The Fastest Way to See Your FPS

The quickest method depends on what you're running. If you're playing a game through Steam, press the Steam overlay key (default: Shift+Tab), then go to Settings > In-Game > In-Game FPS Counter and choose a corner to display it. The counter appears in that corner of every game you launch through Steam from that point on.

For games not on Steam, or if you want a tool that works across your whole PC, NVIDIA GeForce Experience (for NVIDIA graphics cards) and AMD Radeon Software (for AMD cards) both have built-in FPS overlays. Open the app, find the overlay settings, enable the FPS counter, and set a hotkey to toggle it on and off in-game.

If you have neither Steam nor a graphics card app running, the Windows 11 Game Bar shows FPS without extra software. Press Windows Key + G while playing, then click the Performance widget to see frame rate, CPU use, and GPU use in real time.

Key Takeaways

  • Steam's built-in FPS counter is the easiest option if you play through Steam—enable it once in Settings and it appears in every game.
  • NVIDIA GeForce Experience and AMD Radeon Software both display FPS overlays and work for any game on your system.
  • Windows 11 Game Bar (Windows Key + G) shows FPS without installing anything, though it only works on Windows 11.
  • Third-party tools like MSI Afterburner and Fraps work on older Windows versions and give you detailed performance data beyond just FPS.
  • Most overlays can be toggled on and off with a hotkey so you see FPS only when you need it.

Using Your Graphics Card's Built-In Tools

Both NVIDIA and AMD include FPS counters in their driver software, and these work with any game on your PC. For NVIDIA, open GeForce Experience (search for it in Windows), click the gear icon, go to In-Game Overlay, and toggle it on. Then launch any game, press Alt+Z (the default overlay hotkey), and look for Performance or FPS Counter in the menu. Choose which corner of the screen you want it in.

For AMD, open Radeon Software, go to Settings > Metrics, and enable the Performance Metrics Overlay. Set a hotkey (default is Ctrl+Shift+O), then press that key in-game to toggle the overlay on and off. The counter shows in the corner you selected.

Both tools show more than just FPS—they also display GPU temperature, GPU load, and memory use. This is useful if your frame rate is dropping and you want to know whether your graphics card is the bottleneck or something else is.

Windows 11 Game Bar for Built-In Performance Monitoring

If you're on Windows 11, you don't need to install anything. Press Windows Key + G while a game is running to open Game Bar. Click the Performance widget (it looks like a speedometer), and you'll see FPS, CPU use, GPU use, and RAM use all in one place.

The Game Bar overlay stays visible while you play, but you can move it around or minimize it. The downside is that Game Bar only works on Windows 11—if you're on Windows 10, you'll need to use Steam, your graphics card software, or a third-party tool instead.

Third-Party Tools for Detailed Performance Data

MSI Afterburner is a free tool that works on any PC with any graphics card. read it from the MSI website, install it, and open the app. Go to Settings > Monitoring, check the boxes next to the metrics you want to see (FPS, GPU temp, CPU load, and so on), then check "Show in On-Screen Display" for each one. Set a hotkey to toggle the overlay, launch your game, and press that key to see all your performance data overlaid on the game.

Fraps is an older but still-working tool that displays FPS in the corner of your screen. It's free to read and use, though the paid version removes the watermark. Fraps also records video and takes screenshots, which can be useful if you want to capture gameplay.

Both tools work on Windows 10 and Windows 11, and both work with any game. The trade-off is that they use a small amount of CPU and GPU power themselves, so if your PC is already struggling to maintain high FPS, adding an overlay tool might drop your frame rate by 1–3 frames.

Turning Off the FPS Counter When You Don't Need It

Most FPS overlays can be toggled on and off with a hotkey so you're not watching it constantly. In Steam, you can disable the counter entirely by going back to Settings > In-Game and turning it off, or you can just ignore it and it will stay in the corner. In GeForce Experience and Radeon Software, press the overlay hotkey (Alt+Z for NVIDIA, Ctrl+Shift+O for AMD) to hide it without closing the game.

If you're using MSI Afterburner or Fraps, set a hotkey in the settings and press it to toggle the overlay on and off. This is useful during gameplay when you want to see your frame rate, and then you can hide it during cutscenes or menus where it's distracting.

Why Your FPS Counter Might Not Show Up

If you've enabled an FPS counter but it's not appearing, check that the overlay is actually turned on. In Steam, make sure In-Game FPS Counter is set to a corner (not "Disabled"). In GeForce Experience, make sure the In-Game Overlay toggle is on. In Radeon Software, make sure Metrics are enabled and you've pressed the hotkey to show them.

Some games block overlays for security reasons—this is rare but happens with online multiplayer games that use anti-cheat software. If the overlay won't show in a specific game, try a different tool. For example, if GeForce Experience's overlay is blocked, try Steam's counter or MSI Afterburner instead.

If you're playing in fullscreen mode and the overlay still won't show, try switching to borderless windowed mode in the game's graphics settings. Some older games don't support overlays in true fullscreen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does showing an FPS counter slow down my PC?

No, not noticeably. The overlay itself uses less than 1% of your GPU and CPU. If you see your FPS drop after enabling a counter, something else changed—check that you didn't accidentally enable other performance-heavy features like recording or streaming at the same time.

Can I see FPS in games that aren't on Steam?

Yes. Use your graphics card's built-in tool (GeForce Experience or Radeon Software), Windows 11 Game Bar, or a third-party tool like MSI Afterburner. All of these work with any game on your PC, not just Steam games.

What's the difference between FPS and frame time?

FPS (frames per second) is how many images your PC displays each second—higher is smoother. Frame time is how long each frame takes to render, measured in milliseconds. A frame time of 16.7 ms equals 60 FPS. Most overlays show FPS, but some also show frame time if you want more detail.

Why is my FPS counter showing different numbers every second?

That's normal. FPS fluctuates based on what's happening in the game—more action and effects lower your frame rate, while simpler scenes raise it. If your FPS is jumping wildly (like 100 to 40 to 100), your PC may be struggling to keep up, or something in the background is using resources.

Can I display FPS on my second monitor instead of in the game?

Not with the standard overlays—they display on top of your game window. However, some tools like MSI Afterburner can send data to a second display if you configure it. For most users, an overlay in the corner of your main monitor is the simplest approach.