Fix: Low FPS and Stutters While Gaming on Windows 11

If you’ve recently upgraded to Windows 11 and noticed a significant drop in FPS (Frames per Second) during gaming, you’re not alone. Many users report sudden and intermittent frame drops that, while not game-breaking, can be frustrating enough to disrupt gameplay.

This issue often stems from the system’s struggle to maintain a stable frame rate, typically due to outdated graphics drivers, conflicts with recent Windows updates, or poorly optimized game settings. The Windows 11 23H2 update has been specifically highlighted for exacerbating these performance problems in various games. Additionally, resource-heavy background applications and hardware compatibility issues with the latest OS features further contribute to the stuttering and low FPS

Things will undoubtedly get better over time as Microsoft makes this new OS stable, but until then, there are some things you can do to improve your FPS count while playing your favorite games on Windows 11.

1. Disable Game DVR

Game DVR, now integrated into Windows 11 as part of the Xbox Game Bar, continuously records gameplay in the background, which can drain system resources like CPU and memory. This can lead to frame drops and lower FPS, particularly on low-to-mid-tier PCs.

Disabling Game DVR frees up these resources, allowing your system to allocate more power to rendering the game itself, which can noticeably improve your FPS and reduce stuttering. The most effective way to ensure Game DVR is fully disabled is by using the Registry Editor to stop all related background processes.

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type ‘regedit’ inside the text prompt, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open up the Registry Editor.

   

2. When you’re prompted by the User Account Control, click Yes to grant admin access.
   Note: As a precautionary measure, you can take the time to back up your Windows Registry so you’ll be protected in case you make a mistake while disabling Game DVR.
3. Once you’re inside an elevated Registry Editor window, use the left pane to navigate to the following location:

   Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\System\GameConfigStore

   Note: You can either navigate to this location manually or you can paste the location directly into the navigation bar and press Enter to get there instantly.

4. Once you’re inside the correct location, ensure that the GameConfigStore registry key is selected from the menu on the left, then move over to the right-hand pane and double-click on the GameDVR_Enabled key.
5. Inside the Edit screen of GameDVR_Enabled, set the Base to Hexadecimal, then set the value data to 0 in order to enable the main component of Game DVR and click Ok to save the changes.

   

6. Next, inside the same GameConfigStore registry key, double-click on GameDVR_FSEBehaviourMode and set the Base to Hexadecimal and the Value data to 2 before clicking Ok to save the changes.
7. Now that you’re finished with the modifications inside the GameConfigStore, use the same Registry Editor interface to navigate to the following location:

   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\ApplicationManagement\AllowGameDVR

   Note: You can either do it manually or you can paste the path directly into the navigation bar at the top and hit Enter.

8. Once you’re inside the correct location, ensure that the AllowGameDVR key is selected from the menu on the left, then move over to the left-hand menu and double-click on the value DWORD from the menu on the right.
9. Next, set the base of value to Hexadecimal, then change the Value Data to 0 and click Ok to save the changes.

   

10. Once you’ve enforced all of these modifications from your Registry Editor, you can safely close the utility and reboot your computer.
11. After your PC boots back up, launch the game that was experiencing FPS drops and screen stuttering and see if the issue has been improved.

2. Update Audio, Network and USB Connections drivers via Device Manager

If disabling Game DVR didn’t make a difference in your case, the next thing you should do is to ensure that every utility driver is updated to the latest version available. Windows Update is normally in charge of updating these drivers automatically, but until a public Windows 11 build is released, you’re better off handling the updates yourself.

According to many users who were previously experiencing frame stuttering, updating the Audio, Network adapter, and USB Connections drivers using Device Manager should help stabilize your system.

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type ‘devmgmt.msc’ inside the text box and press Enter to open up Device Manager. When you see the User Account Control (UAC) prompt, click Yes to grant administrative privileges to the Device Manager utility.

   

2. Once you’re inside the Device Manager utility, start by expanding the Audio inputs and outputs drop-down menu. Next, right-click on the audio device that is currently active and click on Update driver from the context menu that just appeared.

   

3. At the next screen, click on Search automatically for drivers and wait until the initial driver scan is complete.

   

   Note: If Device Manager doesn’t find an updated driver conventionally, you can also click on Search for updated drivers on Windows Update to see if a new version is available.

4. Once the audio driver is updated, repeat step 2 and step 3 with the main active driver for the Network Adapter.
5. After the Network Adapter driver is also updated, go ahead and update the driver of every device under USB Connector Managers using the same steps presented above.
6. Finally, after every relevant driver is updated, restart your computer in order to allow the new driver equivalents to be installed, then launch the game that was previously experiencing FPS drops and see if the issue has been improved.

3. Update the GPU + Physics driver

If the previous methods didn’t resolve your FPS issues and your PC meets the game’s recommended specifications, it’s time to focus on your GPU drivers. Using outdated or migrated drivers from an older Windows version is a common cause of performance drops in Windows 11.

To fix this, uninstall your current GPU and physics drivers, then replace them with the latest versions from your GPU manufacturer. This update ensures your system is optimized for Windows 11, resolving compatibility issues and potentially unlocking performance enhancements crucial for smoother gameplay.

3.1. Update the Graphics Card Driver + Physics Module on Nvidia

1. Open up a Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R key at the same time. Inside the text box, type ‘appwiz.cpl’ and hit Enter to open the Programs and Features menu. At the User Account Control (UAC), accept the enhanced privileges by clicking Yes.

   

2. Next, order the programs inside the Programs and Features menu by clicking on the Publisher tab.
3. As soon as the programs are ordered based on their publisher, go ahead and find the entries associated with NVIDIA Corporation (they should all be grouped together).
4. Next, right-click on every entry published by NVIDIA Corporation and choose Uninstall from the context menu that just appeared.

   

5. Inside the uninstallation screen, follow the on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation process, then repeat this process with every item signed by Nvidia.
6. As soon as every relevant Nvidia driver is uninstalled, reboot your computer and open your browser after it boots back up.
7. Next, visit the official download page of Nvidia Experience and hit the Download Now button to get the latest version of Nvidia Experience. Inside the dedicated menu, click on Download once again to allow the installer to download locally.

   

   Note: GeForce Experience will automatically detect, recommend and install the latest compatible driver + physics module for your Nvidia GPU model.

8. After the download is complete, double-click on the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to install the latest version of GeForce Experience on your computer.
9. Once the installation is complete, open the Nvidia Experience and sign in with an account when asked to do so.

   

   Note: You can sign in via your Google account or Facebook if you’re in a hurry.

10. Inside Nvidia Experience, access the Driver tab and click on Check for Updates. If a new driver version is found, click on Download, then follow the on-screen instructions to install the new driver version + the physics module.

    

11. After the new driver version is installed, reboot your computer and see if the FPS problem is fixed on Windows 11 once the next startup is complete.

3.2. Update the Graphics Card Driver + Physics Module on AMD

1. Open your default browser, access the download page of the AMD Cleanup Utility, and click on the AMD Cleanup Utility hyperlink to get the latest version available.

   

2. After the download is complete, double-click on the executable that you just downloaded and hit Yes at the User Account Control to grant admin access to the AMD Cleanup Utility. Next, at the prompt, click Ok to initiate the driver cleanup.

   

   Note: This AMD-developed tool is designed to remove any installed AMD drivers, driver signatures, and registry entries of previous iterations. This will be instrumental in those situations where you’re dealing with corrupted AMD driver files that refuse to uninstall.

3. Wait until the operation completes. It will take several minutes depending on how fast your storage solution is, and you might experience some screen flickering – don’t worry as this is completely normal.
4. After you get the success message, hit Finish to close the utility, then restart your PC by clicking Yes and wait for the next startup to complete.

   

5. As soon as your computer boots back up, open your browser and visit the Auto-Detect and Install Radeon Graphics Drivers for Windows. Next, initiate the download by clicking on Download Now.

   

6. After the executable is downloaded, double-click on it to open it and then follow the instructions to install the Radeon Adrenalin tool on your computer.

   

7. After the download is finished, you should see the AMD Adrenalin utility automatically launching and attempting to detect the ideal AMD graphics product compatible with your GPU and your operating system.

   

   Note: Wait patiently until this operation is complete as it might take several minutes depending on your internet connection.

8. After the driver is successfully downloaded locally, ensure that you install both the Recommended and Optional drivers by clicking Install to ensure that the physics module is also updated.

   

9. Finally, you’ll need to accept the EULA’s terms and conditions, then wait until the process is complete.
10. After all the relevant AMD drivers have been updated, restart your computer and see if the FPS issue is resolved once the next startup is complete.

4. Lowering Mouse Pooling Rate

The major source of issues with the FPS while gaming on Windows 11 is an instance in which the mouse polling/response rate is set to 1000Hz or higher. There’s no official explanation on why this happens yet from Microsoft, but affected users have found that lowering the polling rate to 500Hz eliminates the issue completely.

Now, when it comes to changing the polling rate of your mouse, the exact steps depend on the type of mouse that you’re using. The vast majority of gaming mice have a dedicated utility that will allow you to do this.

You’ll often find the Polling Rate labeled as Report Rate inside the companion app – just look for a value of 1000Hz and change it to 500Hz to make the issue go away.

Note: Keep in mind that some high-end gaming mice, like the Zowie EC2-B, come with a dedicated button that will allow you to change the report rate dynamically by pressing the button while you’re actively using the mouse.