Performance regression in 26.2 compared to 26.1 (higher frame times and lower FPS on multiple systems)
I've been comparing Java Edition 26.1 and 26.2 because I noticed a significant FPS drop after updating. Before reporting it, I tried to rule out problems with my own PC by testing different hardware, launchers and rendering backends.
Test conditions
For every comparison I used:
Same world
Same location
Same graphics settings
Same render distance
Unlimited FPS
Vanilla Minecraft (no Fabric, Forge, Sodium or other mods)
I also tested with:
Official Minecraft Launcher
Prism Launcher
The results were the same across all launchers.
Desktop PC
Hardware
Ryzen 7 5700X3D
RTX 4060
Windows 11
Results
26.1
Around 400–500 FPS
Frame time around 2–3 ms
26.2
Around 200–350 FPS
Frame time increases noticeably
The game still feels smooth (no constant stuttering), but the maximum FPS is much lower.
Switching back to 26.1 immediately restores the previous performance.
Laptop
Hardware
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming
Intel Core i5 11th Gen
GTX 1650
Results
26.1
Around 150–180 FPS
Frame time around 3 ms
26.2
Around 140–170 FPS
Frame time around 4–5 ms
The FPS loss is smaller than on the desktop but still reproducible.
Rendering backend observations
The new renderer selector offers:
Default
Prefer OpenGL
Vulkan (Experimental)
I noticed something unexpected.
Default
F3 reports OpenGL.
Prefer OpenGL
F3 reports exactly the same OpenGL version and renderer as Default.
However, manually selecting Prefer OpenGL consistently improves performance by about 10–20 FPS compared to leaving it on Default.
Since both modes report the same OpenGL backend, I expected identical performance.
Vulkan
Using Vulkan (Experimental):
Performance improves further.
Average FPS becomes close to what I get in 26.1.
However, chunk loading introduces noticeable FPS drops/stutters that are not present with OpenGL.
Summary
From my testing:
The regression is reproducible on two completely different systems.
The regression is present across different launchers.
Returning to 26.1 immediately restores the previous FPS.
Frame time is consistently higher in 26.2.
"Default" performs worse than "Prefer OpenGL", even though both appear to use the same OpenGL backend according to F3.
Vulkan improves average FPS but introduces chunk loading stutters.
This makes me think there may be a performance regression in 26.2 and possibly an issue with how the Default renderer path behaves compared to manually selecting OpenGL.
diolima
Performance regression in 26.2 compared to 26.1 (higher frame times and lower FPS on multiple systems)
I've been comparing Java Edition 26.1 and 26.2 because I noticed a significant FPS drop after updating. Before reporting it, I tried to rule out problems with my own PC by testing different hardware, launchers and rendering backends.
Test conditions
For every comparison I used:
Same world
Same location
Same graphics settings
Same render distance
Unlimited FPS
Vanilla Minecraft (no Fabric, Forge, Sodium or other mods)
I also tested with:
Official Minecraft Launcher
Prism Launcher
The results were the same across all launchers.
Desktop PC
Hardware
Ryzen 7 5700X3D
RTX 4060
Windows 11
Results
26.1
Around 400–500 FPS
Frame time around 2–3 ms
26.2
Around 200–350 FPS
Frame time increases noticeably
The game still feels smooth (no constant stuttering), but the maximum FPS is much lower.
Switching back to 26.1 immediately restores the previous performance.
Laptop
Hardware
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming
Intel Core i5 11th Gen
GTX 1650
Results
26.1
Around 150–180 FPS
Frame time around 3 ms
26.2
Around 140–170 FPS
Frame time around 4–5 ms
The FPS loss is smaller than on the desktop but still reproducible.
Rendering backend observations
The new renderer selector offers:
Default
Prefer OpenGL
Vulkan (Experimental)
I noticed something unexpected.
Default
F3 reports OpenGL.
Prefer OpenGL
F3 reports exactly the same OpenGL version and renderer as Default.
However, manually selecting Prefer OpenGL consistently improves performance by about 10–20 FPS compared to leaving it on Default.
Since both modes report the same OpenGL backend, I expected identical performance.
Vulkan
Using Vulkan (Experimental):
Performance improves further.
Average FPS becomes close to what I get in 26.1.
However, chunk loading introduces noticeable FPS drops/stutters that are not present with OpenGL.
Summary
From my testing:
The regression is reproducible on two completely different systems.
The regression is present across different launchers.
Returning to 26.1 immediately restores the previous FPS.
Frame time is consistently higher in 26.2.
"Default" performs worse than "Prefer OpenGL", even though both appear to use the same OpenGL backend according to F3.
Vulkan improves average FPS but introduces chunk loading stutters.
This makes me think there may be a performance regression in 26.2 and possibly an issue with how the Default renderer path behaves compared to manually selecting OpenGL.
I hope these tests help identify the cause.