Noticeable stutter (frame drops) on Android release version (works better on debug version)

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1

Godot Version

4.6.1

Question

I created an Android release version of my game and uploaded it to the internal test track in Google Play. Upon installing it and playing it, I noticed stuttering and frame drops late in the game (when it gets more intense). I don’t notice this on the debug version (same build/export). Why would this be the case? How can the release be less performant than the debug build?

You can see 2 videos here https://photos.app.goo.gl/qmJDWrN8zT9jrEWK6 that show the difference. You will see frame drops and noticeable stutter in the 55 second video (release) as compared to the 35 second video (debug).

2

I was able to (sorta) fix this by changing the renderer from mobile to compatibility. Seems to run smoother overall, but frame drops are much more noticeable if/when they do happen.