How To Optimize Windows 10 For Gaming

How to optimize Windows for better game operation

(Image credit: PonyWang / Getty)

Whether you have a brand new gaming PC (opens in new tab) or an existing one, yous should optimize Windows for better game performance with a few uncomplicated tweaks. Windows doesn't come perfectly suited for gaming past default, but with a couple changes to its settings, yous can be certain that naught will get in the way of y'all and your games.

To preface all of this though, you should understand that the biggest hitting to performance is weak hardware. An quondam graphics carte is going to driblet your frames per 2nd way more than than a simple setting in Windows. A gaming PC with only four to 8 gigabytes of RAM will have the same grip on your fps in a lot of modern games. Before you change annihilation, consider an upgrade starting time, and ready your expectations for how much of an impact Windows settings volition have on your gaming experience. It'due south not a lot, only it can add upward.

How to plow off Windows Game Mode

Windows Game Fashion gets a lot of ire because, for a long time, it plummeted your performance while playing games. Game Mode used to play with your organization'south CPU resource to funnel everything into your game. Now, it's essentially like turning on a Do Not Disturb mode for your PC with a nebulous promise to improve some games' performance.

Game Mode for Windows 10 and eleven will prevent Windows Update from performing driver installations and from sending restart notifications. It too "helps accomplish a more stable frame charge per unit depending on the specific game and system," according to Microsoft's website (opens in new tab). It's unclear what games and systems are supported, but in our tests (opens in new tab), gaming functioning is the same with it on or off.

To plough it off, right-click the Windows starting time card icon and select Settings. From there, cull Gaming and and then selection Game Mode. Knock the slider to off and you won't accept to worry about it at all.

How to disable "Record what happened"

Windows at present has a built-in feature that can tape footage of your games. It's a little buried in your organisation settings, but if you accept separate software for that, similar Nvidia Shadowplay, y'all can plow it off to save some organisation resources.

To do that, you lot want to hit your Windows key, blazon Capture and click Capture settings, or alternatively, right-click the start push icon, click Settings, select Gaming, then hitting Captures. If you lot're on Windows 10, turn off "Record in the background while I'm playing a game". Windows 11 users need to switch "Tape what happened" off.

Windows 10 Game Bar — (Image credit: Microsoft)

How to plow off Xbox Game Bar

Like Windows Game Fashion, Xbox Game Bar doesn't actually affect your performance that much, at least not more than than other overlays, like Nvidia'southward Shadowplay. "Record what happened" will practise a lot more to your games than Game Bar will, but if you want information technology off. Head into your settings by correct-clicking the commencement push icon and selecting Settings. Striking Gaming, and so choose Xbox Game Bar. Flip the switch to off and you won't have an overlay on your games anymore and y'all might see an increase of a few FPS depending on the game.

How to plow on high operation mode in Windows

You tin swap to the high performance power plan in Windows to improve your gaming experience a little bit, or a lot if you're on a gaming laptop. The actual impact varies a lot with different games. The default balanced mode is totally fine for most uses, but if you want to change it to see if your PC will continue your CPU at a constantly high clock speed, then do this simple modify.

Right-click your Windows start push, hit Settings. Choose Ability & Sleep, and so select Additional power settings near the lesser of the page. In that window, select Loftier functioning.

Windows 10 Power Options screen — (Image credit: Futurity)

How to clean up Windows services for amend functioning

Your gaming PC might struggle simply considering of how many applications y'all have running in the background. Chances are, you have a lot that automatically run when you start your PC. You lot tin can always prune that listing downward to the essentials to salvage some RAM and CPU usage.

It'southward like shooting fish in a barrel to practice. Striking your Windows key and type run or right-click Windows and select Run. In the new text box, blazon msconfig. Head over to the Services tab, check Hibernate all Microsoft services, and look through the listing to see what's going on. Uncheck what services you don't want to run and hit Apply. Be conscientious though. Some services are necessary for certain programs to role on your PC, so it helps to wait them upwards earlier you disable them.

You tin can also prevent these services from starting in the first identify past heading to Task Director. Right-click the Windows start push and striking Task Manager. Then select Startup and go through the listing and disable whatsoever has the most impact.

Tyler has covered games, games civilisation, and hardware for over a decade earlier joining PC Gamer every bit Acquaintance Editor. He's done in-depth reporting on communities and games as well as criticism for sites similar Polygon, Wired, and Waypoint. He's interested in the weird and the fascinating when information technology comes to games, spending time probing for stories and talking to the people involved. Tyler loves sinking into games like Final Fantasy xiv, Overwatch, and Dark Souls to see what makes them tick and pluck out the parts worth talking nigh. His goal is to talk about games the way they are: broken, beautiful, and bizarre.