Sons Of The Forest Low GPU & CPU Usage on Windows 10/11? [Fixed]

Sons of the Forest is a newly released survival horror video game developed by Endnight Games and released by Newnight on February 23, 2023. Since its release, this game attracts a large number of players.

On the other hand, the game also runs into some issues on PC such as Sons Of The Forest low FPS, Sons of The Forest not saving while playing multiplayer, Sons Of The Forest not launching, Sons Of The Forest low GPU and CPU, etc. These issues are heatedly discussed in different communities. Here’s a true example from the Steam community.

Sons Of The Forest low GPU and CPU utilization. There is no difference between Low and Ultra Graphics in terms of performance. CPU and GPU utilization remain at 50-60% when walking around in the forest. I tried to manually update my DLSS to the latest version but it did not change the results. Might be something for the devs to look into.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1326470/discussions/0/3770113546995129674/

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What Causes the Sons Of The Forest Low GPU and CPU Usage

What causes the Sons Of The Forest low GPU utilization problem? After investigating extensive user reports, we find the Sons Of The Forest low CPU/GPU issue is often related to problematic device drivers.

Another command reason is the bottleneck of your CPU and GPU. If you’re using a decent graphics card or CPU, you may encounter the Sons Of The Forest not using GPU/CPU problem. In addition, outdated GPU drivers, corrupted game files, third-party software interference, and improper game settings are also responsible for the error.

How to Fix Sons Of The Forest Low GPU and CPU Usage

How to fix Sons Of The Forest not using GPU/CPU on Windows 10/11? Before trying the following key methods, we recommend you perform these quick fixes:

• Restart your computer and close all unnecessary background tasks.
• Check if your PC meets the minimum system requirements of the game
• Install all necessary Microsoft Visual C++ packages and DirectX Runtime
• Enable the High-performance mode for your graphics card
• Uninstall any GPU and CPU tweaker and game booster programs
• Disable overlay

# 1. Run the Game as an Administrator

To avoid the Sons Of The Forest low GPU usage, you can try running the game with admin rights. For that:

Step 1. Right-click the SonsOfTheForest.exe file and select Properties.

Step 2. In the Properties window, navigate to the Compatibility tab and tick the checkbox next to Run this program as an administrator.

Step 3. Then click on Apply and then on OK to save the change. In addition, you can repeat the same procedure to run Steam as an administrator.

# 2. Update Your GPU and CPU Drivers

One of the common reasons for the Sons Of The Forest low CPU usage is related to an outdated device driver. Here you can follow the simple guide below to update your GPU and CPU drivers.

Step 1. Right-click the Start button at the bottom left corner of your screen and select Device Manager.

Step 2. Expand the Display adapters section, right-click the graphics card driver, and select the Update driver option.

Step 3. In the pop-up window, you can update the GPU driver automatically or manually based on your demands. After selecting the way, follow the on-screen prompts to complete the update.

Step 4. Expand the Processors category, right-click the CPU driver that you want to update, and select Update driver. Then follow the same procedure to update the CPU drivers.

Once done, restart the game and check if the Sons Of The Forest low GPU usage gets fixed. If not, you can try reinstalling or rolling back the drivers.

# 3. Change Graphics Preference for the Game

To fix the Sons Of The Forest not using full GPU issue, you can try changing the graphics preference for the game.

Step 1. Press Windows + I keys to open the Settings window, and then select System > Display.

Step 2. Scroll down the right sidebar and click on Graphics settings. On Windows 11, select Graphics from the right panel.

Step 3. Select Desktop app from the drop-down menu under the Graphics performance preference section and click on Browse. In the pop-up window, select Sons Of The Forest or Steam and click on Add.

Step 4. Click on Options and select High performance in the Graphics preference window, then click on Save.

After that, the Sons Of The Forest low GPU usage issue should go away. If not, move down to other methods.

# 4. Enable Game Mode

Some users reported that the Sons Of The Forest low CPU utilization can be solved by enabling the Game Mode. It’s worth having a try. To do this work, you can open the Settings window, select Game Mode/Gaming from the left panel, and toggle on the switch under Game Mode.

# 5. Adjust the In-Game Setting

Sometimes the Sons Of The Forest low CPU usage issue can occur due to improper in-game settings, In this case, you can follow the steps below to adjust the in-game settings.

Step 1. Start Sons of the Forest and select Options at the bottom menu.

Step 2. Go to the Display tab, disable the Vsync option, and set the MAX FPS option to MAX. Then click on Apply.

Step 3. Navigate to the Graphics tab, set the Quality Preset to Ultra, enable DLSS, and click on Apply. Once saved, you can restart the game and check if the Sons Of The Forest low GPU usage issue disappears.

# 6. Repair the Game Files

In addition, we recommend you verify the integrity of the game files on Steam. If the game files get corrupted or missing, you may encounter the Sons Of The Forest low GPU and CPU problem.

Step 1. Launch your Steam client and navigate to the Library tab.

Step 2. Right-click Sons Of The Forest from the left panel and select Properties.

Step 3. Inside the Properties window, navigate to the Local Files section and click on the Verify Integrity of Game Files option.

# 7. Use a Dedicated Graphics Card

Compared with the integrated graphics card, a dedicated graphics card has better and more stable graphics performance. So, it’s recommended you use a dedicated graphics card instead of integrated card if possible. In addition, you can refer to the following guides to upgrade your GPU and CPU.

How to Install a Graphics Card on Your Computer? See a Guide!

How to Upgrade Motherboard and CPU without Reinstalling Windows

# 8. Wait for the Game to Optimize

Some users reported that the Sons Of The Forest low GPU usage issue can only be fixed by optimizing. Since this game is newly released, some performance issues need to solve and optimize. You can try all the above methods to fix the issue. If it persists, you may have to wait patiently until the next update of the game is released.