How to Optimize Windows 11 for Gaming performance

The Windows 11 version 24H2 update is a gamer’s dream, with Auto HDR for vibrant visuals, DirectStorage for lightning-fast loads, and a Game Bar for quick tweaks. However, many users are still running into issues—like stuttering in Call of Duty, low FPS in Starfield, or Auto HDR crashes after installing recent patches like KB5055523 (April 2025). Whether you’re a casual gamer or chasing esports glory, lag and crashes kill the vibe. This article explores a few tested tips to turbocharge Windows 11 for gaming, from perfecting Auto HDR to slashing bloat, ensuring your PC delivers silky-smooth performance.

Users can perform several steps to boost their gaming experience on windows 11, especially with Game Mode, which has been ruthlessly polished for a long time.

Why Is Windows 11 Gaming Performance Lagging?

Even with Microsoft optimized Windows 11 version 24H2 for gaming, several factors, including outdated drivers, excessive background processes, and system resource issues, can slow down the gaming experience.

• Auto HDR Glitches: Crashes or faded colors in titles like Cyberpunk 2077, despite fixes in KB5051987, often need manual tuning.
• System Bloat: Preloaded apps (e.g., Copilot, Xbox Game Bar) gobble up CPU, RAM, and disk space, choking frame rates.
• Driver Issues: Outdated or buggy GPU drivers spark stuttering, lag spikes, or black screens during gameplay.
• Power Missteps: Default settings cap performance, especially on laptops, and throttle GPUs in demanding scenes.
• Background Noise: Overlays and telemetry slow down budget or mid-range PCs.

Optimize Auto HDR for Stunning Visuals

Auto HDR transforms supported games with richer colors and deeper contrast, making Forza Horizon 5 pop or Elden Ring feel cinematic. But Windows update early bugs caused crashes, flickering, or washed-out visuals, especially on GPUs like NVIDIA’s GTX 16-series or AMD’s RX 580. Even post-KB5051987, some setups need tweaks to stabilize performance and nail that HDR glow.

Update Graphics Drivers

Outdated drivers are the top culprit for Auto HDR crashes, often leaving gamers with frozen screens mid-race or dim visuals in dark scenes. A Reddit user fixed Halo Infinite stuttering after updating their RTX 3060 driver neglected since 2024.

• Press Win + X > Device Manager and expand Display adapters.
• Note your card (e.g., NVIDIA RTX 3060, AMD RX 6700 XT, Intel Arc A750).
• If unsure, use Settings > System > About to check under Device specifications.

Visit manufacturer sites: NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel. Enter your GPU model and select the latest Game Ready (NVIDIA) or Adrenalin (AMD) driver. Choose Clean Installation during setup to wipe old driver remnants, preventing conflicts.

Run the installer, follow the prompts, and reboot your PC to apply the changes. Open a game with Auto HDR (check Microsoft’s list, like Gears 5) and verify that visuals are crisp, with no crashes.

If issues persist, roll back to a prior driver via Device Manager (Right-click GPU > Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver). Test again, noting FPS with tools like FRAPS.

Fine-Tune HDR Settings

Misconfigured HDR settings can make games look dull or cause stuttering, especially on monitors not fully HDR-ready. A gamer reported Destiny 2 flickering until they calibrated their budget 4K display.

Enable HDR in Windows:

• Go to Settings > System > Display > HDR. Toggle Use HDR and Auto HDR to On.
• If your monitor supports HDR10, select Display capabilities: HDR for best compatibility.

Calibrate Your Display:

• Click HDR Calibration under HDR settings. Adjust the sliders for minimum/maximum brightness and color balance, following on-screen prompts (takes ~2 minutes).
• Test with a bright game scene (e.g., Forza’s daytime races) to ensure vivid colors without clipping.

Tweak Monitor Settings:

• Open your monitor’s OSD (on-screen display) via its buttons.
• Enable HDR mode (e.g., “HDR Standard” on LG monitors) and set brightness to 80-100% for gaming.
• If the colors look off, reset to factory settings and recalibrate.

Exclude Problem Games:

• Some titles (e.g., Dark Souls III) crash with Auto HDR.
• Go to Settings > Gaming > Game Mode > Auto HDR exclusions.
• Click Add an app and select the game’s .exe to disable Auto HDR for it.

Monitor Performance

Auto HDR taxes GPUs, so tracking performance helps spot bottlenecks—like a Ryzen 5 3600 struggling with Starfield at 4K HDR.

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager during a game. Under Performance > GPU, ensure usage is 80-95% (normal for HDR gaming). Spikes to 100% with crashes suggest driver or heat issues.

• Press Win + G to open the Xbox Game Bar.
• Click the Performance widget to monitor FPS, CPU, and GPU temps (aim for <85°C).
• Pin the widget for real-time stats.

In addition, go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates. Install patches like KB5051987, which stabilized Auto HDR for AMD GPUs, and optional driver updates.

Now, play an HDR game for 30 minutes, check if noting frame drops or crashes. If issues linger, lower in-game settings (e.g., shadows to Medium) to ease GPU load.

Reduce System Bloat

Windows 11 comes loaded with apps—Copilot, Xbox Game Bar, Weather—that run in the background, eating CPU, RAM, and disk resources. On a 16GB system, bloat can consume 20-30% of memory, tanking FPS in Apex Legends or causing hitching in open-world games. Stripping these out gives your games more breathing room.

Disable Startup Apps

Apps launching at boot slow startups and nibble at performance, like OneDrive syncing mid-match. A streamer fixed Valorant lag by cutting startup clutter.

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and click the Startup apps tab.
• Sort by Startup impact to spot resource hogs (High, Medium, Low).
• Right-click apps like OneDrive, Skype, or Clipchamp and select Disable.

Keep essentials like NVIDIA GeForce Experience or Razer Synapse for hardware control.

Restart your PC and check the boot time. If it is slow, check Task Manager again for new startups sneaking in.

Uninstall Bloatware

Pre-installed apps, like Mixed Reality Portal or Paint 3D, clutter storage and occasionally trigger background processes, dragging down game load times. A user shaved 2 seconds off GTA V loading by ditching unused apps.

• Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps. Sort by Size or Date installed to spot Microsoft’s defaults (e.g., Solitaire, News).
• Click the three-dot menu next to apps like Clipchamp, Get Started, or Xbox Game Pass (if unsubscribed).
• Select Uninstall and confirm. Repeat for 5-10 apps. Avoid removing core components like the Microsoft Store or Edge, which are tied to system functions.

After uninstalling, run Settings > System > Storage > Cleanup recommendations. Clear Temporary files to reclaim 1-2GB, speeding up disk access for games.

Now, launch a game and monitor load times or stuttering. Use the Task Manager’s Processes tab to ensure no uninstalled apps linger.

Limit Background Services

Again, services like Xbox Live or telemetry run constantly, sapping resources even on high-end PCs. A Ryzen 9 user noticed Warzone FPS jumps after disabling GameDVR.

• Press Win + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter. Scroll to services like Xbox Live Auth Manager, GameDVR and Broadcast, or Windows Update
• Right-click a service > Properties. Change Startup type to Disabled or Manual. Click Stop if the service is running, then OK.

Avoid disabling essentials like Windows Audio or Plug and Play.

If you don’t use Xbox Game Pass, disable Xbox Accessory Management. For Game Bar users, keep Xbox Game Bar enabled but toggle off recording (Win + G > Settings > Capturing).

Now play a demanding game for 20 minutes, checking FPS stability.

Adjust Power and Game Settings

Windows 11’s default power plans prioritize efficiency, capping CPU and GPU output, which can choke performance in Battlefield 2042 or Baldur’s Gate 3. Laptops are hit hardest, dropping 10-20 FPS in Balanced mode. Optimizing these settings unleashes your hardware’s full power.

Switch to High Performance

High Performance mode ensures your CPU and GPU run at max capacity, ideal for desktop rigs or plugged-in laptops.

• Open Control Panel (search in Start) > Hardware and Sound > Power Options. Choose High Performance; if absent, click Create a power plan and select High Performance.

• In addition, click Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings. Set Processor power management > Minimum processor state to 100% (prevents throttling).
• Adjust the Graphics power (if listed) to maximize performance. Set Sleep and Display off timers to 30+ minutes to avoid mid-game interruptions.

Click Apply and play a game for 15 minutes. Check FPS with in-game counters or MSI Afterburner—expect 5-15% gains.

Enable Game Mode

Game Mode prioritizes games over background tasks, reducing lag spikes during CPU-heavy moments, like Assassin’s Creed crowd scenes.

Go to Settings > Gaming > Game Mode. Toggle Game Mode to On to optimize resource allocation.

In Related settings, click Graphics > Browse. Add your game’s executable (e.g., “Cyberpunk2077.exe” from Steam). Click Options and select High Performance to dedicate GPU power.

Press Win + G to open the Game Bar. Go to Settings > General and uncheck Open Game Bar using Xbox button if you don’t use it. Keep the Performance widget active for FPS tracking.

Update DirectStorage

DirectStorage slashes load times by streaming assets straight to your GPU, but it needs a compatible setup. A user halved Starfield loads with an NVMe SSD and updated drivers.

Check Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Disks & volumes. Ensure your drive is NVMe (not SATA) and your GPU supports DirectStorage (NVIDIA 20-series+, AMD RX 6000+, Intel Arc). If unsupported, skip to other tips—DirectStorage won’t apply.

Update GPU drive as explained in the previous steps. Open Steam, Epic, or Microsoft Store and update games like Diablo IV that use DirectStorage.

For supported titles, check the graphics options for DirectStorage or GPU decompression toggles. Test load times—expect cuts from 15 seconds to 5 seconds on NVMe drives.

Close Overlays for Extra FPS

Overlays from Discord, Steam, or NVIDIA ShadowPlay add 5-15% GPU overhead, hitting FPS in Fortnite or Resident Evil 4. A streamer gained 10 FPS by disabling all overlays.

• For Discord, go to User Settings > Game Overlay and toggle off Enable in-game overlay.
• In Steam, navigate Settings > In-Game and uncheck Enable Steam Overlay while in-game.
• For NVIDIA, open GeForce Experience > Settings > In-Game Overlay and toggle off.

Lower Game Settings Temporarily

If tweaks don’t fully fix lag, in-game settings might overload your GPU, like ray tracing on a GTX 1660.

• Open game options and set the Resolution to 1080p (or native minus 10%).
• Lower Shadows, Textures, and Anti-Aliasing to Medium or Low.
• Disable Ray Tracing or DLSS 3 if FPS drops below 60.

Run System File Checker

Corrupted system files can cripple gaming performance, causing stutters or crashes misdiagnosed as GPU issues. A user fixed Overwatch 2 frame drops after repairing a corrupted DirectX file.

• Open the Command Prompt as admin (Win + X > Command Prompt (Admin)).
• Type sfc /scannow and press Enter to scan system files (~10-15 minutes).
• SFC replaces damaged files, like those tied to graphics or networking.
• If errors persist, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth to fetch clean files online, then repeat SFC.
• Reboot and play a game to confirm smoother visuals or fewer crashes.