How to Check Frames Per Second (FPS) Counter in Games on PC

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By Sruthy

Sruthy, with her 10+ years of experience, is a dynamic professional who seamlessly blends her creative soul with technical prowess. With a Technical Degree in Graphics Design and Communications and a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics and Communication, she brings a unique combination of artistic flair…

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Updated March 7, 2024

To help you play your games at best, here we will provide you with a few options about How to Check FPS on Windows 10:

The goal of PC gaming is to achieve the highest feasible Frames Per Second (FPS). The issue is that without a point of comparison, it might be quite challenging to distinguish between two frame rates. We created a guide on how to measure your frame rate when playing video games as a result.

If you enjoy playing video games, you’re probably aware of the FPS, or frames per second, of a particular title. This is crucial information because a higher FPS guarantees smoother gameplay. Installing an FPS counter is one of the simplest and quickest ways to determine the FPS of your laptop or desktop.

Once you are aware of this, you can decide whether to use a better graphics card to enhance FPS or lower your graphics settings to accommodate your preferred game.

To help you play your game at its best, we’ll provide you with a few options in this post about how to display FPS on PC or in Windows 10 and how to check FPS on Windows 10, and some useful FPS checkers for games.

What is FPS (Frames Per Second)

How to Check FPS on Windows 10

The primary metric is used to assess how smoothly a PC game runs frames per second or FPS. Games, like movies, consist of a sequence of static images that flash quickly on the screen. Therefore, the higher your frame rate, the smoother your game will appear.

While it’s not necessary to know your frame rate if you’re enjoying your game, it’s a useful figure to remember. It’s an important parameter to consider when purchasing a new gaming display because it lets you gauge how well your hardware is working and compare it to comparable rigs.

Keeping track of your frame rate also provides a window inside your computer. You may test whether altering the settings genuinely helps performance, and you can use various tools to delve further into CPU or other PC bottlenecks.

If nothing else, having a modest frame rate counter in the corner of your screen can serve as a mental health check to ensure that nothing is wrong with your gaming PC.

Why is FPS Important

A video is comprised of a series of still images that are displayed one after another quickly. Your brain is tricked into believing that these static images are genuinely smooth motion if you display them quickly enough. The speed at which a series of static photos transitions into motion varies based on a number of variables.

However, most viewers will typically see “motion” at a frame rate of around mid-teens per second, whereas observers at a rate of less than that will typically only see individual images.

Frame rates are sometimes referred to as frames per second, increasing the smoothness and realism of the image. There is a noticeable difference between 15 and 30 frames per second. Between 30 and 60, and even between 60 and 120, there is less of a pronounced jump. Yet again, you can see a change based on the content, presentation, and other elements.

Higher frame rates in games can produce smoother, more realistic-looking graphics. In contrast, at low frame rates, the action on the screen will stutter and pause. Higher frame rates have a price because all consoles have a certain amount of graphics processing.

Fewer polygons, less realism in the things on the screen, simpler lighting, simpler texturing, and so on could be the price.

To get the highest frame rate, the console may even downscale the resolution of select games before upconverting them at the output. Although the action won’t be as fluid, the image won’t be as detailed.

Despite these restrictions, a game designer may determine that their game looks and performs better at 60 -120 FPS, but it varies. Higher frame rates are not supported by all games. However, many new ones are (and will). Additionally, there are older games that now operate at faster frame rates on both the PlayStation 5 and FPS Boost from Sony and Microsoft.

On the PC side, 144Hz gaming monitors are available (more on Hz vs. FPS in the next section). With competitive multiplayer running at greater frame rates and less and less “waiting” for the computer to update an image, there may be some advantages.

This advantage is merely marginal at best. There are milliseconds involved. They might not always reach the highest theoretical frame rate on consoles and computers. Variable Refresh Rate, or VRR, is a feature that may only output a portion of the maximum frame rate if there is a lot happening, such as a complicated boss fight.

There is a further advantage to cameras. You can significantly slow down the action by recording video at, say, 120 frames per second and playing it back at 60 or 30. A backflip performed at 120 frames per second and displayed at 30 produces some incredibly smooth, amazing slow motion.

What Are the Most Common Frame Rates

The following FPS ratings are typical:

  1. 30 FPS: The most prevalent frame rate for console games and some low-end PCs is 30 FPS, which is regarded as the absolute minimum for a game to be watchable.
  2. 60 FPS: The ideal frame rate is 60 FPS, which is also the highest frame rate that standard monitors and TVs can display.
  3. 120 FPS: It has significant system requirements and can only be viewed at 120 frames per second on monitors with a 144Hz refresh rate.
  4. 240 FPS: The maximum frame rate, 240 FPS, can only be seen on monitors with a 240Hz refresh rate, necessitating even more expensive and sophisticated gear.

Methods for Checking FPS on Windows 10

Following are the methods on how to check FPS on Windows or how to check FPS on PC or how to see FPS on PC and will tell you about some quick ways to see a PC Game’s FPS or ways to check FPS on any game on Windows:

Method #1: Using Windows Shortcut

Step #1: Press Windows + G on the Keyboard and click on Performance.

Using Windows Shortcut for how to check fps

Step #2: Now Select FPS to check the desired result.

Select FPS for how to check fps

Method #2: Using Steam’s In-Built Counter

There is an integrated FPS counter that you may use if you play the majority of games on Steam, and will tell you how to display the FPS counter while gaming on PC or how to check FPS on your PC.

Step #1: Click settings after launching Steam, which may be found in the upper left corner of the store.

Using Steam’s in-built Counter

Step #2: The In-Game FPS counter dropdown list may be found there. Set the counter position and click OK.

how to check fps

The FPS counter from Steam will now be visible in each game you launch from the platform.

Method #3: Using Nvidia GeForce Experience FPS Counter

Step #1: Open the Nvidia GeForce Experience app on your PC and navigate to Settings in Game-overlay.

Using Nvidia GeForce Experience FPS Counter

Step #2: Now, under Settings, click on HUD Layout.

HUD Layout

Step #3: Now, Click on FPS Counter and select the position and click on Done.

FPS Counter

Method #4: Using Games’ In-Built FPS Counter

Frame-rate counters are incorporated into a variety of PC games. You may occasionally have trouble finding this option depending on the game you’re playing. To find out whether a game has an implicit FPS choice option or not and, if it does, how to enable it, it may be easiest to just search Google for the situation and type “display FPS” for any specific game.

How to Use In-Game FPS Counters

You can easily check FPS and other measures while playing any game by using third-party software as mentioned below:

Method #1: Using Third-Party Software

Using FRAPS Counter: You can download fraps using this link

Follow the below-mentioned steps:

Step #1: Open Fraps Counter.

Using Third Party Software

Step #2: Create hotkeys for the frame rate overlay and benchmarking features.

Set up more settings for your overlay and benchmarking features.

Set up more settings

Reduce Fraps and start the game.

Method #2: Using MSI Afterburner

You can download MSI Afterburner using this link

Follow the below-mentioned steps:

Step #1: Open MSI Afterburner after installation and click the Gear icon to open the Settings window.

Using MSI Afterburner

Step #2: Opens MSI Afterburner properties. Under the Master graphics processor, pick the Graphics for which to display FPS and Stats.

Opens MSI Afterburner

Step #3: Click the menu’s Monitoring tab. Under Active hardware monitoring graphs, select Framerate and anything else you want to observe. Click Show on the On-Screen Display to display it when playing games.

Monitoring tab

Step #4: To save changes, click Apply and OK.The MSD Afterburner will now display the selected stats during games.

click Apply and OK

Method #3: Using AMD Radeon Software

You can download AMD Software using this link

Follow the below-mentioned steps:

Step #1: Click Performance in Radeon Software. Enable FPS, GPU, VRAM, GPU, and RAM in the Tracking tab’s Metrics window.

Metrics window

Step #2: Show Metrics Overlay is enabled on the Overlay tab. Launch any game and the metrics should appear in the corner.

Metrics Overlay

Frequently Asked Questions

Q #1) What does FPS mean in Games?

Answer: Frame rate, measured in frames per second (FPS), is a measure of how smoothly a PC game plays. The more frames you can pack into a second, the smoother the animation on the screen seems. Frame rates below 30 frames per second or so will look to be slow.

Q #2) Which frame rate—30 or 60—is preferable??

Answer: These two frame speeds each have their own advantages. For live broadcasting of sports and news events, 30 frames per second is ideal. Fast-moving videos often benefit from having extra details added. On the other hand, 60 FPS is perfect for recording slow-motion videos. High-quality video creates a smooth look.

Q #3) Why is my FPS so low?

Answer: The most common reason for reduced FPS is using graphic settings that are too demanding for your computer to handle. So, how can you raise FPS? Upgrades to your hardware (CPU, RAM, etc.) are an option.

Q #4) What can I do to increase FPS?

Answer: To increase FPS on PC, the following methods can be used:

  1. Update Graphic card driver
  2. Lower Screen Resolution
  3. Improve your Wi-Fi
  4. Remove Unused Programs

Q #5) Does gaming require a really high FPS?

Answer: No, although it might, depending on the kind of game you’re playing.

Q #6) How to check FPS on Roblox?

Answer: To view FPS, lag, and other stats when playing on Roblox, press Shift + F5.

Q #7) How to check FPS in God of War?

Answer: In order to view FPS in God of War, you can follow any of the above methods mentioned in this article.

Conclusion

You can determine how fluid a game’s visuals will be by looking at the frame rate (or FPS). The game will run better the more frames per second you have. It is also vital to know that if you want to experience more than 60 FPS performance, you will need a monitor or screen with a higher refresh rate.

Hardware (such as the motherboard, CPU, etc.), as well as the graphics and resolution options in your games, can all have an impact on the frame rates (FPS) on your computer. The most common factors affecting FPS are the graphics card and CPU.

This article has provided thorough explanations of FPS, the causes of low FPS on PC, and methods for how to see FPS or how to show FPS on PC or on Windows 10, or how to see FPS in Games.

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