All about Game Mode on Windows

Game Mode, Windows 10/11's performance-boosting tool, can do more than just squeeze a few extra frames per second out of your favorite FPS. With a few clicks in the Game Bar settings, it can also be used to boost the performance of other apps.

If you're interested in getting extra performance out of your app, game, or something else, here's how to use Game Mode to achieve it.

What is Game Mode?

First introduced in the Windows 10 Creators Update (released in April 2017), “Game Mode” is a feature developed to help improve the performance of games when they are launched on Windows 10 PCs.

Microsoft says Game Mode “helps achieve more consistent frame rates depending on the specific game and system configuration.”

Technically, Game Mode works by recognizing specific games and giving them priority access to your computer’s resources. This means that the game you’re focusing on gets more CPU and GPU resources, while other background apps and processes get less. Of course, this only happens if the system recognizes that you’re playing a specific game.

Explaining the limitations of Game Mode, Microsoft says that in this mode, Windows Update won't automatically install hardware drivers or prompt you to restart your PC while you're playing a game. This should reduce disruption, at least in theory.

Does Game Mode help with performance?

Game Mode may or may not boost gaming performance on your Windows 10 PC. Depending on the type of game, your PC's hardware configuration, and what's running in the background, you may see a noticeable improvement, a slight improvement, or no difference at all.

You’ll see the biggest performance boost when the game is competing for system resources with other programs running in the background. If your PC has ample CPU and GPU resources, Game Mode may provide a slight improvement.

A 2017 test from PC Gamer found that Game Mode did provide a slight performance boost on a low-end PC. However, this came at the expense of background tasks — when Game Mode is enabled, it can’t run smoothly. It’s a trade-off — while you’re playing a game, resources for background tasks are taken away to power the game.

Game Mode is designed to improve gaming performance on less capable computers. But that doesn't mean it's going to turn your 10-year-old laptop with integrated graphics into a gaming monster. If you have a powerful PC, turning on Game Mode won't make a difference in making games run better.

Why is Game Mode enabled by default?

Game Mode will try to automatically detect when you are playing a game, and then take appropriate action based on the situation. So if you mostly use web browsers and office software all day, Game Mode will have absolutely no impact.

However, when you launch a game, Game Mode will take effect and immediately prioritize system resources for that game. In other words, this feature is completely useless unless the system recognizes that you are running a game.

Game Mode can sometimes cause problems

Some Windows users have reported that some games actually experience performance drops when Game Mode is enabled. This may seem strange, but it's not unfounded.

For example, in May 2020, Guru 3D reported that Game Mode resulted in stuttering, lag, and screen freezes with both NVIDIA and AMD graphics hardware setups.

Why does this happen? There is no official conclusion yet. However, according to experts, in the process of allocating more hardware resources to a PC game and stripping away background tasks, Game Mode can theoretically take resources away from important background tasks. This can cause system errors or slow down the game. Windows is complicated.

Either way, if you're experiencing strange issues — freezing, crashing, or low FPS — while playing PC games, try disabling Game Mode to see if that resolves the issue.

How to Enable and Disable Game Mode on Windows 10

To control Game Mode on Windows 10, open the Settings window from the Start menu or by pressing Windows + I . Go to Settings > Gaming > Game Mode .

Here you will find only one setting option: Turn Game Mode on or off.

As mentioned, this mode is enabled by default. If you want to disable it, just click the switch and turn it to “ Off ”.

Similar to Windows 10, Windows 11 also comes with “Game Mode” enabled by default. If you want to disable Game Mode on Windows 11 , you can follow this guide.

How to Apply Game Mode to Any Windows Application

You can apply Game Mode to almost any application in Windows. Performance gains will vary from application to application, as well as from computer to computer.

1. Open the app you want to apply Game Mode to. Make sure it is selected if you have multiple apps open.

2. Now, open Windows Game Bar from the main application menu or by pressing the Windows Key + G shortcut .

3. Some Game Bar widgets will be active. Click the Settings button in the toolbar at the top.

4. Click on the General settings tab and look for the Remember this is a game option .

5. Check the box next to this option. Make sure the app you want to apply Game Mode to is listed below it.

From now on, whenever that app is launched, Windows will recognize it as a game. Game Mode's resource-boosting capabilities will then be applied, hopefully improving the app's performance.

How to turn off Game Mode for apps

As mentioned before, the performance increase you see will depend on a number of factors. If you see a decrease in performance, you can prevent Game Mode from recognizing other apps as games.

To turn off Game Mode for a specific app, you can repeat the steps above. Then uncheck the box next to Remember this is a game . It is important to make sure that the app you applied Game Mode to is open and selected. If you applied Game Mode to multiple apps, open each app in turn and repeat the process to turn off Game Mode.

Of course, you can simply turn Game Mode off in the main settings. This is an easier option if you don’t see any performance improvements in games or other apps. Just note that if you turn Game Mode back on, Windows will still recognize any apps you’ve assigned Game Mode to as games.