Capcom removes Denuvo from Resident Evil 4 Remake, replaces it with different DRM that hits performance
Capcom has swapped Denuvo for Enigma DRM in the Resident Evil 4 Remake on PC, and benchmarks show the new Digital Rights Management (DRM) software is causing some performance issues. Nothing too major, but a difference of over 20 FPS in some cases is notable – the tests were run at 1440p on a system with an Intel i5-13400 processor and RTX 4060 Ti.
PC gamers have long been critical of DRM software designed to make games more difficult to crack and/or pirate. The tools obviously make sense from the developer’s side, but reports of Denuvo hurting performance have given gamers good reason to turn against it. Likewise, possible compatibility issues with Linux or Proton don’t help its cause.
Resident Evil 4 Remake on Denuvo vs Enigma DRM
Capcom did not announce that it has switched to Enigma DRM, though this change can be spotted in SteamDB update logs. The patch was shipped along with new LATAM Spanish and Polish translations for the game (these were added to RE: Village, too).
Testing from KyoKat on YouTube gives us an idea of how the performance varies between the two versions. Now, it should be noted that the original benchmarks were from a 2024 test, so it’s not entirely fair, given that graphics drivers and Windows updates have been released since then, which may affect performance.
In any case, it seems this DRM change is hitting performance, with one user also claiming Steam Deck performance “is way worse now,” too. Testing on the handheld by Deck Madness does prove this performance drop, with the game using up over 1GB more system RAM, which is bound to hurt low-power systems such as the Deck much more.
Not everyone is noticing the performance difference, though it’s clear to see that Enigma is having a negative impact. In line with the benchmarks already online, one user on Reddit claims the game is using 1.5GB of extra VRAM on their system, forcing them to lower texture quality “quite a lot” to bring performance back up to speed.
Broken mods are another side effect of the DRM switch; players also report issues with DLSS 4 injection. A popular upscaling mod for the game (available on Nexus Mods) is also suffering from compatibility issues right now.
