Following a practical test, a blogger from the YouTube channel YetTea explored how Denuvo’s anti-piracy protection influences not just game speed but the overall launch experience. Denuvo is a digital rights management system aimed at reducing piracy, and many players and developers have raised concerns about its effect on performance. To investigate these claims, the YetTea host ran a series of benchmarks on games with and without Denuvo, ensuring the same hardware setup for consistency. The test bed consisted of an Intel Core i9-10850K processor, 32 GB of RAM, and a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, mirroring a high-end PC configuration commonly used by enthusiasts in North America. What followed was a careful comparison of load times, frame rates, and playback smoothness across multiple titles.
The core finding from the tests was straightforward: games without Denuvo tended to open and reach key menus more quickly than those protected by the DRM. A representative example involved Ghostwire Tokyo, where the main menu loaded in about 54 seconds without Denuvo, versus roughly 200 seconds with Denuvo in place. Importantly, this disparity persisted across repeated launches, suggesting a consistent overhead introduced by the DRM layer rather than a one-off anomaly. These results align with other benchmarking efforts in the industry, which note similar startup delays when anti-piracy measures are active. The practical takeaway for players is that the presence of DRM can influence how quickly a game becomes ready for interaction, particularly on systems with high-end components. This matters because load times can affect the initial impression of a title and set the tempo for a player’s first session.
Beyond launch speed, the tests also captured how DRM affected runtime performance. In scenarios where Denuvo was disabled, many games demonstrated higher and more stable frame rates. Conversely, titles protected by Denuvo displayed occasional stuttering and frame-time irregularities that could interrupt immersion during gameplay, especially in action-heavy or visually demanding sequences. While some games showed negligible differences on certain hardware setups, the broader trend pointed toward a measurable impact on sustained performance and experience when anti-piracy protections are present. For players building or upgrading a PC in Canada or the United States, these findings underscore a practical consideration: the balance between protection and smooth performance can tip in favor of running a game without excessive DRM when feasible, particularly on builds that push hardware to its limits.
The methodology used in the evaluation included repeating each test under controlled conditions to verify consistency. The hardware remained constant, and software environments were kept stable to minimize external influences such as background processes or driver differences. While this approach provides a meaningful snapshot, it is worth noting that real-world results can vary with different processor models, graphics drivers, or game patches that may alter how DRM interacts with system resources. Readers are encouraged to view such benchmarks as part of a broader performance picture rather than a single definitive verdict. The ongoing conversation in the industry reflects a spectrum of opinions on DRM, with some developers arguing that protections are essential for sustainability, while others emphasize user experience and performance as equally important considerations. This nuanced landscape means consumers should stay informed about how new releases and updates might affect both compatibility and responsiveness, depending on whether DRM is employed. (attribution: benchmark analyses and developer commentary compiled from multiple public sources)
In sum, the current benchmarks suggest that removing or avoiding DRM like Denuvo can yield noticeable improvements in both startup times and in-game stability for many titles. For players in North America, particularly those who routinely run games on high-performance systems, the potential gains in responsiveness may be worth weighing against the trade-offs involved in piracy risk and content protection strategies. As the industry continues to evolve, continued independent testing remains valuable for providing a clearer, more practical view of how DRM choices translate into everyday gaming experiences. (attribution: industry benchmarking summaries and technical discussions)