SCSKiller

1. What is SCSKiller?

SCSKiller is a free Windows tool that reduces game stutter when a new effect appears. While you play, each time the game meets an effect it has not shown before (an explosion, a lighting change, a new area), your graphics card must "compile" the code that draws it (called a shader) right then, and the frame stops for a moment. That hitch is called shader compilation stutter. SCSKiller does that compiling before you play, while the game is closed, and stores the result in the graphics driver's cache so the game can reuse it. It is open source (GPL-3.0-or-later) and needs no account.

Good for you if:

• You play on a Windows PC with an NVIDIA or AMD graphics card and notice stutter when entering a new level or seeing a new effect.
• Your games use DirectX 12 (or DirectX 11 if you have an NVIDIA card).
• You want to try a way to smooth out games without tweaking drivers or paying for anything.

Not for you yet if:

• Your PC uses Intel graphics (including Intel Arc). The author says it is not supported yet because there is no Intel hardware to test on.
• Your stutter has another cause. The project says plainly that SCSKiller fixes shader compilation stutter only, not map-loading, streaming or other hitches.
• You use Mac or Linux. It is Windows only.
• You run Windows 11 with Smart App Control turned on (see the problems table): the releases are not code-signed yet, so it may block the app outright.
• You mainly play games with anti-cheat software and worry about bans. See section 7 for how the project handles this, and understand that you use it at your own risk.

2. What do I need?

Requirement	Details from the project's docs
Operating system	Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) or Windows 11, 64-bit
Graphics card	NVIDIA or AMD (Intel not supported)
Games	DirectX 12; DirectX 11 only on NVIDIA cards

• Disk space: the installer is about 126 MB (measured 10 October 2026). The docs do not state any extra space needed after installing; the compiled data goes into the graphics driver's own shader cache.
• No administrator rights needed. According to the docs, the installer installs for your Windows user only.
• No account. Everything the app does on your PC is free. Signing in with Patreon only unlocks supporter features and is optional.
• Internet to download the installer and for the app to update itself.
• You do not need Git or any developer tool.

3. Step-by-step install

Download only from the project's official GitHub releases page. The author warns that anything else claiming to be SCSKiller is not official.

https://github.com/BlueHeisenberg/SCSKiller/releases/latest

The latest version at the time of writing is 1.2.5 (published 9 October 2026).

Note: The project website scskiller.com still shows "Download coming soon", so use the GitHub page above. Do not download from look-alike sites with a similar name.

Step 1: Download the installer

Under Assets for the newest release, pick SCSKiller-Setup.exe. If you prefer not to install, there is SCSKiller-1.2.5-Portable.zip: unzip it into a folder you can write to (for example in Documents) and run SCSKiller.exe.

Step 2: Run the installer

Double-click SCSKiller-Setup.exe. Because the release is not code-signed yet, Windows may show a blue "Windows protected your PC" box on the first run. Only if the file came from the official GitHub page above, click More info then Run anyway. According to the docs, later updates do not show this box.

To check the file has not been altered, open PowerShell, run the command below and compare the SHA-256 value with the one in the release notes (adjust the path to the file you downloaded):

Get-FileHash .\SCSKiller-Setup.exe

Step 3: Open SCSKiller

When the install finishes, open SCSKiller from the Start menu. You know it worked when you see a library of your games grouped by store (Steam, Epic, GOG and so on). The docs say it finds games in Steam, Epic Games, EA app, GOG, Ubisoft Connect, Xbox (PC), Battle.net, PURPLE, HoYoPlay and Gaijin, and you can add games from other places yourself.

4. First use

The docs describe three steps. Close the game completely before you compile.

1. Open SCSKiller. It finds your games and the shaders they ship with. Games known to stutter are placed at the top with the reason; games whose engine prepares its own shaders are marked.
2. Add games to the queue and press Compile. You can press Add all recommended to start. Next to each game, a status tells you whether it is ready or already "Warmed". Compile time depends on the game and your PC; the app shows progress and pipelines per second. Let it run and do not start the game meanwhile.
3. Play. Open the game from its store as usual, or press Play in SCSKiller. You may leave SCSKiller open: according to the docs it then checks that the result really reached the cache the game uses.

What you should see: fewer hitches the next time you play, at first-time effects. The project's measurements (taken on an RTX 5090 and an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395, about 5 minutes of play per game) show the number of 20 ms-plus hitches dropping a lot, but the project also says your numbers depend on the game, graphics card and driver.

When do I need Record? Some games do not give enough information in their files. For those, turn on Record, play a few minutes, then compile again. This feature is optional and carries its own risk; see section 7.

5. Common problems and fixes

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Windows shows "Windows protected your PC"	The release is not code-signed yet	If you downloaded from the official GitHub page: click More info, then Run anyway.
Windows 11 blocks it completely	Smart App Control is on and blocks all unsigned apps	The docs say to wait for a signed release (in progress through the SignPath Foundation). Note that turning Smart App Control off is a Windows security change that usually cannot be switched back on, so think carefully.
A game doesn't appear in the list	Installed somewhere unusual, or the store isn't supported	Add the game manually, or open a "game request" issue on the project's GitHub Issues page.
Compiled, but the game still stutters	The stutter has another cause (map loading, streaming), or the game needs a recording	That isn't shader stutter, so SCSKiller doesn't fix it. For games that need Record, turn on Record, play a few minutes and compile again.
Stutter returns after a graphics driver update	A driver update clears the shader cache	Compile again. According to the docs the app can recompile automatically after a driver update if you allow it.
You use an Intel card, or a DirectX 11 game on an AMD card	Not supported	No fix in the app; watch the project page for new support.
You can't tell why it failed and want to tell the author	You need to describe the problem	Open an issue on the project's GitHub using the bug template. Security problems should not be posted publicly; follow the project's SECURITY.md.

6. Uninstall and update

Update: according to the docs, both the installed and the portable versions update themselves.

Uninstall: open Windows Settings, go to Apps, find SCSKiller and click Uninstall. According to the docs, uninstalling removes the files the recorder added to game folders, along with the recordings. For the portable version, turn recording off for your games first, then delete the folder, so the recorder removes its files from the game folders.

Settings and per-game data live in %LOCALAPPDATA%\SCSKiller\ (or the data folder beside the exe for the portable version). The compiled shaders are in the graphics driver's own cache. The project says it does not modify game files.

7. Frequently asked questions

Does it cost money? No. The app is free. There is a Patreon page to support the author, and supporters get extras such as the community shader database and beta builds, but the app on your PC is free.

Can I get banned in online games? The project is explicit: for games with anti-cheat, SCSKiller only reads their files, never launches them, never injects into them and never gives them the recorder. The author also admits the anti-cheat check can miss a game, so you use it at your own risk, and the authors are not responsible for bans, crashes or lost data. If you play anti-cheat games, the safest approach is to use only the basic compile function and leave Record off. The offline mode without EasyAntiCheat for ELDEN RING and ARMORED CORE VI is optional per game, confirmed every time and at your own risk; if you are unsure, do not enable it.

Does it touch my graphics driver? According to the docs, no. It compiles through DirectX, the same way the game would.

Do I need internet, and is data sent anywhere? Internet is needed to download and update. Frame-time data from your sessions stays on your PC. Sharing recordings with the community database is optional, anonymous and hash-only, according to the project. That is the project's own statement and has not been independently checked.

Will it work on a weak PC? The docs list only the operating system, an NVIDIA or AMD card and DirectX games; they give no other minimum specs.