ThisCalculator

Everyday

How to Increase FPS in Games: 12 Proven Steps

Updated · Standard formula, shown below

This guide walks you through practical, proven ways to boost your frames per second (FPS) in PC games. You’ll learn how to adjust in-game settings, tweak Windows, update drivers, and clean up background processes — no hardware purchase required. Most steps take under five minutes and can deliver a noticeable improvement, especially on mid-range or older systems.

What You’ll Need

  • Administrator access to your Windows PC (to change system settings and install drivers).
  • Your GPU’s latest driver installer (download from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel’s official site).
  • An FPS counter to measure results — most games have one built-in, or you can use the Xbox Game Bar (Win+G).
  • About 30–60 minutes of time.

Step-by-Step

  1. Update your graphics driver. Outdated drivers are the #1 cause of poor FPS. Go to your GPU manufacturer’s website (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel), use their auto-detect tool, download the latest driver, and install it. Restart your PC afterward.
  2. Turn on Game Mode. Press Win + I → Gaming → Game Mode → toggle it On. This prioritizes your game’s CPU and GPU resources.
  3. Set power plan to High Performance. Open Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Power Options → select High Performance. If you have a laptop, also plug it in — most laptops throttle performance on battery.
  4. Close background apps. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Under Processes, sort by CPU and Memory. Right-click any non-essential app (Chrome, Discord, Spotify, etc.) and choose End Task. Also disable startup programs: Startup tab → right-click → Disable.
  5. Lower in-game graphics settings. Open your game’s video options and set these to Low or Off: Shadows, Reflections, Anti-Aliasing (MSAA or FXAA), Ambient Occlusion, Motion Blur, and Volumetric Lighting. Keep Texture Quality at Medium or High if your GPU has enough VRAM (4GB+).
  6. Lower resolution or use scaling. If FPS is still low, drop the resolution from 1440p to 1080p, or from 1080p to 720p. Alternatively, enable Dynamic Resolution or Render Scaling (e.g., 75–90%) in the game — it looks similar but runs faster.
  7. Cap your FPS to your monitor’s refresh rate. If you have a 60Hz monitor, cap FPS at 60 (or 58) in the game or driver settings. This prevents the GPU from rendering useless extra frames and reduces stutter.
  8. Enable hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling. Win + I → System → Display → Graphics → Change default graphics settings → turn On Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling. Restart.
  9. Disable fullscreen optimizations. Right-click your game’s .exe (in its install folder) → Properties → Compatibility → check Disable fullscreen optimizations → Apply. This helps some games on Windows 10/11.
  10. Run the game in fullscreen mode. Borderless or windowed modes add input lag and lower FPS. Set the game to Fullscreen (not Borderless Windowed) in its video settings.
  11. Clean your PC’s internals (if comfortable). Dust buildup on fans and heatsinks causes thermal throttling, which drops FPS. Shut down, unplug, open the case, and carefully blow out dust with compressed air. Ensure fans spin freely.
  12. Update Windows. Win + I → Windows Update → Check for updates. Install all pending updates; they often include performance fixes and new GPU optimizations.

Common Mistakes

  • Only lowering resolution. Resolution matters, but shadows and anti-aliasing often have a bigger FPS impact. Lower those first.
  • Ignoring background apps. A single Chrome tab can eat 1GB RAM and 20% CPU. Close them before playing.
  • Using “Ultra” presets. Ultra settings are designed for high-end GPUs; they often look barely better than High but cost 30–50% FPS.
  • Not checking temperatures. If your PC is overheating, it will throttle. Use MSI Afterburner or HWMonitor to check temps — if above 90°C, clean and improve airflow.
  • Changing settings while the game is running. Some settings don’t apply until you restart the game. Always restart after major changes.

Tips

  • Use per-game profiles. NVIDIA and AMD drivers let you set specific settings per game — you can keep high quality for single-player and low for competitive shooters.
  • Enable DLSS or FSR. If your GPU supports DLSS (NVIDIA RTX) or FSR (AMD), enable it. It renders at a lower resolution and upscales, giving a huge FPS boost with minimal visual loss.
  • Overclock your GPU (advanced). Tools like MSI Afterburner can increase core clock and memory clock slightly. Do this in small increments and stress-test for stability.
  • Reduce mouse polling rate. A 1000Hz polling rate uses more CPU. Dropping to 500Hz in your mouse software can free up a little CPU for games.
  • Keep your game on an SSD. Loading times improve, and some games stream textures from disk — an SSD prevents stutter.

Troubleshooting

FPS didn’t improve after changes? Reboot your PC to ensure all settings apply. Then test each change individually — revert one at a time to see which actually helped. Sometimes a driver update introduces a bug; try rolling back to a previous driver version.

Game crashes after changing settings? This usually means the settings are too high for your hardware. Boot the game in Safe Mode (if available) or reset the graphics config file in the game’s folder to restore defaults.

FPS is good but stutters? Stutter often comes from RAM or VRAM limits. Close background apps, lower texture quality, and check that your RAM is running in dual-channel mode (check with CPU-Z).

Laptop still slow? Make sure you’re plugged in and that the power plan is High Performance. Also check if your laptop has a dedicated GPU — some games default to integrated graphics. Set the game to use the high-performance GPU in Windows Graphics settings or the NVIDIA Control Panel.

Still no improvement? Your CPU might be the bottleneck. Open Task Manager during gameplay — if CPU is at 100% while GPU is below 80%, you need a better CPU or lower CPU-heavy settings (like draw distance and physics).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good FPS for gaming?

For most single-player games, 30–60 FPS is playable. For competitive shooters, 144 FPS or higher is ideal. Anything above your monitor’s refresh rate is wasted.

Does RAM affect FPS?

Yes. If you have less than 16GB, games may stutter. Also, dual-channel RAM (two sticks) can boost FPS by 5–15% compared to single-channel.

Will lowering resolution always increase FPS?

Yes, but the gain varies. Lowering resolution reduces GPU load significantly, but if your CPU is the bottleneck, you may see little change.

Is it safe to overclock my GPU?

Yes, if done carefully. Use software like MSI Afterburner, increase clocks in small steps, and stress-test for stability. Overheating is the main risk, so monitor temperatures.

Why is my FPS high but the game feels laggy?

This is input lag. It can be caused by V-Sync, high mouse polling rate, or a low refresh rate monitor. Disable V-Sync, lower polling rate, and consider getting a 144Hz monitor.

Should I use V-Sync?

Only if you see screen tearing. V-Sync caps FPS to your monitor’s refresh rate and adds input lag. Better alternatives: G-Sync (NVIDIA) or FreeSync (AMD) if your monitor supports them.

Related

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.