Increase FPS in games: Windows settings, graphics driver and refresh rate
Frame rate (FPS) is mostly decided by the graphics card, the processor and the game's own graphics settings. Windows settings make some difference, but they cannot push past the limits of the hardware. The steps below are based on official documentation from Microsoft and the graphics card makers; the ones that matter most come first.
1. Update your graphics driver
This is the most important step for new games. Download the driver only from the maker's own site:
| Graphics card | Official source |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA | nvidia.com driver page or the NVIDIA App |
| AMD | amd.com driver page (AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition) |
| Intel | Intel Driver & Support Assistant |
On laptops, drivers are also available on the laptop maker's support page. You don't need "driver updater" programs.
2. Make sure the game runs on the right graphics card
On PCs with both integrated graphics and a separate graphics card (most gaming laptops), a game can end up on the wrong one. In Settings > System > Display > Graphics, select the game, choose Options and set Graphics preference to High performance. According to Microsoft, this only changes anything on PCs with more than one graphics processor.
3. Keep Game Mode on
According to Microsoft, Game Mode is on by default. While you play, it stops Windows Update from installing drivers and sending restart notifications, and depending on the game and system it can help make the frame rate more stable. To check: Settings > Gaming > Game Mode. Game Mode does not speed up your hardware; don't expect a big jump in FPS.
4. Check your monitor's refresh rate
If you bought a 144 Hz or faster monitor, Windows sometimes leaves it at 60 Hz. In Settings > System > Display > Advanced display > Choose a refresh rate, pick the highest value your monitor supports. The cable and the graphics card also need to support the higher refresh rate.
A note from Microsoft: with Dynamic refresh rate (DRR) turned on, some games that weren't designed for variable refresh rates may have their frame rate capped. If a game runs slower than expected, try turning DRR off on the same page.
5. Power mode and charger
Settings > System > Power & battery > Power mode > Best performance. On laptops, plug in the charger while gaming; on battery, the graphics card and processor may run at lower power.
6. Close programs running in the background
Many browser tabs, screen recording or download programs share the processor and memory with the game. Check in Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) what uses resources while you play, and turn off programs that start for no reason (speed up Windows 11).
These barely change FPS
- Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling (HAGS): When Microsoft introduced this setting, it did not promise a notable performance gain; in its own words, users "should not notice any significant changes". The setting only appears with a supporting graphics card and driver. You can switch it on and off to test it in your own game.
- Disabling services and "FPS booster" scripts: The gain is usually too small to measure, while the risk is real: does disabling Windows services help?
- "RAM cleaner" programs: See high RAM usage.
Measure the bottleneck
With MSI Afterburner you can see FPS, graphics card and processor usage in game. If the graphics card sits at 95-100% usage, it is the limit: lowering the game's graphics settings (resolution, shadows, ray tracing) is the most effective fix. If FPS is low while graphics card usage stays low, the limit may be the processor or memory. Check temperatures with HWiNFO; overheating hardware slows itself down.
