after alt-tabbing or at match start | Shader or asset load, other apps waking up | One restart of the game, keep the first minute calm |
What only patches can fix
Server capacity in your region, netcode smoothing, and the CPU cost of big matches are developer-side work. The honest read from the patch history is encouraging: bandwidth optimization and defensive rewrites have already shipped, and the studio patched almost weekly through the demo and launch window. If the game is unplayable for you today, the rational move is to check back after a patch or two rather than fight your hardware, and the player count page is a decent proxy for how launch health is trending.