How to Fix Low Game FPS in Windows

Part of nan beauty of PC gaming is enjoying nan champion graphics and capacity nan manufacture has to offer. But erstwhile you're suffering from a debased framework rate, it's difficult to bask a crippled astatine all.

Whether your latest acquisition isn't moving smoothly connected your PC, aliases you abruptly find games struggling to execute successful general, we're present to help. Here's really to hole debased FPS issues successful Windows and get backmost to high-quality gaming.

First: Know nan Difference Between Low FPS and Network Lag

Before you walk clip fixing nan debased frames per 2nd connected your PC, it's important to understand nan quality betwixt debased FPS and online lag. People sometimes confuse these.

When you acquisition debased FPS, thing pinch your machine is astatine fault. You'll cognize you person an FPS problem if games stutter for illustration you're watching a slideshow, moreover erstwhile playing an offline game. Make judge you besides understand show refresh rates and framework rates truthful you cognize what to expect from your show and games.

Lag, connected nan different hand, lies pinch an rumor pinch nan network. You tin person a precocious FPS count yet still acquisition unspeakable lag. This occurs erstwhile elements successful an online crippled frost up, warp astir suddenly, and different don't behave normally.

If you're experiencing online lag, make judge your machine is wired into your router pinch an Ethernet cablegram if possible. You should besides adjacent bandwidth-hungry apps moving connected your network, past return different steps to trim lag successful online games.

How to Fix Low Frame Rate: The Basics

Let's statesman by looking astatine a fewer basal fixes you should execute to boost crippled framework rates. In galore cases, erstwhile you wonderment why your crippled FPS is truthful low, these tweaks will make a large improvement.

1. Update Your Drivers

Drivers are typical pieces of package that grip nan interface betwixt your machine and connected hardware. Average PC users don't usually request to interest astir updating them, but it's a different communicative for gamers. Running out-of-date drivers, particularly your video drivers, tin hamper gaming performance.

Follow our guide to uncovering and replacing outdated drivers to make judge everything connected your strategy is current. While nan chipset driver is an important one, keeping your graphics driver updated is captious for reliable FPS successful games.

To update your graphics driver, sojourn Nvidia's driver page aliases AMD's driver page, depending connected what graphics paper you have. If you play utilizing integrated graphics connected an Intel CPU, tally Intel's driver update tool (though retrieve that utilizing integrated graphics will severely limit gaming performance).

Instead of downloading drivers manually, Nvidia and AMD some connection package utilities that make downloading nan latest drivers easy. You tin download these connected nan driver pages above, which we urge doing. In summation to letting you cognize erstwhile a caller update is available, they springiness you entree to much tweaks and features.

2. Close Unnecessary Background Programs

When you're playing a game, particularly demanding modern titles, it's a bully thought to adjacent different processes that you don't need. This frees up resources that your machine tin further dedicate to nan game.

You tin do this quickly by closing thing that's unfastened connected your taskbar. It's worthy checking nan strategy tray connected nan correct broadside of nan taskbar for immoderate unneeded inheritance apps, too.

To dive a small deeper and spot what's utilizing up resources, property Ctrl + Shift + Esc to unfastened nan Task Manager. Click More details if needed to grow it, past you tin spot what's utilizing resources connected nan Processes tab. Anything utilizing a important magnitude of nan CPU, memory, aliases GPU will apt harm crippled performance. Close those earlier you commencement your game.

Having your browser unfastened pinch 50 tabs, letting unreality retention apps sync, aliases moving record transfers while trying to play games tin consequence successful little FPS—even connected a bully computer. If your framework complaint is debased each of a sudden, cheque for programs that conscionable started utilizing a batch of resources.

3. Defragment Your HDD

Most gamers person hopefully upgraded to a solid-state thrust (SSD) by now. But successful lawsuit you're still utilizing an HDD, you should make judge nan disk is defragmented. If you usage an SSD, you should not defragment, arsenic doing truthful tin shorten nan life of your drive.

To do this, type defrag into nan Start paper and click nan Defragment and Optimize Drives entry. If it's been a while since nan thrust was past defragged, you should do so.

Modern versions of Windows do this automatically, truthful you shouldn't request to defrag manually. You tin set nan schedule if you like, though. And if you are utilizing an HDD, prioritize getting an SSD arsenic soon arsenic imaginable for a awesome boost successful gaming performance.

How to Fix Low Game FPS With Windows Tweaks

Now that you've performed nan basal steps to hole debased FPS connected your machine, let's return a look astatine immoderate Windows settings you tin set to heighten gaming performance.

4. Adjust Power Options

The powerfulness options successful Windows fto you alteration settings related to power depletion pinch your machine. On nan default plan, Windows tries to equilibrium powerfulness depletion pinch performance. Sometimes, particularly connected laptops, this tin lead to decreased capacity successful games.

It's a bully thought to move to nan High performance plan. To do this, type "control panel" into nan Start paper to unfastened that menu, past alteration nan View by action successful nan top-right to Small icons. Finally, take Power Options.

Here, take Show further plans if necessary, past prime nan High performance option.

Note that this will summation nan powerfulness depletion of your computer. On a desktop, this isn't really a problem, speech from a somewhat higher power bill. But laptops will spot worse artillery life, truthful make judge your strategy is plugged in.

5. Turn Off Visual Effects successful Windows

By default, Windows uses a batch of fancy ocular effects astir nan OS. These make menus and different communal elements look smoother, but besides usage up immoderate resources.

Since each spot of capacity helps erstwhile gaming, you mightiness wish to disable these effects. You apt won't spot overmuch use from this unless you're connected a low-end PC, but it's still worthy a try.

To disable ocular effects successful Windows, type performance into nan Start paper and prime Adjust nan quality and capacity of Windows. On nan resulting menu's Visual Effects tab, you'll spot a database of graphical features you tin alteration aliases disable.

Click nan Adjust for champion performance fastener to disable each these effects, followed by OK. It will return a infinitesimal arsenic Windows disables them. When it's done, nan interface won't look arsenic slick, but you won't announcement that erstwhile you're playing a crippled anyway.

6. Disable nan Game Bar and Background Recording

Windows 10 and 11 see a Game Bar characteristic that allows you to grounds crippled clips, return screenshots, and moreover watercourse your gameplay. While this is useful successful definite situations, it tin besides negatively effect crippled performance.

Unless you specifically want to usage this characteristic for something, you should disable it to debar imaginable interference. Head to Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar. On Windows 10, move disconnected nan Enable Xbox Game Bar... slider astatine nan apical to forestall it from running. On Windows 11, disable Open Xbox Game Bar...

Next, you should move to nan Captures tab and guarantee nan Record successful nan inheritance while I'm playing a game (Windows 10) aliases Record what happened (Windows 11) toggle is turned off. This is different Windows gaming characteristic that makes it easy to seizure large moments, but uses up strategy resources that are amended put towards graphical performance.

7. Enable Game Mode successful Windows

Also successful nan Gaming conception of Settings, move to nan Game Mode tab. Here, corroborate that you person nan slider turned on.

Microsoft's vague mentation astir this characteristic says that while successful Game Mode, Windows "prioritizes your gaming experience" arsenic it "helps execute a much unchangeable framework complaint depending connected nan circumstantial crippled and system." It besides prevents Windows Update from bothering you while you play.

Fix Low FPS With In-Game Options

Next, we move to settings you tin alteration successful astir games that tin lick your debased framework complaint problem.

8. Change nan Game's Graphical Settings

Most PC games let you to alteration a assortment of graphical options; nan nonstop choices will dangle connected nan game. As a wide rule, nan much graphical effects you alteration for improved visuals, nan little your framework complaint will be.

For an wide tweak, effort lowering nan Graphics Quality slider, arsenic little aggravated graphics will thief nan crippled tally better. Dropping from Epic aliases Ultra graphics value to High, for example, should thief amended FPS a lot.

You tin besides move disconnected individual ocular effects, specified arsenic reflections and fog. While these tin make nan crippled look pretty, they put a strain connected your GPU. To further amended nan framework rate, disable extraneous options for illustration these.

Also, support an oculus retired for options that fto you limit FPS. These tin beryllium useful if your GPU sends much frames than your show tin support up with, but evidently limiting your FPS whitethorn consequence successful a sub-par framework rate. If you person a 144Hz monitor, you don't want to limit nan crippled to 60FPS.

If you're really struggling to tally a crippled smoothly, see lowering nan resolution. Dropping it from 1920x1080 (1080p) to 1080x720 (720p), for instance, will person a affirmative effect connected FPS. And for games wherever capacity matters much than looks (like competitory online games), this is simply a worthy tradeoff.

9. Use Fullscreen Mode

Most games let you to play successful fullscreen, windowed, aliases borderless windowed modes. For maximum performance, you should take fullscreen.

This is because apps and games moving successful this mode person afloat power complete nan surface output. While borderless windowed mightiness beryllium much convenient, nan crippled doesn't bask that show exclusivity successful this mode, and whitethorn frankincense dip to a little framework rate.

10. Repair aliases Reinstall nan Game

If you only acquisition FPS issues pinch 1 game, it mightiness person immoderate corrupted files causing nan problem.

Certain games whitethorn person a Repair action (on Steam, you'll find this by right-clicking nan title, choosing Properties > Local Files, and selecting Verify Integrity of Game Files) that tin hole this.

Else, effort uninstalling and reinstalling nan crippled to spot if that improves performance.

Hardware Fixes for Low Game FPS

If you tried each nan supra and your games are still moving astatine debased FPS, your hardware is apt a bottleneck. In this case, you tin look astatine making changes to your graphics paper and different hardware for amended framework rates.

11. Consider Overclocking Your Components

If you don't person nan money to upgrade your PC's components correct now, you mightiness see overclocking your existing hardware. This allows you to compression a small much powerfulness retired of what you already have, astatine fundamentally nary cost.

Overclocking mightiness sound dangerous, but it's safe if you do it properly. See our guide to overclocking your GPU if you'd for illustration to springiness it a try.

12. Upgrade Your Hardware

Image Credit: Denis Rozhnovsky/Shutterstock

While nan supra tweaks are rather helpful, they person their limits—even overclocking. If you person outdated hardware successful your PC, you tin suffer from debased crippled FPS, nary matter what package changes you make.

In that case, it's clip to upgrade your hardware. You whitethorn request a much powerful video paper that tin grip higher-quality games, much RAM to support nan crippled moving smoothly, aliases a stronger CPU.

Don't hide that power tin impact your hardware too. If you acquisition FPS problems aft your crippled has been moving for immoderate time, your strategy mightiness beryllium getting excessively hot. Open up your strategy and region immoderate particulate buildup inside. You should besides make judge your machine has capable airflow.

Find retired which machine upgrades amended capacity nan most to spot what you should switch first.

How to Fix Low FPS Issues Easily

We've looked astatine a number of tips to hole debased FPS connected your PC. Hopefully, immoderate operation of these helps boost your framework complaint backmost to an acceptable level.

In nan end, FPS issues travel down to strategy resources. This is nan lawsuit whether your machine is wasting resources connected different processes aliases unnecessary features, aliases doesn't person capable powerfulness successful nan first place.