An FPS counter (Frames Per Second) will let you know how well games run on a computer system with current hardware.
There are multiple options to choose from. Here are some of the best FPS counters:
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5 Best Game’s FPS Counter
Use Xbox Game Bar
You can monitor the FPS on Windows OS without installing any external program. Windows OS comes with an amazing in-built game monitor app known as Xbox Game Bar. You can utilize it in many ways such as screen recording, performance monitoring, and more. You can also check the live ping and FPS while playing games.
Here are the steps to use Xbox Game Bar for FPS counter:
On the Windows search box, type Xbox Game Bar and click on its icon to launch.
In the Game Bar overlay, look for the Performance widget window.
If you cannot find the Performance window, click on the Widget menu and select Performance from the list.
Under the Performance widget window, select FPS, and click on the REQUEST ACCESS button.
Click Yes on UAC prompt.
Restart your system to activate the Xbox Game Box FPS counter.
Upon restart, launch the Xbox Game Box and pin the Performance window.
Launch the game and monitor the FPS.
In-Game FPS Counter
Some games have their own default counter. These counters will generally not give you the flexibility that 3rd party FPS counters can, but they still get the job done.
Different games offer different ways of activating their FPS counter. In CS: GO, you have to open the developer console and type “net_graph 1”. To turn it off, you type “net_graph 0”.
In a particular game, this option will display other types of information as well, such as your ping.
GeForce / Shadowplay
If you’re using an Nvidia card, you can take advantage of the pre-installed software that the drivers offer.
To enable the FPS counter of GeForce, press Alt + Z, then go to Settings -> HUD Layout -> FPS Counter -> and select your preferred position of the counter.
Fraps
Fraps work both as an FPS counter and a game recorder. All you have to do is download it from the official website, install it, and launch it.
As long as Fraps is running in the background, you should be able to see your FPS in all games.
It offers both a free and a paid version. The difference between them is that the free version only allows you to record 30 seconds of gameplay.
Unlike GeForce, Fraps should theoretically work with all graphics cards.
Steam
Most of us are using Steam to buy and play games. The good news is that it also has an FPS counter for games that you play through it. The bad news is that it doesn’t always work.
To enable it, go to Steam -> Settings -> In-Game -> In-Game FPS Counter -> (Position of your choice). Then, launch your Steam game and it should work.
MSI Afterburner
MSI Afterburner works mainly as a GPU overclocking tool. But it also features monitoring tools that we can use. One of them is an FPS counter.
To enable it, go to Afterburner Settings -> Monitoring -> Framerate -> Show in On-Screen Display.
Other than the FPS counter, MSI Afterburner gives you numerous monitoring tools, such as CPU usage/temps, RAM usage, GPU usage, etc.
Side Notes
If your FPS count is stuck at 30 or 60 and doesn’t seem to budge even for one frame, then your game is most likely capped at that framerate with or without vsync.
Why? Certain games, such as Skyrim, need vsync for their physics engine to work properly. Other games, such as MGSV, can use vsync to eliminate screen tearing or cap the framerate at 30 to give you a cinematic experience.
Do keep in mind that a simple FPS monitoring tool shouldn’t impact the performance of your computer during gaming sessions unless you have an extremely low-end computer.
The thing is that even budget gaming computers have at least a Core i3 processor. So, there’s really no need to worry about an FPS counter slowing you down.
Just another average person, living an average life. Which, by the way, mostly revolves around art and gaming.
