High VRAM Usage

[cj007]

The main home menu itself is using more than 10GB of VRAM. Maybe have an option to disable the hanger? The other problem here is while I may have good fps for a mission, when I leave and return to the menu in order to start a new one, all of my VRAM is hogged. I am forced to restart after every mission so I can regain the performance I should normally have because the VRAM won't "flush". 
 

4080 Super, R9 9950X3D, 64GB DDR5, NVME

 

 

startup.txt tex.log

Edited June 25 by cj007

[Cadum]

I have a limited GPU RTX 3060 TI with 8 GB of VRAM.  However the complex single missions run fine using about 7200 GB of VRAM when I first run them.  But once I continue to exit the mission and restart my used VRAM goes up to near max and I get the message that I am running out of VRAM.  So clearly, there is a problem of the system retaining used VRAM and not releasing upon exiting a mission. 

Would wish that others would weigh in on this.  I am running DLSS balanced with the Nvidia K Mode enabled.

[C6_Geo]

7 hours ago, Cadum said:

I have a limited GPU RTX 3060 TI with 8 GB of VRAM.  However the complex single missions run fine using about 7200 GB of VRAM when I first run them.  But once I continue to exit the mission and restart my used VRAM goes up to near max and I get the message that I am running out of VRAM.  So clearly, there is a problem of the system retaining used VRAM and not releasing upon exiting a mission. 

Would wish that others would weigh in on this.  I am running DLSS balanced with the Nvidia K Mode enabled.

Same here with RTX 4070, i7 14700kf and 32Go DDR5

[Dusty926]

10 hours ago, Cadum said:

I have a limited GPU RTX 3060 TI with 8 GB of VRAM.  However the complex single missions run fine using about 7200 GB of VRAM when I first run them.  But once I continue to exit the mission and restart my used VRAM goes up to near max and I get the message that I am running out of VRAM.  So clearly, there is a problem of the system retaining used VRAM and not releasing upon exiting a mission. 

Would wish that others would weigh in on this.  I am running DLSS balanced with the Nvidia K Mode enabled.

I have the same GPU, and also experience this without fail.

[ElCapitan]

Noticed the same on my rig. Had to restart in order to fly the next mission.

 

[Herbinator]

I have a RTX 3080 10 GB. 

In quick flight Vram usage is 7.5 GB. When finish mission and load back to main page vram jumps to 8.5 GB. Noticed in mission fire guns Vram jumps up and never comes back down. Eventually vram reaches 10 GB. 

But when vram warning displays don't see any problems or graphics problems while flying? 

Basically, it's eating vram and not giving it back but not seeing any problems when using full 10gb...Weird..

Edited June 28 by Herbinator

[higgins]

I have 4090 and getting vram use age of 10gb in menu and 14 in a free flight or mission which is very high

[wuVR]

3080 10GB here too
in VR, i can barely set anything other than low 
without the red vram warning popping up
this GPU is really held back by it´s memory, a real shame
i feel betrayed by nvidia, today they re-released a RTX3060 with 12 GB VRAM
still looks better as GB while it runs basically the same

 

Edited June 30 by wuVR

[Dash,Polder]

If you have a Pimax the default home black hole consumes 6 gig VRAM, turn home off and you'll gain 5.  

[Cadum]

Just created some simple take off and intercept missions with one enemy and one friendly.  Although my VRAM usage rose up to a max of 6900GB on my RTX 3060TI with 8GB RAM, I was able to complete all missions, 4 in a row of the same type...and my mem usage did not climb above 6900GB - However I kept getting the annoying Out of VRAM message even though I have 8GB of VRAM.    I realize that the developers should be addressing the overall optimization of VRAM before release, but is there a way we can have a simple method of getting rid of the Out of VRAM message if we choose to not want to see it?

[Pylon]

On 6/27/2026 at 6:46 PM, MaximumLarry said:

I think I get that historically there was some vibration and movement of the forward panel due to the way it was mounted (haven't found any citations though).  Clearly later models have fully fixed panels.  But does it have to move around so much?  It looks like it's broken.  Can we scale the movement back a little in the launched game?

 

On 6/26/2026 at 6:50 PM, Cadum said:

I have a limited GPU RTX 3060 TI with 8 GB of VRAM.  However the complex single missions run fine using about 7200 GB of VRAM when I first run them.  But once I continue to exit the mission and restart my used VRAM goes up to near max and I get the message that I am running out of VRAM.  So clearly, there is a problem of the system retaining used VRAM and not releasing upon exiting a mission. 

Would wish that others would weigh in on this.  I am running DLSS balanced with the Nvidia K Mode enabled.

 

[yomaverick]

A mí me pasa igual y tengo 16 GB de vram en la gráfica,tienen que solucionarlo porque cuando para a mí si me va tirones

I have the same problem and I have 16 GB of VRAM on my graphics card. They need to fix it because when it stops, my system stutters.

[Mrpink7]

rtx 5070 here, after a while runs out of vram and goes to 5fps even in menu. Lowering settings just make it take longer there is a vram leak for sure. i Get 120fps and then suddenly goes to 5 until I restart the game 

[Hetstaine]

32gb, 5080ti, i712700k, Vram message pops up top right after about 25 -40minutes. Fps is still good flying but then starts going to low 20s, but only sometimes and when coming in to land near city areas, whole suburbs pop in and out. Have to restart. City areas are good otherwise, only once the message pops does it go downhill, but seems very random. 

 

Pain in Multiplayer because might i be halfway through a mission, groundpounding, and i like to complete missions via a landing. 

 

Edit- just did the four F84 exams. Memory message popped at beginning of Exam 2, 16gb of 32gb being used, GPU 20%, CPU 90%. FPS stayed above 80 and up to 120 from then until the finish of exam 4. All settings maxed. 

Edited August 21 by Hetstaine
more added

[KoN]

I think this is a Memory leak for sure.

The longer you play the higher the Vram used.

[Dash,Polder]

It's more like once you change a graphical setting it compounds the additional VRAM use upon the previous amount and never clears it's old buffers out.

[JG14_Jagr]

I had a 3070 and was getting the VRAM warning (but strangely didn't seem to impact the game, never slowed down or crashed out.) I was getting a rock solid 80fps at 1920/1080 and the game ran very well.  I disabled the 4K textures and I never saw the warning again.  I didn't try any other combinations to resolve it since I assumed the textures would be the biggest hit.   I have since picked up a 9070XT and enabled all the bells and whistled and vsync and get a steady 144fps on my 144Hz monitor.  Since it didn't happen immediately hopefully its a leak they can find and fix it because all the 8Gig graphics cards are impacted the most.

[BoeingVertol]

24 minutes ago, JG14_Jagr said:

I had a 3070 and was getting the VRAM warning (but strangely didn't seem to impact the game, never slowed down or crashed out.) I was getting a rock solid 80fps at 1920/1080 and the game ran very well.  I disabled the 4K textures and I never saw the warning again.  I didn't try any other combinations to resolve it since I assumed the textures would be the biggest hit.   I have since picked up a 9070XT and enabled all the bells and whistled and vsync and get a steady 144fps on my 144Hz monitor.  Since it didn't happen immediately hopefully its a leak they can find and fix it because all the 8Gig graphics cards are impacted the most.

Does it on 16gb graphics cards just as well.  Mainly on MP servers.

Edited August 25 by BoeingVertol

[Justicier10-7]

Happening on my system as well with "Balanced" graphics, DLSS Balanced, and all high-memory usage options disabled. My 3070 can only typically manage 1 to 3 missions in career mode before having to restart the game due to progressively worse lag/fps drops... first only happening in after action report, career, and museum menus, then also affecting in-mission FPS, reducing it down to and locking it at 30fps max.

I can play considerably more sorties if I go "Full Potato" mode, setting the overall graphics to "Low," but it still exceeds VRAM available after approx 4 to 6 missions, necessitating a restart.

This is what's preventing me from getting started with multiplayer at this point... playing on the "Low" overall graphics is too blurry for MP, and at "Balanced" I really don't want to have to restart the game after a sortie (or worse, mid-sortie) in order to clear the VRAM. 🙁