Alex Ruben
How To Enhance Windows 10 for Gaming and Performance in 2025
So, if your games are feeling sluggish or frames are dropping like crazy, there’s a good chance your system isn’t tuned for gaming. Been there, done that. Here’s a bunch of tweaks that actually seem to make a difference—some are quick settings, others involve a few commands. Not everything is perfect, but hey, it’s better than nothing.
Step 1: Disable the Game Bar and Background Recording
First off, Windows loves to run that annoying Game Bar in the background, hogging CPU and RAM, especially if you’re not recording or streaming. Turning it off can free up resources. Here’s what to do:
- Hit the Windows key and type Settings. Open it.
- Click on Gaming.
- Turn off the Game Bar toggle.
- Then, go to Captures (still within Gaming) and turn off Background recording.
This helps prevent Windows from doing needless stuff when you just wanna game. Not sure why it works, but some setups see a noticeable FPS bump after this.
Step 2: Enable Game Mode
Turns out, Windows has this built-in “Game Mode,” which basically prioritizes gaming and cuts down background tasks. Just make sure it’s turned on:
- In the same Gaming menu, find Game Mode and toggle it ON.
Symptom? Games seem a little snappier, and that’s the point. Sometimes it’s a subtle improvement, but if your system was doing a lot, this helps in the background.
Step 3: Set the Ultimate Performance Power Plan
This is kinda hidden, but if you wanna squeeze every bit of juice from your CPU and GPU, enabling the Ultimate Performance plan is worth a shot. Here’s how:
- Open Command Prompt as admin. Type
cmdin the taskbar, then right-click and pick Run as administrator. - In there, type:
powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61 - Press Enter. On some machines, this line might just hang for a second, then you get a new power plan.
- Go to Control Panel > Power Options. If you don’t see Ultimate Performance, click on Show additional plans.
- Select Ultimate Performance.
This plan basically disables a lot of Windows’ power-saving fluff, so expect max performance, but maybe more power draw. Sometimes, on certain laptops, this causes weird battery drain or noise, so keep an eye on it.
Step 4: Disable Unnecessary Startup Programs
Boot and load times get faster after shutting down apps you don’t need running in the background. Here’s the quick way:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Switch to the Startup tab.
- Disable anything flagged as High Impact that you don’t really need at startup. Be careful — some may be essential, but most are just clutter.
On some setups, disabling all but core apps makes game performance a bit more stable.
Step 5: Perform Disk Cleanup
Cluttered drives can slow things down. Run Disk Cleanup:
- Type Disk Cleanup in the search bar and open it.
- Select your main drive, usually C:.
- Check all boxes for deleting unnecessary files, then hit OK.
Works best if you’re low on disk space. Just don’t delete your system files by mistake.
Step 6: Update Graphics Drivers
This is kinda obvious but often overlooked. Updated drivers can boost performance and fix bugs. Head over to:
- Nvidia Drivers for Nvidia cards.
- AMD Drivers for AMD cards.
Choose your model, download, and install. Reboot if needed. Some say a clean driver install helps; you can do that via Display Driver Uninstaller (WagnardSoft) if you’re feeling adventurous.
Step 7: Tweak Advanced System Settings
Another little tweak — adjusting performance options:
- Type Advanced System Settings in the Start menu and open it.
- Under Performance, click Settings.
- Choose Adjust for best performance. You can also pick custom settings, but that’s more fine-tuning.
- Hit Apply then OK.
This disables fancy visual effects that aren’t needed while gaming, freeing CPU cycles.
Step 8: Disable Motion Blur and V-Sync in Games
Many games have these settings, and they often cause dips because they add latency or extra rendering overhead:
- Jump into your game’s graphics options.
- Disable Motion Blur and V-Sync. If unsure, just try turning off one at a time and see if FPS improves.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
Some quick extras to keep your system in check:
- Stay updated with Windows updates — sometimes fixes come from there.
- Upgrading to an SSD really helps with load times and smoother streaming.
- Keep an eye on temperatures—throttling can tank your FPS, so cooling matters.
Conclusion
Most of these tweaks won’t turn your sluggish machine into a beast overnight, but combined, they can push things in the right direction. Periodic checks and updates always help keep performance stable.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I check my current FPS while gaming?
Use apps like Fraps or just enable in-game FPS counters if available. Some games have built-in overlays now, so no extra tool needed.
What if my PC still runs slow after all these tweaks?
Check for malware or background processes hogging resources. Also, hardware upgrades — especially RAM or GPU — might be needed if your gear is old.
Is it safe to disable startup programs?
Usually yes — just avoid turning off core system processes or antivirus. Disabling unnecessary apps can be a real performance boost without much risk.
Summary
- Disabled Windows Game Bar and background recording
- Enabled Game Mode
- Set the power plan to Ultimate Performance
- Turned off unnecessary startup apps
- Cleaned the disk
- Updated graphics drivers
- Adjusted advanced system visual effects
- Disabled motion blur and V-Sync in games
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. At least, it’s a start. Good luck messing with your system!