Frames per second, or FPS, is a crucial metric for PC gamers. It measures how smoothly a game runs. Think of it as a heartbeat for your gaming experience. A high FPS means smoother gameplay, while a low FPS can lead to stuttering and lag. That’s why keeping an eye on your FPS is essential for enjoying your favorite games to the fullest. But you don’t need fancy software to check the FPS of PC games.
There are quite a number of quick and easy methods to keep the FPS of PC games in check. In this guide, we will be going over them, so keep on reading.
Use Steam Overlay to Check FPS of PC Games
Steam, the go-to platform for many gamers, conveniently offers a built-in tool for tracking your game’s FPS. This feature is straightforward to activate and provides a clear, real-time display of your frame rate.
To enable the FPS counter, launch Steam while no game is running. Navigate to Settings > In-Game and select a corner of your screen for the counter to appear. Once you’re in-game, the FPS counter will be displayed in your chosen location.
While Steam’s FPS counter is a handy tool, it’s primarily designed for Steam games. While you can attempt to add non-Steam games to your Steam library to utilize this feature, there’s no guarantee it will work consistently across all titles.
Using NVIDIA GeForce Experience to Check FPS
If you own an NVIDIA graphics card, you can leverage the power of NVIDIA GeForce Experience to track your FPS. This software offers a more comprehensive approach to in-game performance monitoring compared to Steam.
To activate the FPS counter, open GeForce Experience and click the gear icon in the top right corner to access settings. Ensure the “In-Game Overlay” is enabled and then click “Settings” within this option. From there, navigate to HUD Layout > Performance > FPS and choose a corner of your screen for the counter to appear.
Unfortunately, GeForce Experience isn’t without its quirks. The FPS overlay might not always display correctly, showing incorrect values or disappearing entirely. If you encounter these issues, switching between full screen and borderless windowed modes can sometimes resolve the problem.
Monitoring PC Games FPS with AMD Software
AMD users aren’t left out when it comes to tracking in-game performance. AMD Software, the company’s dedicated graphics card software, includes a built-in FPS counter and other performance metrics.
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To activate the FPS counter, open AMD Software and navigate to the “Performance” tab. Make sure you’re on the “Metrics” tab and then enable the “Metrics Overlay” option. By default, this overlay will be constantly visible on your screen, but you can choose to activate it only during gameplay by enabling “Game Detection for Metrics Overlay.”
AMD Software goes beyond simply displaying FPS. You can also view frame time, 99th percentile FPS, CPU and GPU usage, and more. If you only want to see the FPS, you can customize the overlay in the “Tracking” tab by selecting the desired metrics.
Leveraging Your Game’s Built-in Tools to Check Performance
Many modern games offer built-in FPS counters, providing a convenient way to monitor your performance. However, finding and activating these options can vary widely between games.
Some games have a dedicated “Show FPS” option tucked away within the video or graphics settings. Others might require a specific keyboard shortcut or console command to activate the FPS counter. For instance, Minecraft players can simply press F3 to access a debug screen displaying FPS and other vital information.
For more complex games, you might need to explore console commands or even modify game configuration files. While this approach requires a bit more technical know-how, it often offers greater customization options. For example, DOTA 2 players can use the “cl_showfps 1” command in the developer console to enable the FPS counter.
Remember, if you’re struggling to locate your game’s FPS counter, a quick online search can be a lifesaver. Searching for the game title and “show FPS” will likely yield helpful results and guides.
MSI Afterburner: A Versatile Tool for Monitoring Performance
For those seeking a dedicated third-party solution to monitor FPS, MSI Afterburner is a popular choice. Initially designed for MSI graphics cards, this software has become a staple for overclocking and performance monitoring across various GPU brands.
To utilize MSI Afterburner’s FPS monitoring capabilities, ensure you install the “Rivatuner Statistics Server” component during setup. Once installed, launch MSI Afterburner and navigate to the “Monitoring” tab. Locate the “Framerate” option under “Active Hardware Monitoring Graphs,” enable it, and then check the “Show in On-Screen Display” box.
With these settings applied, you’ll see your FPS displayed in the top-left corner of your screen while gaming. MSI Afterburner also offers customization options to tailor the appearance of the on-screen display to your preferences.
