PS5 Staggering/Skipping Gameplay

[RedRayfe]

For the last few months, I've been experiencing an issue where my gameplay will stutter for just a moment. The severity and frequency are inconsistent. No other games or apps on my PS5 are experiencing this issue. I cannot pinpoint the moment it began, but below I've listed anything and everything that has any remote possibility of relevance.

-Crowded areas, busy FATEs/Duties tend to trigger this issue more than when I am in less populated areas.

-I am uncertain what patch this began in, but there was a recent patch around the time it started (February-ish), and subsequent patches have made no difference.

-I have tried two different internet connections, no difference between them.

-My PS5 overheated around the time this issue began expressing itself noticeably, but I have since cleaned it out and all other issues I was experiencing with games/apps cleared up, but this one persists.

-My PS5 had to do a database rebuild after the overheating, no other identifiable issues related to this.

-I have uninstalled and reinstalled FFXIV. No change.

-My PS5 detected that my TV is capable of displaying games at 1440p, and after permitting it to test the TV's capability and update the settings to display at 1440p, I noticed the stuttering more than I had, but the problem, I believe, existed before this change. Switching to a lower resolution did not alleviate the problem even a little.

-Similarly, adjusting display settings to the lowest settings across the board made no change.

-The only other thing I can think may be causing this issue is limited available space on my SSD. I have about 100GB of screenshots/video captures (I know, I know, it's absurd and I'm working on it) that I have been transferring off of my PS5 to an external. Transferring these off the PS5 is time consuming, as I am trying not to remove screenshots/videos related to my trophy collection, and as far as I can tell there is no way to filter them out to do a mass transfer easily. As I transfer off large chunks, the problem tends to recede, but it doesn't clear up, and even if I do not add more screenshots or videos, the severity of the problem eventually increases back to where it had been. My instinct is that this is the most likely suspect, as taking a screenshot or capturing a video while the problem is expressing itself severely is the only way I have ever been able to manually trigger the staggering/skipping. I have 32GB free on my SSD now, but in the past, before the problem began, the game ran perfectly fine with even less free space.

-As a last list item, the only other major change to my PS5 around the time this began was installing Call of Duty: Warzone, an unreasonably massive game (205.4GB), and one that is noticeably taxing on the PS5 to play. This is the game that triggered the overheating incident. Frustratingly, Warzone has experienced absolutely zero issues, no staggering, no stuttering, even at the most intense moments of gameplay. Capturing screenshots and video on Warzone does not trigger the issue. Warzone runs smooth like silk, yet FFXIV runs like course sandpaper most of the time.

I am at my wits' end. I have not been able to participate in savage duties without being a burden for months. Please, in the name of the Twelve, someone help me.

[KayMage]

I appear to be having the same problem as you on the PS5, so I dont think you are alone. Maybe once an hour or so my game stutters for about 5s or so. Its not lag because everything just slows down to molasses. Im not sure exactly when this started as I didnt play XIV much in March due to Rebirth, but ever since I got back it has been like this -- so its probably the latest update that is causing the issue.

[crc0427]

I'm not having this issue on my PS5. Perhaps it's a dust issue or heat issue? Is your PS5 in an open area? If so, that's good for heat, however that means there's also a much higher chance that it has significant dust build up inside of it.

Get a can of compresses air, turn off the system, and blow the air inside the vents, but don't turn the can upside down or you'll get frozen gas coming out. You also may consider popping off the plate to really get the dust out.

Generally this is a heat issue.