General Issues with PCSX2

This section covers some common problems that you may encounter when using PCSX2 and offers potential solutions.

Important Tip

Before troubleshooting any issues, it’s highly recommended to update your PCSX2 version to the latest one.

Game Stuck on a Black Screen or Not Loading Correctly

Info:
This usually indicates that your game dump is corrupted or incomplete.

Solution:

1. Verify the Integrity of Your Dump:
   • Right-click on the game in the game list and select “Properties.”
   • In the game properties window, click the “Verify” button under the disc track list.
   • If it returns a green checkmark (✅), your game dump is fine.
   • If it returns a red cross (❌), your dump is corrupted, and you’ll need to redump your game. Refer to the gathering files page for instructions on how to do so.

Unable to Start Video Capture

Info:
PCSX2 requires additional FFmpeg libraries to enable video capture.

Solution:

• Windows:

  1. Download the FFmpeg Windows files here.
  2. Extract the zip file and place the extracted DLL files in your PCSX2 folder, in the same location as the main PCSX2 executable.

• Linux:

  • If you’re not using a distro based on Ubuntu, it’s recommended to use the Flatpak version of PCSX2 instead of the AppImage for video recording support.

Still Having Problems?

If your game is still not working or you encounter other issues, consider the following steps:

1. Check the Compatibility Page:
   Verify if the game has been tested to run properly.

2. Consult the Wiki Page:
   Check for specific information related to your game.

3. Visit the GitHub Issues Page:
   See if any issues related to your problem have been reported.

4. Join the PCSX2 Discord Server:
   For further assistance, you can join the community on Discord.

PCSX2 Troubleshooting: Performance Issues

PCSX2, like many emulators, is a hardware-intensive program that can sometimes run into performance issues. This guide covers common performance problems and how to address them.

It Works, but It’s Slow?

One of the most common issues users face is that PCSX2 runs, but at a slow speed. Given that emulation is a demanding task, especially on the processor, slow performance is not uncommon.

Caution:
Before diving into troubleshooting, it’s recommended to read the PCSX2 Requirements page. If you still have questions, you can ask for help in the PCSX2 forum thread titled “Will PCSX2 run fast on my computer?” or join the PCSX2 Discord server.

Enable OSD to Measure Performance Bottleneck

When reporting performance issues, it is helpful to include a screenshot of the On-Screen Display (OSD) with performance counters.

How to Enable Performance Counters:

• Navigate to: Settings > Graphics > OSD
• Tick all the boxes: This will display a lot of information on the screen, which you can turn off once the performance issue is resolved.

Why It’s Important: These metrics help identify where the performance bottlenecks occur in your system. Screenshots should be taken while the game is running poorly to provide accurate data.

OSD Legends: Understanding the Metrics

The OSD displays various statistics, which can be confusing. Here’s a breakdown:

Hardware Mode:

• Line 1:

  • G: Game’s Internal FPS
  • V: Video Output FPS
  • N%: Game’s running speed (in percentage)

• Line 2:

  • P: Primitives
  • D: GS (PS2) Draws
  • DC: Draw Calls (host GPU side)
  • B: Barriers
  • RP: Render Passes
  • RB: Readbacks
  • TC: Texture Copies
  • TU: Texture Uploads

• Line 3:

  • VRAM: Used VRAM
  • T: Targets
  • s: Sources
  • H: Hash Cache size
  • P: Pooled

Rank of Performance Impact (Worst to Least Worst):

• RB (Readbacks)
• TU (Uploads)
• TC (Copies)
• B (Barriers on AMD GPUs)
• RP (Render Passes)
• B (Barriers on NVIDIA GPUs)
• D (Draws)

Software Mode:

• S: Syncs
• P: Polygons
• D: Draws
• U: Texture Swizzling (for GS memory)
• D: Texture DeSwizzling (for reading from GS memory)
• mpps: Million pixels per second

Settings Indicator:

• CR: EE Cycle Rate
• CS: EE Cycle Skip
• FCDVD: Fast CDVD Enabled
• IVU: Instant VU1 Enabled
• MTVU: Multi-Threaded VU1 Enabled
• EER: EE FPU Rounding Mode
• EEC: EE FPU Clamping Mode
• VUR: VU Rounding Mode
• VUC: VU Clamping Mode
• VQS: VSync Queue Size
• C: Cheats/Widescreen Patches/No-Interlace Patches
• IR: Upscale Multiplier/Internal Resolution
• B: Accurate Blending Unit
• PL: Texture Preloading
• PT: GPU Palette Conversion
• MM: Hardware Mipmapping
• BF: Bilinear Filtering
• TF: Trilinear Filtering
• AF: Anisotropic Filtering
• DI: Dithering
• CRC: CRC Fix Level
• HBO: Half-Bottom Override
• HPO: Half-Pixel Offset
• RS: Round Sprite
• TCO: Texture Offsets
• CSBW: CPU Sprite Render BW
• SD: Skip Draw

Consistently Low or Unstable FPS

Tip:
Before troubleshooting further, ensure that your computer meets at least the minimum system requirements for PCSX2.

Windows Power Plan:

• Tip:
  Ensure that your computer is plugged in and set to a high-performance power plan. On laptops, make sure the battery mode is set to high performance to prevent power-saving features from throttling performance.

NVIDIA WhisperMode:

• Info:
  If your FPS is consistently low (around 40 FPS), and you’re using a laptop with an NVIDIA GPU, the issue might be due to WhisperMode, which caps FPS to save battery.

• Solution:
  Disable WhisperMode via the NVIDIA Control Panel. You can find more information on how to disable it here.

USB Devices Are Slow

Tip:
Avoid storing your game ISOs on USB devices. USB drives handle bulk transfers well but struggle with the small, fast transfers that PCSX2 requires. This can cause significant speed penalties. For better performance, store ISOs on SATA or M.2 drives.

Windows-Specific Issues for PCSX2

Missing “MSVCP140.dll”

If you encounter an error message about “MSVCP140.dll” during PCSX2 startup, it indicates that the required Visual C++ Redistributables are missing.

Solution:

• Download and Install: You need the latest Visual C++ 2019 x64 Redistributables. They are part of the combined Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 redistributables. Make sure you download the 64-bit version (x64) for PCSX2 versions 1.7.0 and higher. Earlier builds of 1.7 still required the 32-bit versions.

Crashes

Several issues can cause PCSX2 to crash. Here are some common scenarios and solutions:

1. Crash When Opening Settings or Launching a Game

• Cause: This issue is typically caused by outdated GPU drivers.

• Solution: Update your GPU drivers:

  • Intel: Search for your GPU or CPU model and download the latest drivers from the Intel website.
  • NVIDIA: Search for your GPU model or use GeForce Experience to update drivers automatically.
  • AMD: Search for your GPU or CPU model, or use the AMD drivers page for automatic updates.

  Caution: Ensure you update drivers for all GPUs in your system, including integrated GPUs on laptops.

2. Crash When Adding a File/Directory to the Game List or Opening PCSX2 Settings

• Cause: This crash is often due to Windows Shell/UI mods like OldNewExplorer.
• Solution: Remove the problematic software entirely as it interferes with PCSX2.

3. Crashes Due to OpenCL™, OpenGL®, and Vulkan® Compatibility Pack

• Cause: The OpenCL™, OpenGL®, and Vulkan® Compatibility Pack may cause crashes because it does not fully comply with Vulkan specifications. It’s generally unnecessary if you have the correct GPU drivers.

• Solution:

  1. Uninstall the Pack: Go to Start > Settings > Apps, find “OpenCL™, OpenGL®, and Vulkan® Compatibility Pack” in the list, and click Uninstall.
  2. Reboot: Restart your PC after uninstallation.

  Note for ROG Ally Users: ASUS installs this pack by default on the ROG Ally, but it’s unnecessary for systems with fully-featured GPU drivers. Uninstall it to resolve compatibility issues with PCSX2.

Linux-Specific Issues for PCSX2

libfuse2 Error

If you encounter an error like dlopen(): error loading libfuse.so.2 when opening the PCSX2 AppImage, it indicates a missing library dependency.

Solution:

• Install libfuse2: Recent versions of Ubuntu (22.04+) have transitioned to libfuse3, which is not compatible with libfuse2 required by some AppImages.

  To install libfuse2, run the following command in your terminal:

  sudo apt install libfuse2
  

  This should resolve the issue and allow you to run the AppImage.

Reporting Issues with PCSX2

When encountering problems with PCSX2, providing detailed information helps in diagnosing and resolving the issue efficiently. Here’s how you can gather and report necessary information:

1. Collecting Emulog

emulog.txt contains valuable log data that can assist in diagnosing issues.

Steps to collect emulog.txt:

1. Enable Logging:
   • Go to Tools > Enable File Logging.
2. Restart PCSX2:
   • Ensure PCSX2 is restarted after enabling logging.
3. Locate emulog.txt:
   • Navigate to Tools > Open Data Directory... and open the logs folder.
   • Find the emulog.txt file.
4. Reproduce the Issue:
   • Replicate the problem you are experiencing.
5. Close PCSX2:
   • Close PCSX2 before uploading the emulog. Avoid opening PCSX2 again as it will overwrite the log file.

Tip: Avoid booting another game or restarting PCSX2 after the issue occurs to preserve log information.

2. Collecting GS Dump

A GS dump captures graphics data which helps in fixing graphical glitches.

Steps to create a GS Dump:

1. Reproduce the Graphics Issue:
   • Ensure the graphics bug is visible on the screen.
2. Create the Dump:
   • Use the key combination Shift + F8.
   • Alternatively, go to Tools > Save Single Frame GS Dump.
3. Locate the GS Dump:
   • GS dumps are saved in the /snaps folder within PCSX2’s data directory, typically located in your Documents folder.
   • Use Tools > Open Data Directory to quickly access the folder.

Info: Your graphics settings do not affect the dump. You do not need to change renderers or other settings.

3. Bisecting Regressions

If you need to find the specific PCSX2 version that introduced a regression:

1. Identify Known Versions:
   • Start with a known working version and a known broken version.
2. Test Intermediate Builds:
   • Download a build between the known good and bad versions.
   • Test this build to determine if it is good or bad.
   • If the build is good, test the next build halfway between it and the known bad version.
   • If it is bad, test the next build halfway between it and the known good version.
3. Continue Testing:
   • Repeat the process until you narrow down the regression to a specific build.

Tip: Document the versions you test and whether each was good or bad.

4. Reaching Out for Help

After gathering all the necessary information:

• Seek Assistance:
  • Reach out via the PCSX2 Discord channel or forums for additional support.

Providing detailed logs, dumps, and regression testing results helps the community and developers to assist you more effectively.