GPU usage spikes to 100% from loading screen onward (Very High Power Usage + system lag)

Age of Empires IV IV - Report a Bug
1

  • Build Number:

16.1.10056.0

  • Platform: Steam / Microsoft Store / Xbox / PlayStation

Steam

  • Operating System: Windows 11 / Windows 10 / Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Mac / Linux

Windows 10

Issue:

Age of Empires IV causes extremely high GPU usage (90–100%) starting from the loading screen immediately after launching the game, before reaching the main menu. Windows Task Manager reports “Very High” power usage, and the entire operating system becomes sluggish: mouse stutter, browser lag, Win+Shift+S delay, and general UI slowdown.

The issue persists throughout the entire session, even with all graphics settings set to Low. Log files show no GPU errors, no DirectX issues, and no shader problems, so the problem appears to be related to the render loop ignoring FPS caps and forcing the GPU into an uncapped state.

My configuration:
– G‑Sync ON
– V‑Sync ON in NVIDIA Control Panel
– V‑Sync OFF in‑game
– HDR ON in Windows (HDR OFF in‑game)
– 2560×1440, 300 Hz
– FPS cap 297 in RivaTuner
– All in‑game settings on Low

Trigger Event:

The issue begins immediately after the initial loading screen, right after launching the game. As soon as the loading screen appears, GPU usage spikes to 90–100% and system-wide lag begins. The issue continues in the main menu and during gameplay.

Repro Steps:

  1. Launch Age of Empires IV on Steam.
  2. Observe GPU usage during the initial loading screen.
  3. GPU usage spikes to 90–100% and Windows reports “Very High” power usage.
  4. System-wide lag begins (mouse stutter, browser lag, Win+Shift+S delay).
  5. Enter main menu, issue persists.
  6. Start a match, issue persists throughout gameplay.
  7. Reproducible 100% of the time.