Patch 4 for Spider-Man 2 on PC is now live, and it has a list of claimed fixes and performance optimizations. Official patch notes indicate this patch is all about CPU and GPU performance optimization, particularly raytracing performance, and some stability fixes.
Sounds great, right? Well, if you were expecting a real-world FPS increase, don’t get too excited. Real-world testing on several YouTube tech channels indicates the performance increase is so modest that it’s on the verge of being an error. That is to say, this patch perhaps isn’t so much of a performance miracle as some people were fantasizing about.
What’s New in Patch 4
The devs say they’ve enhanced mission trail visibility, enhanced raytracing performance, and resolved some crash problems—specifically leaving the game too early or enabling raytracing on quad-core hardware. App fixes for unreliable brightness and contrast controls have been included, meaning they’re retained when the game is restarted. Performance in sandy environments has apparently been enhanced, and the map in the game is now faster to respond. Fixes have also been made to many problems with raytraced reflections, ambient occlusion, and shadows.
All these updates look wonderful on paper. But do they actually lead to better performance? Let’s see what the test results have to say.
Does Patch 4 Really Improve Performance?
After exhaustive testing in GPU- and CPU-bound workloads, the conclusion is simple: the FPS boost gains are inconsequential at best.
In CPU-bound operations, quad-core users can finally turn on raytracing without a crash, which is great. Still, there’s little difference in general performance over Patch 3. Top-end CPUs only exhibit negligible FPS wobbling within the margin of error. On the GPU side, not much changes. Raytracing reflections and shadows remain a system-intensive process with little to no frame rate increase. Playing the game without raytracing? Don’t expect that to be any better either. The so-called “performance optimizations” look more like little tweaks and not performance increases.
Motion Blur
One thing Patch 4 does get right is the motion blur correction. Motion blur was far too extreme even at its lowest setting and would completely break down when changing any of the graphics settings. It now works the way it’s supposed to, so this is the most obvious addition in the whole patch.
Verdict: Patch 4 is Mostly a Placebo
If you were hoping for a significant FPS boost, tough luck. Patch 4 does include some appreciated bug fixes like motion blur fixes and crash fixes but doesn’t follow through on its “performance improvements” promise. The reality? If your game was already running smoothly, this update won’t do much of anything. If it was running horribly, it’s still going to run horribly.
Should You Install Patch 4?
Yes, if you need the stability improvements and bug fixes. But if you’re looking for improved frame rates, don’t wait with bated breath. The “performance optimizations” are just marketing hype and not actual changes.