The fastest way to see your framerate right now

Your framerate is the number of images your graphics card draws per second, measured in frames per second (fps). The easiest way to check it depends on what you're playing and what hardware you have.

If you have an Nvidia graphics card, press Alt + Z while in a game to open the Nvidia GeForce Experience overlay. Look for the fps counter in the top corner — it's on by default. For AMD cards, press Ctrl + Shift + O to open the AMD Radeon overlay and enable the performance metrics. On Intel Arc graphics, use Ctrl + Shift + M for the Arc Control overlay.

If you don't want to use your graphics card's built-in tools, Steam has a framerate counter you can turn on in any game. Open Steam, go to Settings, then In-Game, and toggle on "In-game FPS counter." Choose which corner you want it in. This works whether you bought the game on Steam or not — just launch the game through Steam.

Key Takeaways

  • Your graphics card maker (Nvidia, AMD, or Intel) provides a free overlay that shows framerate — Nvidia uses Alt + Z, AMD uses Ctrl + Shift + O, and Intel uses Ctrl + Shift + M.
  • Steam's built-in fps counter works in any game and can be turned on in Settings under In-Game, then positioned in any corner of your screen.
  • Windows 11 has a native Game Bar overlay (Win + G) that displays framerate without installing extra software.
  • Third-party tools like MSI Afterburner and Fraps show framerate plus other data like GPU temperature and memory use, which helps you understand why your framerate drops.

Using Windows 11's built-in Game Bar

If you're on Windows 11, you don't need to install anything. Press Win + G to open Game Bar, then click the Performance widget (it looks like a monitor). The fps counter appears in the top left of your game window.

Game Bar also shows your GPU and CPU load, which is useful if you're trying to figure out whether your graphics card or processor is the bottleneck. If your GPU is at 99% and your CPU is at 40%, your graphics card is working as hard as it can and that's why your framerate is lower. If it's the opposite, upgrading your CPU would help more than upgrading your GPU.

Getting more detail with MSI Afterburner

MSI Afterburner is a free tool that shows framerate plus temperature, memory use, and power draw — all the things that affect whether your game runs smoothly. read it from the MSI website (it works on any graphics card, not just MSI cards). Install it, launch it, and check the box next to "Monitoring" to turn on the overlay.

When you start a game, you'll see a list of numbers in one corner. The top line is your fps. Below that you can see your GPU temperature (useful because graphics cards throttle themselves if they get too hot), your VRAM use (if you run out, your framerate will tank), and your GPU load percentage. If your GPU is at 100% and your framerate is low, your card is maxed out. If your GPU is at 50% and your framerate is still low, something else is wrong — usually your CPU or a driver issue.

You can customize which stats show up by right-clicking the overlay and selecting "Monitoring." Uncheck anything you don't need to keep the display clean.

Using Fraps for straightforward framerate logging

Fraps is older software but still works. It shows a live fps counter and can record your framerate to a text file so you can see the average over time. read it from the Fraps website, install it, and check "Overlay" in the settings. Your fps appears in one corner while you play.

Fraps is lighter on your system than some other tools, so if you have an older PC and the overlay is slowing you down, try Fraps first. The downside is it doesn't show you temperature or memory use, so you only see the number, not the reason behind it.

What your framerate number actually means

60 fps is the standard target for most games — it's smooth enough that your eye doesn't notice stuttering. 30 fps is playable but noticeably choppier. 144 fps and above is what competitive players aim for, especially in fast games like shooters, because the lower the delay between your input and what you see, the better you can react.

Your monitor's refresh rate matters too. If your monitor refreshes 60 times per second (60 Hz), your graphics card can only show you 60 different images per second, so 200 fps on your card is wasted — you'll only see 60 of those frames. A 144 Hz monitor can show up to 144 fps. Check your monitor's specs or right-click your desktop, select Display Settings, and scroll down to "Refresh rate" to see what yours is.

Framerate also varies depending on what you're looking at. In a dense forest with lots of trees and shadows, your framerate will drop. In an empty room, it will be higher. This is normal. Most people care about the lowest framerate you see during play, not the highest.

Troubleshooting if your framerate seems wrong

If your framerate counter shows 60 fps but the game feels choppy, your monitor might be set to a lower refresh rate than you think. Check your display settings — Windows sometimes defaults to 60 Hz even if your monitor supports higher. Right-click your desktop, select Display Settings, scroll to Refresh Rate, and choose the highest option available.

If your framerate is low and your GPU temperature is above 80°C, your graphics card is throttling itself to cool down. Make sure your case has good airflow and your GPU fans aren't clogged with dust. If your framerate drops suddenly during play but your temperature is normal, you might have a driver issue. Visit your graphics card maker's website (nvidia.com, amd.com, or intel.com) and read the latest driver for your card.

If you see framerate numbers that jump wildly — 120 fps one second, 40 fps the next — you likely have a CPU bottleneck. Your graphics card finishes rendering a frame and then has to wait for your processor to tell it what to draw next. This is less of a problem than a GPU bottleneck, but it means upgrading your CPU would help more than upgrading your GPU.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I check framerate without installing anything?

Yes. Windows 11 has Game Bar built in (Win + G), and if you use Steam, its fps counter is in Settings under In-Game. Both are free and require no extra downloads. Your graphics card maker also provides a free overlay — Nvidia's is Alt + Z, AMD's is Ctrl + Shift + O.

Why does my framerate counter show a different number than what the game displays?

Some games have their own built-in fps counter. If you're seeing two different numbers, one might be capped by the game's settings. Check your in-game graphics options for a frame rate limit or vsync setting. Vsync locks your framerate to your monitor's refresh rate, which can make it look lower than what your card is actually producing.

Is 60 fps good enough for all games?

60 fps is smooth for most games, especially story-driven ones. Competitive shooters and fighting games feel better at 120 fps or higher because lower latency helps you react faster. Single-player games are fine at 60 fps. Check what the game recommends in its system requirements.

What's the difference between fps and ping?

Framerate (fps) is how fast your graphics card draws images. Ping is how long it takes data to travel from your computer to a game server and back. Both matter in online games, but they're separate things. You can have 120 fps and bad ping, or good ping and low fps. Framerate counters don't show ping — you usually see ping in the game's menu or scoreboard.

Will checking framerate slow down my game?

Overlays use a tiny amount of GPU power, usually less than 1% of your card's capacity. You won't notice a difference. If you're worried, turn off the overlay when you're not looking at it — most tools let you toggle it with a hotkey.