Why Is My FPS So Low? How to Fix Windows 10 Low FPS Problems
Graphics are one of the major selling points of any modern game. The better, more realistic the graphics are, and the better the in-game physics, the more likely people are to buy a game. The gameplay needs to be good too and often good game-play will make up for poor or less impressive graphics (Among Us).
Why Is My FPS So Low?
Low FPS can be caused by a variety of reasons, some of them may be fixable while others may not. Before you troubleshoot the low FPS, make sure that it is a consistent problem.
A game may show low FPS when it first starts but the rate evens out once you start playing. The start screen and the menus may run at a low FPS by design. The higher FPS will kick in when you’re playing the game. Check out our tools for measuring the FPS in a game and determine that your problem is consistent.
FIX: Windows 10 Low FPS Issues
1. Check game requirements
A game that supports a high FPS requires good or great hardware to run. Your system may meet the minimum requirements for a game but the minimum requirements will not give you a high FPS when you play.
If your hardware doesn’t match the requirements for running the game at its best/highest settings, there isn’t much you can do. Try to free up as many system resources as you can i.e., quit all other apps while you play and you’ll get a better FPS rate.
2. Turn of Game bar and other overlays
The Game bar on Windows 10 adds an overlay that helps you record and broadcast gameplay, among other things. It tends to interfere with quite a few games. Disabling can help fix problems with a low FPS rate.
- Open the Settings app with the Win+I keyboard shortcut.
- Go to the Gaming group of settings.
- Select the Game bar tab and turn the switch at the very top off.
- Restart the system and play the game.
3. Turn off Xbox DVR
The Xbox app on Windows 10 is connected to the gaming bar. You can turn the game bar off but it may not necessarily disable the DVR service in the Xbox app.
- Tap the Win+R keyboard shortcut to open the run box.
- b
regeditand tap the Enter key. - Navigate to this key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\System\GameConfigStore - Double-click the value
GameDVR_Enabledand set its value to 0. - Navigate to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows. - Right-click the key and select new>DWORD(32-bit) Value.
- Name the value
AllowGameDVRand double-click it. - Make sure the value is set to 0.
- Exit the registry and restart Windows 10.
4. Update GPU drivers
Games primarily use the GPU and GPU drivers update fairly often. Windows 10 should install them automatically but you can manually check for update drivers.
- Open Device Manager.
- Expand Display Adapters.
- Right-click the GPU and select Update drivers.
- Check online for driver updates and install the ones that are available.
- Restart the system.
If you know driver updates are available for an Nvidia chip but Windows 10 does not detect them, use the Nvidia GeForce app to install the updates.
Conclusion
FPS is one of the main benchmarks of good video quality in a game but a lot of it relies on the right hardware and software set up being present on the system you’re playing on. In some cases, a game may have problems of its own. If you suspect there is a problem with the game, you can check for and install updates to the game that are likely to fix it.
