The quickest way to check FPS in game is the Steam overlay – flip it on in Settings and a frame counter shows up in the corner of every title in your library. For more detail, MSI Afterburner paired with RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS) gives you average FPS, 1% lows, frame times, and hardware temps all in one on-screen display. This guide walks through six methods to monitor your frame rate on PC, from one-click counters to full performance dashboards, so you can pick the right tool and actually understand what the numbers mean.
Disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This does not influence our recommendations. Read our affiliate disclosure
Quick answer: Use the Steam FPS counter for a quick number in the corner. Use MSI Afterburner + RTSS if you want average FPS, 1% lows, frame times, GPU/CPU temps, and usage stats. Both are free and work with any GPU brand.
What This Guide Covers
- Steam FPS Counter – one toggle, zero overhead
- NVIDIA GeForce Overlay – FPS plus render latency
- AMD Adrenalin Overlay – built into Radeon drivers
- MSI Afterburner + RTSS – the full monitoring setup
- Windows Game Bar – works everywhere, no install
- In-Game FPS Counters – game-specific options
- Understanding Your FPS Numbers – what actually matters
- Reading Frame Time Graphs – beyond average FPS
- Common Mistakes When Monitoring FPS
- Which Method Should You Pick? – decision framework
Method 1: Steam FPS Counter
Best for: Quick frame rate checks in any Steam library game
Setup time: 15 seconds
Performance impact: None measurable
The Steam FPS counter is the path of least resistance. If you play through Steam, there is zero reason not to have this turned on at all times. It shows a small number in one corner of the screen – nothing more, nothing less.
How to turn it on
- Open Steam and go to Steam > Settings (top-left menu)
- Click In-Game in the left sidebar
- Set In-Game FPS Counter to a corner position – top-left works best because most game HUDs avoid that area
- Check High Contrast Color if you play bright games where the default gray text disappears
That is it. Launch any game and the counter shows up automatically.
What it shows – and what it does not
You get a single FPS number that updates a few times per second. No GPU temp, no CPU usage, no 1% lows. If your frame rate looks fine but the game still feels choppy, this counter will not tell you why. For that, you need Afterburner or your GPU vendor’s overlay.
The non-Steam trick
You can add non-Steam games to your library (Library > Add a Game > Add a Non-Steam Game) and the FPS counter will work with them too. This is handy for Epic Games Store or GOG titles where you want a simple counter without installing extra software.
Method 2: NVIDIA GeForce Overlay
Best for: NVIDIA GPU owners who want FPS plus render latency
Setup time: 1 minute
Performance impact: Under 1% FPS loss
If you have an NVIDIA GPU with GeForce Experience (or the newer NVIDIA App), you already have a solid FPS overlay installed. The performance HUD goes beyond a simple counter – it shows render latency, which tells you how long each frame takes to process from start to finish.
Setup steps
- Press Alt+Z to open the GeForce overlay (if nothing happens, open GeForce Experience and enable the overlay in Settings)
- Click the gear icon in the overlay
- Select HUD Layout
- Under Performance, pick a position and choose between Basic (FPS only), Advanced (FPS + temps + clocks), or Latency (FPS + render latency)
- Press Alt+R to toggle the overlay on/off during gameplay
Why render latency matters
Two PCs can both show 144 FPS, but one feels snappier than the other. Render latency is why. It measures the time between your GPU starting work on a frame and finishing it. Lower is better. If you see render latency spiking above 20ms while your FPS stays steady, you have a pipeline bottleneck that the FPS counter alone would miss.
NVIDIA Reflex games show an additional “Reflex Latency” metric that measures the full input-to-display chain. If you play competitive shooters like Valorant, Apex Legends, or Fortnite, this is the most useful latency number you can get without a physical click-to-photon measurement tool.
Method 3: AMD Adrenalin Overlay
Best for: Radeon GPU owners who want FPS, temps, and VRAM usage
Setup time: 1 minute
Performance impact: Under 1%
AMD’s equivalent lives inside the Adrenalin Software that comes with every Radeon driver install. The overlay is clean and customizable, though it lacks the render latency metric that NVIDIA offers.
Setup steps
- Open AMD Adrenalin Software (right-click desktop > AMD Adrenalin)
- Go to Performance > Metrics
- Toggle on the metrics you want in the overlay: FPS, GPU Temperature, GPU Clock, VRAM Usage, Fan Speed
- During gameplay, press Ctrl+Shift+O to toggle the overlay
What AMD shows that others skip
AMD’s overlay includes real-time VRAM usage, which is useful for spotting texture streaming stutters. If your VRAM bar fills up past 90% of your card’s capacity, you are likely seeing micro-stutters as the game swaps textures between VRAM and system memory. This is common in games like Hogwarts Legacy and The Last of Us Part 1 at high texture settings.
AMD also shows average and minimum FPS over configurable time windows, which is a step above Steam’s instant-only readout.
Method 4: MSI Afterburner + RTSS (Most Detailed)
Best for: Anyone who wants full control over what stats appear on screen
Setup time: 5-10 minutes first time
Performance impact: Under 1%
This is the gold standard for PC performance monitoring. MSI Afterburner reads your hardware sensors. RTSS (RivaTuner Statistics Server) draws the overlay on screen. Together, they can display anything your system reports – FPS, frame times, 1% lows, CPU/GPU temps, per-core usage, VRAM, RAM, clock speeds, fan RPM, power draw. You pick what shows up.
Initial setup
- Download MSI Afterburner from the official MSI page
- During installation, make sure RivaTuner Statistics Server is checked (it bundles with the installer)
- Open Afterburner and click the gear icon (Settings)
- Go to the Monitoring tab
- For each metric you want on screen: click the metric name, then check “Show in On-Screen Display”
- Start with these five: Framerate, Frametime, GPU Temperature, GPU Usage, CPU Usage
Recommended overlay layout
Too many stats on screen creates visual noise. Here is a setup that gives you the important data without cluttering your view:
Starter overlay (5 metrics):
- FPS – your current frame rate
- Frametime – milliseconds per frame (more revealing than FPS)
- GPU Usage % – if under 95%, your CPU is the bottleneck
- GPU Temp – thermal throttling starts around 83-90C on most cards
- CPU Usage % – watch for single-thread bottlenecks here
Advanced overlay (add these when troubleshooting):
- 1% Low FPS – the frame rate during your worst stutters
- VRAM Usage – catch texture streaming issues
- RAM Usage – spot memory pressure
- CPU Temp – thermal throttle detection
- Per-core CPU Usage – find single-thread bottlenecks in DX11 games
Why RTSS matters
RTSS hooks directly into the rendering pipeline at the driver level. It intercepts each frame just before it hits your display, adds the overlay text, and passes it through. This is why RTSS works with every graphics API – DirectX 9 through 12, Vulkan, OpenGL – while some other overlays break in specific engines.
RTSS also has a built-in frame limiter that is more precise than in-game V-Sync. If you want to cap your FPS at your monitor’s refresh rate without the input lag of V-Sync, set the framerate limit in RTSS. It adds about 1 frame of latency compared to 2-3 frames from traditional V-Sync.
Method 5: Windows Game Bar
Best for: Quick FPS check without installing anything
Setup time: 30 seconds
Performance impact: 1-2 FPS in most games
The Xbox Game Bar is built into Windows 10 and 11. Press Win+G and it pops open. The Performance widget shows FPS, CPU usage, GPU usage, and RAM. You can pin it on screen so it stays visible after you close the Game Bar interface.
How to use it
- Press Win+G during gameplay to open the Game Bar
- Find the Performance widget (if missing, click the widget menu icon and check Performance)
- Click the pin icon on the Performance widget to keep it visible
- Press Win+G again to close the Game Bar while keeping the pinned widget on screen
The downsides
Game Bar runs as a UWP app on top of your game. That means it uses a small amount of GPU resources to draw its interface, and it can sometimes cause conflicts with exclusive fullscreen mode. If your game drops to a lower resolution or flickers when you press Win+G, switch the game to Borderless Windowed mode first.
Game Bar also lacks frame time data and 1% lows. You only get current FPS, which hides stuttering problems. It is a quick-and-dirty option, not a monitoring tool.
Method 6: In-Game FPS Counters
Best for: Console players on PC ports, or avoiding overlay conflicts
Setup time: Varies per game
Performance impact: Zero
Many PC games ship with a built-in FPS counter buried in their settings. The location varies by game, but the usual spots are:
- Settings > Video > Show FPS (most common)
- Settings > Graphics > Performance Stats
- Developer Console (Source engine games: type
cl_showfps 1) - Settings > Diagnostics (Ubisoft titles)
Games with good built-in counters
Some games go beyond a basic FPS number. Valorant shows network stats alongside frame rate. Call of Duty titles display server tick rate, packet loss, and frame time. Fortnite gives you a full performance graph if you enable debug stats. Apex Legends has a performance display that includes packet loss and server latency.
The downside is inconsistency. Every game puts the setting in a different place, some games do not have one at all, and the data shown varies wildly. If you play lots of different games, using a system-level tool like Steam or Afterburner saves you from hunting through menus every time.
Understanding Your FPS Numbers
Having a counter on screen is step one. Knowing what the numbers mean is where most people stop too early.
Average FPS vs. your monitor refresh rate
Your monitor refreshes at a fixed rate – 60Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz, or whatever it is set to. If your FPS sits at or above that number, your monitor displays every frame it can. If your FPS drops below your refresh rate, you get either screen tearing (without V-Sync) or input lag (with V-Sync).
The goal is not “highest FPS possible.” The goal is consistent FPS at or above your refresh rate. 300 FPS with drops to 40 FPS feels worse than a locked 144 FPS.
What “1% low” tells you
The 1% low is the frame rate during the worst 1% of your gameplay moments – the stutters, the hitches, the dips. A game showing 120 FPS average with a 1% low of 30 FPS has a serious stuttering problem even though the average looks fine.
Good 1% low performance means the number stays above 60% of your average. If your average is 120 FPS, your 1% low should ideally be above 72 FPS. A 1% low below half your average means noticeable frame drops during intense scenes.
GPU usage percentage – the bottleneck detector
This is the most underrated metric in any FPS overlay. If GPU usage sits at 95-99% during gameplay, your GPU is the performance limit. Lower graphics settings to gain FPS. If GPU usage is below 90% while FPS is low, your CPU or RAM is the bottleneck – turning down graphics settings will not help because the GPU is already waiting around for other components.
Reading Frame Time Graphs
Frame time is measured in milliseconds and tells you how long each individual frame took to render. It is the inverse of FPS: 60 FPS = 16.7ms per frame, 144 FPS = 6.9ms per frame, 240 FPS = 4.2ms per frame.
Why look at frame time instead of FPS? Because FPS averages hide spikes. A frame time graph shows every individual frame as a point on a timeline. Smooth gameplay looks like a flat line. Stuttering shows up as sharp spikes poking upward.
What good frame times look like
A steady 144 FPS game produces a flat line around 6.9ms with minor fluctuations of 1-2ms. The occasional spike to 10-12ms is normal during scene transitions or loading. Spikes to 30ms+ are the stutters you feel.
What bad frame times look like
Regular spikes every few seconds point to a repeating bottleneck – garbage collection in the game engine, shader compilation, or background processes stealing CPU time. Random large spikes (50-100ms+) during gameplay usually mean thermal throttling, VRAM overflow, or storage hitching from a slow drive.
How to log and graph frame times
MSI Afterburner can log all metrics to a CSV file. Enable logging in Settings > Benchmark and set a hotkey. Play for a few minutes, then open the log file in a spreadsheet or use the built-in Afterburner graph view to spot patterns.
RTSS also has a built-in frame time graph that renders directly in the overlay. Enable it in RTSS settings under the On-Screen Display tab. A small graph in the corner of your screen gives you real-time visual feedback without needing to alt-tab to a spreadsheet.
Common Mistakes When Monitoring FPS
Mistake 1: Only watching average FPS
Average FPS hides stuttering. A game can show 120 FPS average while dropping to 25 FPS every few seconds. Always check your 1% lows if the game feels choppy despite a good average number. If you only use Steam’s counter, you will never see the dips that cause the actual bad experience.
Mistake 2: Running too many overlays at once
Steam overlay, Game Bar, GeForce Experience, and Afterburner all running simultaneously is a recipe for conflicts. Some overlay hooks fight each other and cause crashes, especially in Vulkan games. Pick one tool and disable the rest. If Afterburner is your main tool, turn off the Steam FPS counter and disable the GeForce overlay.
Mistake 3: Benchmarking in the menu screen
Your FPS in a game’s main menu means nothing. Menus often run uncapped and show artificially high numbers, or they run at a fixed 60 FPS regardless of your hardware. Always measure in actual gameplay – ideally during a demanding scene with lots of action, not standing still in an empty room.
Mistake 4: Ignoring GPU usage percentage
If your FPS is low and GPU usage is below 90%, lowering graphics settings will not help. Your GPU is already underworked – the bottleneck is somewhere else (CPU, RAM, or a driver issue). Check CPU usage alongside GPU usage to find the real limit. In DX11 games, look at per-core usage because a single maxed-out core can bottleneck the whole system even when total CPU usage looks low.
Mistake 5: Confusing frame rate with frame pacing
60 FPS where every frame arrives exactly 16.7ms apart feels smooth. 60 FPS where frames arrive at random intervals (8ms, 25ms, 12ms, 30ms, 5ms) feels terrible. This is frame pacing, and it is the reason some games feel “off” even when the counter shows a decent number. Frame time graphs reveal pacing issues that FPS counters miss.
FPS Counter Methods Compared
| Method | Setup Time | Shows 1% Lows | Frame Times | GPU Temps | Works With | FPS Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam Overlay | 15 sec | No | No | No | Steam games | 0 |
| NVIDIA Overlay | 1 min | No | Yes | Yes | NVIDIA GPUs | <1% |
| AMD Adrenalin | 1 min | Yes | No | Yes | AMD GPUs | <1% |
| MSI Afterburner + RTSS | 5-10 min | Yes | Yes | Yes | Any GPU | <1% |
| Windows Game Bar | 30 sec | No | No | Yes | Any game | 1-2 |
| In-Game Counter | Varies | Rare | Rare | No | Per game | 0 |
Which Method Should You Pick?
Here is the short version. Pick based on what you need right now:
If you just want to know your FPS while gaming – turn on the Steam overlay counter. It takes 15 seconds to enable, shows zero performance impact, and works across your entire Steam library. This covers 80% of people.
If your game feels choppy and you want to find out why – install MSI Afterburner with RTSS. Enable FPS, frame time, GPU usage %, and GPU temp. The GPU usage number alone tells you whether your GPU or CPU is the bottleneck. Frame time tells you if stuttering is the problem.
If you play competitive shooters and care about input lag – use the NVIDIA overlay (Alt+R) in Advanced or Latency mode. The render latency metric shows you the actual processing delay per frame, and Reflex-supported games give you full click-to-display latency data.
If you do not use Steam and do not want to install anything – Windows Game Bar (Win+G) works with every game. Pin the Performance widget and you get FPS, CPU, GPU, and RAM usage. Not the most detailed, but it is already on your PC.
Research Sources
- RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS) Official Page – documentation on RTSS overlay rendering pipeline and frame limiter accuracy compared to V-Sync
- NVIDIA Reflex Technology Overview – technical breakdown of render latency measurement and how Reflex reduces click-to-photon delay in supported titles
- AMD Adrenalin Software Features – AMD’s documentation on performance overlay metrics including VRAM monitoring and minimum FPS tracking
- Blur Busters G-Sync 101: Frame Timing and Input Lag Tests – independent measurements comparing frame limiter accuracy, V-Sync latency, and frame pacing analysis methodology
2026 update: Gaming hardware evolves quickly. For the latest recommendations across mice, keyboards, monitors, and more, browse our interactive tools and hardware databases which are updated regularly with new releases and price changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I show FPS in Steam games?
Open Steam, go to Settings, then In-Game, and set the In-Game FPS Counter to any corner. The counter appears as a small green number in every Steam game. It uses zero extra resources and also works with non-Steam games you add to your library manually.
Does showing FPS reduce performance?
Most FPS counters have zero or near-zero impact. Steam’s overlay and in-game counters use no measurable resources. MSI Afterburner with RTSS adds under 1% CPU overhead even with multiple stats displayed. Xbox Game Bar uses slightly more because it runs as a Windows app, but the hit is under 2 FPS in most games.
What is a good FPS for gaming?
Match your FPS to your monitor’s refresh rate. 60 FPS is the minimum for smooth play on a 60Hz display. 144 FPS feels noticeably better on a 144Hz monitor, especially in shooters. More important than average FPS is your 1% low – if it drops below 60% of your refresh rate, you will notice stuttering.
What is the difference between average FPS and 1% low?
Average FPS is the mean frame rate over time. The 1% low is the frame rate during the worst 1% of moments – the dips and hitches. A game with 120 FPS average and a 1% low of 25 FPS has a serious stutter problem. MSI Afterburner with RTSS is the easiest free tool that tracks both numbers.
How do I check FPS on an NVIDIA GPU?
Press Alt+Z to open the GeForce overlay, click the gear icon, then select HUD Layout and choose a Performance mode. Press Alt+R to toggle it on/off during gameplay. The overlay shows FPS, GPU temperature, clock speeds, and render latency depending on which mode you select.
How do I check FPS on an AMD GPU?
Open AMD Adrenalin Software, go to Performance, then Metrics. Enable the stats you want. During gameplay, press Ctrl+Shift+O to toggle the overlay. AMD’s overlay shows FPS, GPU temp, VRAM usage, and clock speeds. It works with both DirectX and Vulkan games.
Can I show FPS in non-Steam games?
Yes. Xbox Game Bar (Win+G) works with any Windows game regardless of launcher. MSI Afterburner + RTSS works with every game engine and graphics API. You can also add non-Steam games to your Steam library to use the Steam FPS counter with them.
Why is FRAPS not recommended anymore?
FRAPS has not been updated since 2013 and only supports DirectX 9, 10, and 11. It does not work with DirectX 12 or Vulkan, which most modern games use. MSI Afterburner with RTSS replaces it entirely – free, supports every graphics API, shows more data, and has the same zero-impact overlay.
Related Guides
Optimize Windows 11 for Gaming
5-15% FPS gains from system-level tweaks
Fix Game Stuttering and Frame Drops
Diagnose and fix the causes behind frame time spikes
Best Gaming Monitor for FPS Games
High-refresh displays that match your frame rate
CPU vs GPU Bottleneck Check
Find out which component limits your FPS
Get More FPS Tips
Weekly optimization guides, hardware deals, and performance tips. No spam.
