How to Show FPS on PC (7 Methods) | 2026 Guide

The fastest way to check FPS on any PC game is the Steam overlay – just toggle it on in Settings and a frame counter appears in-game. For deeper stats like 1% lows and frame times, MSI Afterburner paired with RTSS is the gold standard and works with every game on every GPU brand. This guide covers seven methods to show FPS on PC, from zero-setup options to full performance monitoring setups, so you can pick the right one for your situation. See our gaming PC fix guide for deeper context.

Which FPS Counter Should You Use?

There are seven main ways to display FPS on a Windows PC. Each one trades off between setup effort and the amount of data you get. Here is how they compare at a glance.

Short version: start with Steam or Xbox Game Bar. If you need more data, move to MSI Afterburner. The GPU-specific overlays (NVIDIA and AMD) sit in the middle – good if you already have the software installed.

Method 1: Steam FPS Counter (Easiest)

If you play games through Steam, this is the fastest way to get an FPS counter on screen. No downloads, no configuration menus, no performance hit.

How to enable it

1. Open Steam and click Steam in the top-left menu
2. Select Settings
3. Click In-Game in the left sidebar
4. Find In-Game FPS Counter and pick a corner position (top-left is least distracting)
5. Optional: check High Contrast Color so the number stands out against bright backgrounds

What it shows

A single FPS number. That is it. No temps, no GPU usage, no frame time graph. For a quick “am I hitting 144 FPS?” check, that is all you need.

Limitations

• Only works in games launched through Steam (though you can add non-Steam games to your library)
• No 1% low or frame time data – you only see the average
• The counter is small and easy to miss in busy scenes

Method 2: Xbox Game Bar (Built Into Windows)

Every Windows 10 and 11 PC has this pre-installed. Press Win+G during any game and the Xbox Game Bar pops up with a performance widget.

How to enable it

1. Press Win+G while in any game (or on the desktop)
2. Click the Performance widget (looks like a speedometer icon)
3. Click the pin icon on the Performance widget to keep it visible
4. Click the settings gear inside the widget to choose which metrics display

What it shows

FPS, CPU usage, GPU usage, VRAM usage, and RAM usage. More than Steam, less than Afterburner. The widget floats over your game as a transparent overlay you can resize and reposition.

Limitations

• Uses slightly more system resources than other overlay methods – around 1-2% CPU overhead
• The overlay occasionally fails to appear in fullscreen exclusive mode (switch to borderless windowed if this happens)
• No frame time graph or 1% low tracking
• Some anti-cheat systems block the Game Bar overlay

Method 3: NVIDIA GeForce Experience Overlay

NVIDIA users get a built-in performance overlay through GeForce Experience. It is more powerful than Steam’s counter but requires an NVIDIA GPU and the GeForce Experience app.

How to enable it

1. Make sure GeForce Experience is installed (comes with driver packages, or download from nvidia.com)
2. Press Alt+Z to open the overlay
3. Click the gear icon (Settings)
4. Select HUD Layout
5. Under Performance, choose between Basic (FPS only) or Advanced (FPS, temps, clock speeds, render latency)
6. Pick a corner position

What it shows

The Advanced overlay displays FPS, render latency (in ms), GPU temperature, GPU clock speed, and GPU utilization. The latency metric is unique to NVIDIA and helps identify input lag problems that FPS alone misses.

Limitations

• Requires an NVIDIA GPU – AMD and Intel users cannot use this
• GeForce Experience runs in the background and uses about 200MB of RAM
• The app nags you to create an NVIDIA account and log in
• No 1% low FPS tracking – you still need Afterburner for that

Method 4: AMD Adrenalin Software Overlay

AMD’s equivalent to GeForce Experience. If you have a Radeon GPU, the driver software includes a performance overlay with more metrics than NVIDIA’s basic counter.

Setup in 30 seconds

1. Open AMD Adrenalin Software (right-click desktop > AMD Adrenalin Software)
2. Go to the Performance tab
3. Click Metrics
4. Toggle on the metrics you want to see in-game
5. Press Ctrl+Shift+O during any game to toggle the overlay

What it shows

FPS, GPU temperature, GPU clock speed, VRAM usage, fan speed, and GPU power draw. AMD shows more hardware data than NVIDIA’s default overlay, which is handy for diagnosing thermal throttling.

The catch

AMD Adrenalin Software has a reputation for being buggy. The overlay sometimes fails to appear after driver updates, and the software occasionally resets your settings. If the overlay stops working, disable and re-enable the Performance Monitoring toggle in settings. Also, like NVIDIA, there is no 1% low tracking built in.

Method 5: MSI Afterburner + RTSS (Best Overall)

This is the method that hardware reviewers, overclockers, and performance-obsessed gamers use. MSI Afterburner paired with RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS) shows you everything – and it works on any GPU brand.

Full setup walkthrough

1. Download MSI Afterburner from msi.com (free, works with any GPU brand – not just MSI)
2. During installation, make sure the RTSS checkbox stays checked. RTSS is what draws the overlay on screen. Afterburner feeds it data.
3. Open Afterburner and click the gear icon (Settings)
4. Go to the Monitoring tab – this is the main configuration screen
5. In the metric list, check the boxes for: Framerate, Frametime, GPU temperature, GPU usage, CPU temperature, CPU usage
6. For each metric you checked, click it in the list, then check “Show in On-Screen Display” at the bottom of the window
7. Click OK and make sure RTSS is running in your system tray (small green icon)
8. Launch any game – the overlay appears automatically in the top-left corner

Why it is the best option

Afterburner + RTSS is the only free tool that tracks 1% low and 0.1% low frame rates. Average FPS can hide stuttering. A game might show 120 FPS average while dropping to 15 FPS every few seconds. Without 1% low data, you would never know why the game “feels bad” despite the high counter. This combo also has zero measurable performance impact because RTSS hooks directly into the game’s rendering pipeline rather than running as a separate app.

Common issues

• Overlay not appearing: RTSS must be running alongside Afterburner. Check your system tray for both icons.
• Overlay blocks important UI: Open RTSS directly (not through Afterburner), click your game in the list, and drag the OSD position to a different corner.
• Some anti-cheat blocks it: Vanguard (Valorant) and some kernel-level anti-cheats block RTSS injection. Use the in-game counter for those games instead.
• Looks ugly: The default font is pixelated. In RTSS, switch the “On-Screen Display rendering mode” to Vector 3D for a cleaner look.

Method 6: In-Game FPS Counters

Many games have a built-in FPS counter hidden in their settings. No third-party software needed. The problem: every game puts it somewhere different.

Where to find it in popular games

In-game counters have zero performance impact and sometimes show game-specific data (like server tick rate in CS2) that external tools cannot access. The downside: you have to find and enable them separately for each game, and they only work in that specific title.

Method 7: FRAPS (Legacy – Not Recommended)

FRAPS was the standard FPS counter for over a decade. It still works, but it has not been updated since 2013. It only supports DirectX 9, 10, and 11 – which means it does not work with DirectX 12 or Vulkan games. Since most games released after 2019 use DX12 or Vulkan, FRAPS is only useful for older titles at this point.

If you still play games like Skyrim (original), older Source engine titles, or DX9-era MMOs, FRAPS works fine. Download it from fraps.com, run it, and press F12 in-game to toggle the counter. For anything modern, use MSI Afterburner instead.

Understanding Your FPS Numbers

Seeing a number in the corner of your screen is step one. Knowing what that number means is where it gets useful. Most gamers only watch average FPS, but that metric hides the most important performance information.

Average FPS

The mean number of frames rendered per second over a time period. A game showing 144 FPS average on a 144Hz monitor sounds perfect. But if it dips to 30 FPS every few seconds before jumping back up, the average still looks fine while the experience feels awful. Average FPS is a starting point, not the full story.

1% Low FPS – The Number That Matters Most

Your 1% low is the frame rate during the worst 1% of frame delivery times. It tells you how bad the dips actually get. A game with 120 FPS average and a 1% low of 90 FPS feels smooth. The same game with a 1% low of 25 FPS feels like a slideshow every time something explodes on screen.

Rule of thumb: your 1% low should stay above 60% of your monitor’s refresh rate. On a 144Hz display, that means your 1% low should not drop below about 85-90 FPS during normal gameplay. If it does, lower your graphics settings until the 1% low comes up – that will improve smoothness more than chasing a higher average.

0.1% Low FPS

The worst 0.1% of frame times – the extreme spikes. If your 0.1% low is dramatically lower than your 1% low (like 1% at 80 and 0.1% at 10), your game has a severe stutter problem. Common causes: shader compilation stuttering (Unreal Engine 5 games are notorious for this), background processes spiking CPU usage, or running out of VRAM.

Matching FPS to your monitor

Your monitor’s refresh rate determines the maximum FPS you can actually see. A 60Hz display shows 60 frames per second regardless of whether your GPU renders 200. Running FPS above your refresh rate still reduces input latency slightly, which matters in competitive shooters, but you will not see visual smoothness gains beyond your monitor’s Hz rating.

If you are still picking a monitor, our best gaming monitors for FPS guide covers the sweet spots for different budgets and GPU power levels.

Common Mistakes When Monitoring FPS

Decision Framework: Which FPS Counter Method to Use

Skip If

Do not bother monitoring FPS at all if you are playing story-driven games on a locked 60Hz display and the game already feels smooth. Watching a number tick between 58 and 62 will not improve your experience – it just adds another thing to stare at instead of the game. FPS monitoring pays off when something feels wrong (stutters, lag, frame drops) or when you are tweaking settings on a high-refresh display.

If you only set up one thing, make it Afterburner + RTSS. It works with every game, every GPU, and gives you every metric that matters. The 5-minute setup pays for itself the first time you diagnose a stutter problem by looking at your 1% low instead of guessing.

Recommended Monitoring Hardware

• Budget second monitor – run Afterburner/HWiNFO on a second screen while gaming.

Related guides: best GPU, best CPU, Windows optimization.

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 In-Game FPS Counter to any corner position. The counter appears as a small green number in every Steam game. It uses zero extra resources and works with non-Steam games added to your library too.

Does showing FPS reduce performance?

Most FPS counters have zero or near-zero performance impact. Steam overlay and in-game counters use no measurable resources. MSI Afterburner with RTSS adds less than 1% CPU overhead even with multiple stats displayed. Xbox Game Bar uses slightly more, but under 2 FPS difference in most games.

What is a good FPS for gaming?

Match your FPS to your monitor refresh rate. 60 FPS is the minimum for smooth gameplay on a 60Hz monitor. 144 FPS feels noticeably smoother on a 144Hz display, especially in shooters. More important than average FPS is your 1% low – if it drops below 60% of your refresh rate, gameplay stutters.

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. A game with 120 FPS average but a 1% low of 25 FPS has severe stuttering despite the high average. MSI Afterburner with RTSS is the easiest free tool that shows both.

How do I check FPS on an NVIDIA GPU?

Press Alt+Z to open GeForce Experience overlay, click the gear icon, then enable Performance HUD. Choose between a basic FPS counter or a detailed overlay with temps, clock speeds, and render latency. You need GeForce Experience installed from nvidia.com.

How do I check FPS on an AMD GPU?

Open AMD Adrenalin Software, go to Performance, then Metrics. Toggle on your preferred stats. Press Ctrl+Shift+O during any game to show or hide the overlay. It displays FPS, GPU temperature, VRAM, and clock speeds without any extra downloads.

Can I show FPS in non-Steam games?

Yes. Xbox Game Bar (Win+G) works with any Windows game regardless of launcher. MSI Afterburner with RTSS works with every game engine and 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. Most games from 2020 onward use DX12 or Vulkan, which FRAPS cannot hook into. MSI Afterburner with RTSS is the direct replacement – free, works with every API, and shows more data with zero performance impact.

Related Guides