Fix: Game Mode Missing in Creators Update

The Windows 10 Creators Update introduces a nifty little feature for computer gamers known as Game Mode. A quick wrap-up of this new feature is that, when enabled, it lets your computer know that you want it to now focus on the running game(s), and the computer in turn de-prioritizes all other resource-intensive applications and puts them on the backburner so as to dedicate the maximum possible amount of resources towards the running game(s). Game Mode is Microsoft’s attempt at fully embracing the fact that computers are used for gaming just as much as, if not significantly more than, they are used for other things.

Unfortunately, many Windows 10 users were left disappointed when they installed the Windows 10 Creators Update and did everything right but were left out and did not have Game Mode on their computers post-update. This problem caused quite a bit of uproar in the gaming community, which is probably part of the reason why the root of the issue was discovered rather quickly.

This problem can only be seen when a computer running on an ‘N’ version of Windows 10 – such as Windows 10 Pro N – is upgraded to the Windows 10 Creators Update. The reason why that is the case is because N versions of Windows 10 variants are the same as their normal counterparts, with the exception of the fact that the N versions don’t have Media Feature Pack, and computers that do not have the Media Feature Pack also don’t have Game Mode when the Creators Update is installed on them.

All a Windows 10 computer affected by this issue needs is the Media Feature Pack, and it will have Game Mode. Thankfully, you don’t have to roll back a computer affected by this problem to a previous Windows 10 build, install the Media Feature Pack and then make your way back up to the Creators Update – a Media Feature Pack designed specifically for the Creators Update actually exists. If you have upgraded your Windows 10 computer to the Creators Update and don’t seem to have Game Mode, here’s what you need to do in order to install the Media Feature Pack on your computer and get Game Mode:

1. Go here using an internet browser of your choice.
2. Click on Download the x86-based version of Media Feature Pack update package now if your computer is running on a 32-bit version of Windows 10, or on Download the x64-based version of Media Feature Pack update package now if your computer is running on a 64-bit version of Windows 10, and download the respective update package.
3. Wait for the update package to be successfully downloaded.
4. Once the update package has been downloaded, navigate to the directory you downloaded it to, locate it and double-click on it to run it.
5. Follow the onscreen instructions all the way to the very end of the Media Feature Pack update package, and the Media Feature Pack will be installed on your computer.
6. Restart your computer when the update package is done installing the Media Feature Pack on your computer.

When your computer boots up, your computer will have Game Mode. The easiest way to verify this is to simply open the Start Menu, click on Settings and make sure that one of the options available in the window is “Gaming”.