Low FPS turns smooth gameplay into a slideshow — the game stutters, your aim feels late, and everything looks choppy. This is How to Fix Low FPS in PC Games, step by step: the fixes that actually move the needle, from quick settings changes that take two minutes to the hardware checks that tell you when an upgrade is the real answer.
FPS (frames per second) is simply how many images your PC draws each second. Most people find 30 playable, 60 smooth, and anything under 30 uncomfortable. The fixes below are ordered by effort, so start at the top and stop when your frame rate is where you want it.
Quick Answer
To fix low FPS in PC games: update your graphics drivers, lower the in-game resolution and demanding settings (shadows, anti-aliasing, ray tracing first), enable your GPU’s upscaling feature (DLSS, FSR, or XeSS), close background apps, and make sure Windows Game Mode is on. If FPS stays low after all that, check whether your CPU or GPU is the bottleneck and whether overheating is causing throttling.
How to Fix Low FPS in PC Games: Measure Your Baseline First
Before changing anything, find out what you’re actually getting. Most games have a built-in FPS counter in their settings, or you can use the overlay from your GPU software (NVIDIA GeForce Experience / NVIDIA App, or AMD Adrenalin) or Steam’s in-game FPS counter. Note your average FPS in a demanding scene — that’s your baseline, and it tells you whether each fix below is actually helping.
Also note your resolution and refresh rate. If you’re gaming at 1440p or 4K on a mid-range GPU, low FPS may simply be the resolution asking too much of the hardware — and the fix is settings, not a mystery bug.
Fix 1: Update Your Graphics Drivers
Outdated drivers are one of the most common causes of poor performance, and new game releases often get dedicated driver optimizations within days. This is the fix to try first because it’s free and takes minutes:
- NVIDIA users: download the latest driver from the official NVIDIA drivers page or update through the NVIDIA App.
- AMD users: get the latest Adrenalin driver from AMD’s official driver page.
- Choose a “clean install” if the option is offered — it removes old driver remnants that can cause conflicts.
If FPS dropped right after a driver update, roll back: in Device Manager, open your display adapter’s properties and use “Roll Back Driver,” or reinstall the previous version from the manufacturer’s site.
Fix 2: Turn On Upscaling (The Biggest Free FPS Boost)
Modern upscaling renders the game at a lower internal resolution and intelligently scales it up, often doubling FPS with minimal visible quality loss. Look in your game’s graphics settings for:
- DLSS (NVIDIA RTX cards) — use the “Quality” or “Balanced” preset first.
- FSR (works on almost any GPU, including older ones) — “Quality” mode is a good start.
- XeSS (Intel, but works on other cards too).
If your game supports one of these, enabling it is usually the single biggest FPS gain available without touching anything else.
Fix 3: Lower the Settings That Cost the Most FPS
Not all graphics settings are equal. These give the biggest performance return when lowered:
| Setting | Why it matters | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | The single biggest factor — more pixels, more work | Drop from 4K to 1440p, or 1440p to 1080p |
| Ray tracing | Extremely demanding even on high-end cards | Turn off or to its lowest preset first |
| Shadows | High shadow quality is expensive | Medium is usually the sweet spot |
| Anti-aliasing | Less critical if upscaling is on | Lower it or rely on DLSS/FSR |
| Volumetric fog / clouds | Surprisingly heavy in many games | Medium or low |
| Texture quality | Mostly uses VRAM, not raw speed | Keep high if you have enough VRAM |
Work down the list one setting at a time and re-check your FPS — you may find one setting was responsible for most of the problem.
Fix 4: Close Background Apps and Tame Windows
Background software steals CPU, RAM, and sometimes GPU power from your game:
- Close browsers (especially with many tabs), Discord overlays you don’t need, and launchers running games you aren’t playing.
- Open Task Manager while the game runs and sort by CPU and memory — anything eating a big share that isn’t the game is a candidate to close.
- Make sure Windows Game Mode is on: Settings > Gaming > Game Mode. It prioritizes game processes and reduces background activity.
- Turn off Xbox Game Bar background recording if you don’t use it (Settings > Gaming > Captures) — it costs FPS on weaker systems.
- Check your Windows power plan is set to “Best performance” or “High performance,” not a power-saving mode — laptops especially often ship on balanced or saver plans that throttle games.
If you’re seeing sudden momentary drops rather than consistently low FPS, that’s a different symptom — see our guide on fixing FPS drops while gaming and fixing game stuttering on Windows 11.
Fix 5: Check for Overheating and Throttling
When a CPU or GPU gets too hot, it slows itself down to avoid damage — and your FPS drops with it. Signs of thermal throttling: FPS starts fine and gets worse over 10–20 minutes of play, or fans screaming at full speed constantly.
- Monitor temperatures with a free tool like HWMonitor or your GPU’s software while gaming. As rough guidance, sustained GPU temperatures above ~85°C and CPU above ~90°C suggest a cooling problem.
- Clean dust from fans and vents with compressed air — dust buildup is the most common cause.
- Make sure the PC has airflow: don’t game with a laptop on a bed or a desktop pushed against a wall.
- On older machines, dried-out thermal paste on the CPU/GPU can be the culprit — reapplying it is a bigger job, best left to someone experienced.
Fix 6: Identify the Bottleneck
If settings tweaks aren’t enough, find out which component is holding you back. Run the game with an overlay showing CPU and GPU usage:
- GPU at ~100% while CPU is well below that: you’re GPU-limited. Lower resolution-dependent settings, use upscaling, or consider a GPU upgrade.
- CPU at ~100% while the GPU waits: you’re CPU-limited — common in strategy games, simulators, and busy multiplayer scenes. Lower draw distance, crowd density, and physics-related settings.
- RAM maxed out (16GB or less with everything open): the system starts using the much slower page file. Close background apps, or consider adding RAM.
- Game installed on a slow HDD: this mostly affects loading times and texture pop-in rather than raw FPS, but moving the game to an SSD is one of the cheapest meaningful upgrades.
Fix 7: Verify Game Files and Reinstall Shaders
Corrupted game files or a broken shader cache can tank performance in ways that look like a hardware problem. In Steam, right-click the game > Properties > Installed Files > “Verify integrity of game files.” Other launchers (Epic, EA App, Battle.net) have similar repair options. Some games also let you clear and rebuild the shader cache from their settings — worth trying if one specific game runs badly while others are fine.
If a game crashes outright instead of just running slowly, our guides to fixing game crashes on PC and fixing games freezing randomly cover that side of things.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is considered good FPS for PC gaming?
It depends on the game. For slow-paced single-player games, 30–60 FPS feels fine to most people. For competitive shooters, 60 is the minimum most players accept, and 120+ is where high-refresh monitors shine. Below 30, most games feel choppy regardless of genre.
Does more RAM increase FPS?
Only if you’re currently running out. Going from 8GB to 16GB can help noticeably if the system was paging to disk; going from 16GB to 32GB rarely changes FPS in most games today. Check Task Manager during play — if RAM is maxed out, an upgrade helps; if not, it won’t.
Will lowering resolution always increase FPS?
Almost always, and significantly — it’s the most powerful single setting. The tradeoff is image sharpness, which is why upscaling technologies like DLSS and FSR are so popular: they give you most of the FPS gain of a lower resolution with much less visual loss.
Can Windows updates cause low FPS?
Occasionally, yes — a major Windows update can reset power plans, re-enable background features, or introduce a driver conflict. If FPS dropped right after an update, check your power plan and Game Mode settings first, then graphics drivers.
Is it worth upgrading my GPU or should I tweak settings?
Always exhaust the free fixes first — drivers, upscaling, and settings often recover 30–50% more FPS at zero cost. Upgrade only if you’ve done all of that, identified the GPU as the bottleneck, and still can’t reach the frame rate you want at settings you’re happy with.
The Bottom Line
Low FPS is almost always fixable without spending money: update drivers, enable upscaling, and trim the most expensive graphics settings, in that order. Add the Windows-side cleanup — Game Mode, power plan, background apps — and most PCs gain a large chunk of performance in under half an hour. Save the upgrade decision for after you’ve measured the bottleneck, so any money you spend lands on the part that’s actually holding you back.
Last Updated: 8 October 2026
About the author: Zaviyar Sultan is a UAE-focused writer at Paxi, covering driving, visas, banking, insurance and everyday UAE life. His guides are researched from official UAE government and regulator sources and updated regularly.
Paxi is an independent informational website, not affiliated with the UAE government or any agency mentioned; content is general information only, not legal, immigration or financial advice; verify critical details with official sources before acting.