Windows 11 comes with many features designed for general productivity, but gamers can unlock better performance by optimizing specific settings. Here are the most effective tweaks to enhance your gaming experience.

Enable Game Mode

Windows 11’s Game Mode prioritises system resources for your games. To enable it, open Settings > Gaming > Game Mode and toggle it on. This feature prevents Windows Update from interrupting gameplay and allocates more CPU and GPU resources to your active game.

Disable Visual Effects

Windows 11’s animations and transparency effects consume valuable system resources. Navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects and turn off transparency and animation effects.

Alternatively, search for “Performance Options” in the Start menu, select “Adjust for best performance,” then manually re-enable a few visual elements you prefer to keep.

Optimise Power Settings

Set your power plan to “High performance” or “Ultimate performance” to prevent CPU throttling during gaming sessions. Access this through Control Panel > Power Options. The Ultimate performance plan is hidden by default but can be enabled through Command Prompt with administrator privileges.

Turn Off Background Apps

Many apps run in the background and consume resources unnecessarily. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, click the three-dot menu on apps you don’t need running constantly, and disable background permissions. Pay special attention to OneDrive, Xbox Game Bar recording features, and startup programs.

Disable Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling

While this feature is meant to improve performance, some gamers report better frame rates with it disabled, particularly on older hardware. Test both settings by navigating to Settings > Display > Graphics > Change default graphics settings and toggling “Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling.”

Update Graphics Drivers

Always keep your GPU drivers current. Download drivers directly from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel rather than relying on Windows Update, as manufacturer websites typically offer the latest optimizations for new game releases.

Adjust Virtual Memory

If you have limited RAM, increasing virtual memory can help. Search for “Advanced system settings,” click Settings under Performance, go to the Advanced tab, and adjust virtual memory to 1.5-2 times your physical RAM size.

Disable Windows Search Indexing for Game Drives

If you store games on a separate drive, disable search indexing for that drive to reduce background disk activity. Right-click the drive in File Explorer, select Properties, and uncheck “Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed.”

Use Auto HDR and DirectStorage

If you have compatible hardware, enable Auto HDR in Settings > Display > HDR for enhanced visuals in supported games. DirectStorage, which reduces load times, is automatically enabled for compatible NVMe SSDs and games.

Monitor Performance with Xbox Game Bar

Press Win + G to access the Game Bar’s performance monitoring tools. This overlay shows CPU, GPU, RAM, and FPS statistics in real-time, helping you identify bottlenecks without third-party software.

Final Thoughts

Not every tweak will benefit every system—gaming performance depends on your specific hardware configuration. Test changes individually and monitor their impact using benchmarking tools or in-game FPS counters.

What improves performance on one system might have minimal effect on another, so experimentation is key to finding your optimal setup.