How to View a Frame Rate FPS Counter for Windows PC Games

FPS stands for frames per second and is a measurement metric for how many frames games show per second. A higher frame rate is always desirable for gaming because gameplay is smoother with a higher FPS. Low FPS rates cause noticeable gameplay stuttering, making PC games quite unplayable in the worst cases. So, it’s good to have an FPS counter that shows your PC’s frames per second rate when playing games. This is how you can view an FPS counter for Windows games with alternative software packages.

Read also: 7 Windows 11/10 Gaming PC Optimization Tips for Better Gaming

How to View Windows Game Bar’s FPS Counter for Games

Windows 11 and 10 include a Game Bar overlay that has an FPS counter you can activate and view when playing. This frames-per-second counter is the Performance widget that also shows various system resource usage details for RAM, CPU, GPU, and VRAM. You can activate and view the Game Bar’s FPS counter like this.

1. Press the Windows logo + G key combination to activate the Game Bar.
2. Click the Performance widget button on the Game Bar. If you can’t see Performance on the Game Bar, click the Widget Menu button and select it from there.
   
   

   The Performance button on the Game Bar

3. Next, click the FPS metric in the Performance tab.
4. Press the Request access button that activates the FPS counter.
5. Restart your PC.
6. Start a Windows game to view the FPS counter.
7. Bring up the Game Bar and click Performance again. The frame per second counter will now show a frame rate metric for the game you’re playing, as in the snapshot below.

The Game Bar’s FPS counter

How to View Steam’s Frame Rate Counter for Games

Many players have the Steam software installed for playing Windows PC games. This software also incorporates an FPS counter you can view when playing games installed with Steam. These are the steps for enabling and viewing Steam’s frames per second counter.

1. Bring up your Steam software.
2. Click Steam at the top-left corner of the gaming client’s window.
3. Select Settings to access a window that includes numerous options for Steam.
   
   

   The Settings option

4. Click the In-Game tab.
5. Select Top-right on the In-game FPS drop-down menu.
   
   

   The In Game tab

6. Launch a game with Steam. Now you should see an FPS counter in the top-right corner of the screen when playing.

How to View GeForce Experience’s FPS Counter for Games

GeForce Experience is gaming software usually preinstalled on PCs with NVIDIA graphics cards. This software has an overlay that displays an in-game FPS counter when enabled. You enable GeForce Experience’s overlay and its FPS counter like this.

1. Right-click the NVIDIA icon inside the system tray to select its GeForce Experience context menu option.
2. Click Settings in GeForce Experience.
3. Toggle on the In-Game Overlay switch if it’s set to off.
   
   

   The In-Game Overlay option

4. Press Alt + Z to activate the GeForce Experience overlay.
5. Click the overlay’s cog (settings) button.
6. Select Hud layout on the menu. 
7. Next, press the Performance button.
8. Click the top-right box for the counter.
   
   

   The FPS option

9. Select the FPS option. You can also select Basic and Advanced options to view a frame rate counter alongside system resource usage details when playing games.
10. Click Back > Done to set the new FPS counter.
11. Start a game to see the green FPS counter in the top-right corner of the screen.
    
    

    The green GeForce Experience FPS counter in the top-right corner

Now you can see exactly what your PC’s frame rate is for games with the Steam, Game Bar, or GeForce Experience FPS counter enabled. This will give you valuable insight into your gaming rig’s average FPS rate. An average frame rate of 50-60 FPS is reasonably healthy. However, try optimizing your PC for gaming if its frame rate regularly drops to 30-40 FPS or lower.