Displaying Your Frames per Second (FPS) While PC Gaming

Are you a PC gamer looking to optimize performance for a smoother, more responsive experience? Displaying an in-game frames per second (FPS) counter is a valuable step. Monitoring your real-time FPS helps track hardware capabilities and troubleshoot issues. This guide will teach you what FPS means for gaming and how to easily turn on FPS counters.

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Why FPS Matters for PC Gaming

The PC gaming market has exploded over the past decade, currently valued at over $35 billion dollars. Technological innovations allow modern titles like Call of Duty and Cyberpunk 2077 to offer cinematic graphics and intense multiplayer competitions not possible on consoles.

To power such cutting-edge games at high visual fidelity, PC gaming rigs require serious horsepower. The key metric measuring real-time rendering capabilities is FPS – how many consecutive frames or images your PC generates per second.

  • 60 FPS is considered smoothly playable while 120+ FPS is ideal for competitive esports. The more FPS, the more up-to-date and fluid the animations. This allows you as the player to react quicker and aim with enhanced precision, especially in fast-paced first person shooter games against other real players.

So monitoring FPS ensures your graphics card (GPU) and other components are keeping up with demanding game environments. Displaying a live FPS counter also helps diagnose performance drops if gameplay becomes laggy.

How to Display Your In-Game FPS

Many popular game clients and titles feature built-in options for showing current FPS during play sessions. If not, stand-alone applications can overlay this metric in real-time.

Using Steam to Display FPS

Steam, the dominant PC gaming platform, offers an FPS counter overlay compatible with titles purchased through their service.

To enable:

  1. Launch Steam
  2. Click the settings icon in the upper-right
  3. Select In-Game from left sidebar
  4. In In-game FPS counter dropdown, choose a display corner like upper-left

This minimal FPS counter will not disrupt your gaming. Note Steam must remain open when launching games for this to function.

Displaying FPS Through Windows Game Bar

Windows 10 features an Xbox branded Game Bar offering performance monitoring capabilities. Enable FPS here by:

  1. Pressing Windows key + G to open Game Bar during gameplay
  2. Switch to Performance tab
  3. Under FPS, click Request access then follow prompts
  4. Restart computer
  5. FPS counter now active during games

Using Native In-Game FPS Counters

In addition to Steam and Windows options, many games bake in FPS overlays directly into video settings:

  • Overwatch – Under Options > Video > Display Performance Stats
  • Destiny 2 – Located in Settings > Display FPS counter
  • Minecraft – Hit F3 key during play to show metrics in debug screen

For some games, must enable console commands or adjust configuration files to trigger FPS counter. Refer to community wikis if unsure where setting resides.

Third-Party FPS Monitoring Software

If the above methods do not surface a counter for you, third-party programs like FRAPS and MSI Afterburner overlay critical data like FPS and CPU/GPU usage metrics. Useful for fine-tuning performance.

Comparing FPS Counter Techniques

We‘ve covered a range of built-in and external tools to display real-time FPS data points during your PC gaming sessions. Which method should you use?

Steam and Windows Game Bar counters offer lightweight, no-fuss options integrated into existing apps. Great for quickly checking FPS without adding additional software. May not work with all games depending on launch method.

Alternatively, stand-alone applications like Afterburner provide more customization around graph style, data points, etc while gaming. Useful for fine-tuning performance but higher overhead.

In-game FPS counters are convenient yet game-dependent. Display most relevant stats but little configurability.

Ideally utilize multiple methods like Steam + Afterburner to cross-check readings.

Optimizing FPS Performance

Now that you‘re displaying FPS, what can be done to boost rates if your counters dip too low in action-packed sequences?

  • Lower graphics settings to reduce GPU load
  • Close unnecessary background programs
  • Update display drivers
  • Disable rate-limiting Vsync option
  • Overclock your GPU to increase rendering power

Upgrading to a high refresh rate gaming monitor also allows frames over 60 FPS to display properly. Consider activating G-Sync or FreeSync adapative sync technology for smooth variable rate output.

Conclusion

Monitoring FPS is vital for assessing your PC gaming performance. This guide reviewed multiple methods for activating on-screen counters through Steam, Windows, in-game settings, and third party applications. Displaying this critical metric allows you to better optimize hardware, graphics configurations, and troubleshoot issues for buttery smooth experiences.

Let us know which FPS overlay method you find most useful during your gaming sessions!

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