8 Ways To Fix Decreased Game Performance on Windows 11

If you’ve just upgraded your operating system to Windows 11, and you have been dealing with altered gaming performance, don’t you worry, as you aren’t the only one. The performance issues can include anything ranging from frequent lags to extremely low FPS. This can get extremely frustrating, but there are certain ways to get your gaming performance back on track for the time being until Microsoft makes improvements.

We assure you things will get better with time as Microsoft will work on making the new operating system more stable. But if you can’t wait that long for it, we’ll show you some of the possible tricks you can pull off to enhance your performance. Before we head into the fixes, let us address some of the major reasons for all the performance drops faced by users. So without further to do, let’s head deep into it.

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Reasons For Decreased Game Performance

The following are some common scenarios that may be held responsible for the gaming performance drops you might be facing on the new Windows 11:

Game DVR Interference

If you look into it, you’ll see that Game DVR features utilize loads of your system resources on Windows 11. So if your setup isn’t powerful enough to meet those system resources, you’re surely going to face some performance drops. On the other hand, after disabling DVR interference, you will see your FPS count rise noticeably.

Outdated Drivers

Outdated/Corrupted network, audio, or USB connection drivers might cause major performance drops in gaming. However, considering this case, if you force the installation of the latest drivers, you might see your gaming performance boost up.

Corrupted/Outdated Graphics Drivers

If everything is in place and your PC setup meets the minimum requirements for Windows 11, it is possible you have faulty GPU drivers + Physics drivers. It is common for users to face issues such as frame drops while using outdated and corrupted drivers. In cases like these, you’ll have to use the updating utility set out by your GPU manufacturers to update your drivers.

High Mouse Polling Rate

A strange and bizarre issue faced by Windows 11 is how it struggles to maintain the frame rate if the mouse polling rate is 1000 Hz or above, regardless of how powerful your PC configuration is. Till Microsoft tackles the issue in the upcoming updates, you can fix this issue by lowering your mouse polling rate to 500 Hz.

Fixes For Decreased Game Performance

Now that we have addressed all the possible causes for game performance lag on Windows 11 let’s move on to tackling all those issues and gaining our gaming performance back. The following fixes have proved to successfully improve frame rate and overall gaming performance.

Disable Game DVR

One of the most common perpetrators in causing game performance issues in Windows 11 is Game DVR. Game DVR is a feature with the purpose of assisting Automatic Video Recording of gameplay in the background. Unfortunately, game DVR is highly a resource-demanding feature. Meaning if your gaming setup is low/mid-tier, Game DVR may affect your performance. So, if you don’t care about recording your gameplay and you want to boost up your performance, disabling Game DVR should do the trick.

By disabling Game DVR, your system will be able to restructure all the resources previously used for recording to actually execute your game to the fullest. This way, you get performance gains and increased FPS counts.

The best way to disable Game DVR is to use the Registry Editor. First, follow the steps given below to disable Game DVR:

Combinedly, press the Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog box.
Go ahead and type Regedit inside the text prompt. Once done, press the buttons Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
You’ll now be prompted by User Account Control. Select yes to allow admin access.
Now that you have made your way to the Registry Editor utilize the left panel to search for the following location: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\System\GameConfigStore
Once you have reached the appropriate location, make sure the GameConfigStore registry key has been selected from the menu present on the left. Now find your way to the right panel, and double click the GameDVR_Enabled key. This will take you to the Edit screen of GameDVR_Enabled.
Once inside the Edit screen, change the Base to Hexadecimal. Now set the value data to 0. This will enable the main component of Game DVR. Finally, click on OK to save the changes made.
Next, inside the GameConfigStore registry key, double-click the GameDVR_FSEBehaviourMode. On the Edit screen, change the Base to Hexadecimal and the Value Data to 2. Now click Ok to save the changes made.
Now that you’re done with all the modifications in the GameConfigStore, you will use the same Registry Editor to take yourself to the following location: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\ApplicationManagement\AllowGameDVR
Once you have made your way to the location above, make sure the AllowGameDVR key is selected. Then, go ahead and double-click on the value in the menu on the right.
Now, change the base to Hexadecimal while also changing the Value Data to 0. Once done, click OK to save the changes.
Once you have completed all the steps appropriately and you’re done with all the modifications, you can close the Registry Editor. Now reboot your computer to implement the changes properly.
Once your PC reboots, you can launch the game facing performance issues to see if any improvements have been made.

If you are still facing performance issues while gaming, there’s no need to worry as we have plenty of other fixes that may help you out.

Update Drivers

If disabling Game DVR fails to make any improvements in your game performance, you should next check your driver utilities to see if all of them are updated to their latest version. The Windows update normally updates all these drivers automatically, but you can give it a try manually.

Many users have reported improvements in in-game performance after successfully updating their Network adapter, audio, and USB connection drivers while utilizing Device Manager.

Follow the steps below to get all your drivers updated:

Press on the Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog box. Go ahead and type devmgmt.msc in the text box and press enter. This will launch the Device Manager. If the User Account Control prompt appears, just simply click yes to grant permission.
Once inside the Device Manager, go ahead and expand the Audio drop-down menus.
Right-click on the audio device that is active currently and click on Update driver.
A new screen will appear. Select the Search automatically for drivers’ options. Then, wait patiently until your system scans for any driver updates.
Once you have updated your Audio driver, repeat the same steps for your network adapter driver.
Now that you have updated the Network Adapter, you must update drivers for each device present under USB Connector Managers. Again, use the same steps as above.
In the end, after all the drivers have been updated appropriately, go ahead, and restart your computer. This will allow the new driver equivalents to install. Once everything is in place, go ahead and launch your game to see if your gaming performance is back to normal.

Hopefully, this fix will solve your game performance issue. If not, you can check out the next fix to see if it can apply to your case.

Update GPU + Physics Driver

If the fixes above fail to work for you, it is recommended you take a look at the system requirements to see if they meet. Once assured, let’s pay attention to the GPU drivers as they can have a part to play in your gaming performance. For example, you can face FPS drops and other performance issues if your graphics and physics drivers have been migrated from an older version of Windows.

If you’ve encountered this case, the issue can be resolved by uninstalling the GPU drivers and physics module currently running your system and replacing them with the latest ones available. The steps to perform this fix will be different based on your GPU manufacturer. Therefore, we have prepared different sections to satisfy both Nvidia and AMD users on how to update GPU and Physics drivers.

Jump to the sections below to see how to update Graphics drivers on both AMD and Nvidia.

Update Graphics Card Driver + Physics Module On AMD

To update the Graphics Card driver and Physics Module on AMD, follow the steps below:

Open your web browser. Find your way to the download page of AMD Cleanup Utility. Click on the AMD Cleanup Utility hyperlink to claim the latest version.
Once the download is complete, double click on it. Next, click Yes on the User Account Control to allow admin access to the utility. Now click Ok to commence the driver cleanup. This tool is designed to remove any installed AMD drivers.
Allow the procedure to complete. It may take some time, depending on your computer.
Once complete, click on Finish to close the service and then reboot your PC by clicking yes on the dialog box. Allow the startup to complete naturally.
Once your computer reboots, launch your browser again and find your way to the Auto-Detect and Install Radeon Graphics Drivers for Windows on AMD’s website. Then, click on Download Now to start the download process.
Once the download is complete, double click on it to launch it. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to have Radeon Adrenalin installed on your computer.
Once the download is complete, you’ll automatically find the AMD Adrenalin utility launch. It will now attempt to search for the most standard AMD graphics product for your GPU and OS.
Once the driver is downloaded successfully, make sure you install both Optional and Recommended drivers. This way, you can make certain that the physics module is also updated.
After all the necessary AMD drivers have been updated, reboot your computer, and launch your games to see if your gaming performance has been enhanced.

Update Graphics Card Driver + Physics Module On NVIDIA

To update the Graphics Card driver and Physics Module on Nvidia, follow the steps below:

Launch the Run Dialog box. You can do this by pressing both Windows Key + R key. Type appwiz.cpl in the text box and click OK. This will lead you to the Programs and Features menu. Click Yes on the User Account Control to allow permission.
In the Programs and Features menu, order the programs by clicking on the Publisher tab.
Once the programs are ordered according to their publisher, find the ones associated with Nvidia.
Right-click on each Nvidia Entry and click on uninstall in the menu that opens up.
Follow the on-screen steps in the uninstallation screen to wind up the uninstallation process. Then, repeat the same process each time for every Nvidia item present on your computer.
Once all the Nvidia drivers have been uninstalled, reboot your PC and allow it to launch properly.
Now open your browser and find your way to the official page of Nvidia Experience. Next, click on the download button to gain access to the latest Nvidia Experience version. Next, complete the download process to have Nvidia Experience downloaded locally. Then, follow on-screen instructions to have the latest version of GeForce Experience installed on your PC.
Once complete, launch the Nvidia Experience and sign in to an account.
Once you have signed in, go to the Driver tab and then click Check for Updates. If the software finds a new driver, go ahead, and download it. Then, follow through with the installation process to update your Graphics Driver and Physics Module.
Once the new driver version is installed, restart your computer. Now run the games to see if your game performance has been improved or not. If the problem persists, try some of the other fixes left.

Enable Game Mode

If you aren’t already aware of this, Windows 11 comes with a dedicated Game Mode. This mode helps give performance gains while improving FPS and boosting stability.

Follow the steps below to enable Game Mode:

Press the Windows Key + I key combinedly to open the settings app.
On the left panel, find your way to the gaming section.
You will find a Game Mode option. Go ahead and click on it. Turn the toggle next to game mode on. It should turn blue.

With Game Mode enabled, you should now experience some performance gains.

Boost Game Priority

A brilliant way to enhance your game performance and boost FPS is to make your Windows prioritize your game application over any other application or process.

Follow the steps below to boost game priority:

Launch the Start Menu and search for the Task Manager. Go ahead and launch it.
Open the Processes tab and right-click on your game. You will find the Go to Details option on the list. Go ahead and click on it.
Your game will be highlighted in the details tab. Next, right-click on your game and click on Set Priority. You can set the priority to High.
You can also end any unimportant processes from the task manager to get optimized performance.
Now leave the task manager and restart your game. You should now notice the performance gains, thanks to the steps you just performed.

Lower Mouse Polling Rate

After loads of experience, it has been found that a major cause of issues faced by gamers with the Windows 11 is high mouse polling rate. These issues are usually faced at a polling rate of 1000 Hz or above. Unfortunately, Microsoft has not come up with an explanation as to why users face this issue. However, it has been found that lowering your mouse polling rate to 500 Hz will get rid of the issue completely.

The steps for changing the polling rate will be different depending on which mouse you are using. High-end mice usually have dedicated buttons to adjust polling rates. If you can’t find any buttons of such type, try searching for an app that can change the polling rate.

The polling rate may often be labeled as Report Rate. By lowering the report rate to 500 Hz or below, you can get rid of any issues of such type.

Which Windows Is Best for Gaming?

If you consider gaming, Windows 11 Home is currently the best option you have at your disposal. The home edition is highly preferred for gaming as it has excluded any unnecessary features found on Pro editions of Windows.

These unnecessary features include BitLocker encryption, Hyper-V virtualization support, along with numerous enterprise Management features. These features can be a burden for the gaming performance, making the Home editions of Windows ideal for gaming.

If you plan on using Windows for business purposes, the Pro edition is the option to go with. However, if you take a look at it generally, all Windows 11 editions have had similar gaming benchmarks and performances after being tested. Therefore, any version will get the job done for you. However, if your PC hardware meets your system requirements, it’ll be a wiser decision to go with the 64-bit version of Windows over the 32 bits.

You must also keep in mind that gaming performance highly depends on how good your hardware is. If you have a high-end GPU, CPU, and RAM, your operating system won’t affect your gaming performance as much as the hardware mentioned. So as long as you have the ideal hardware, there is no need to worry about which operating system to go with.

FAQs

Why are my games lagging on Windows 11?

The following are some common scenarios that may be held responsible for the gaming performance drops you might be facing on the new Windows 11:

Game DVR Interference
Outdated Drivers
Corrupted/Outdated Graphics Drivers
High Mouse Polling Rate

How do I fix the FPS drop in Windows 11?

There are multiple fixes you can try out to fix the FPS drop problem on Windows 11. Each method is explained in detail in this guide, and you can refer to each procedure to see which one works for you best. Some of the most common fixes include:

Disabling Game DVR
Updating Network, USB, and audio drivers
Updating Graphics drivers and physics modules
Reducing mouse polling rate to 500 Hz

Does Windows 11 Decrease gaming performance?

Your gaming performance depends highly on your hardware and not much on your operating system. Although users have reported decreased gaming performance with the Windows 11, Microsoft will act quickly to get rid of any such problems. In the meantime, you can check out the fixes mentioned in the guide if you have been experiencing issues in your gaming performance.

Wrapping It Up

Windows 11 is Microsoft’s latest operating system, and it has a lot to offer. The new Windows has a lot of cool features to offer. However, users have been reporting issues with gaming performance after upgrading to Windows 11. This gets extremely frustrating as you won’t be able to enjoy your favorite games on the latest operating system.

We recommend our readers to go through all the steps thoroughly. Make sure you follow each step in the correct manner to get the best results possible. Then, if one solution does not work for you, jump on to the next. At last, you will find a solution that works perfectly well for your system.

We hope this article will have helped you get back your gaming performance and enjoy all the perks of Windows 11.