It goes without saying that avid gamers want to squeeze maximum performance out of their computer when playing modern games. However, most users constantly turn to utilities called game boosters (Game Booster - game accelerator). Apparently, the developers of the tenth version of Windows decided to please game lovers with their new development, having included their own tool for optimizing games in the system. How to enable game mode in Windows 10 and what it is in general will be discussed later. It will also provide feedback from some users who have tried it in practice.
What is game mode in Windows 10?
Game mode, or Game Mode, appeared on the system relatively recently (when updating the system to the Creators Update build). As indicated in the official release, this tool allows you to fully optimize your computer specifically for the use of modern resource-intensive games.
Game mode in Windows 10 makes the main emphasis on reducing the load on the central processing unit (CPU) and the resources of the graphics accelerator (GPU) right at the start of the game. However, if you look at the new tool a little wider, you can note several key features.
What gives game mode in Windows 10?
Reducing the load on the processor and video card is achieved by setting the highest priority for the game application for the period of its activity by disabling heavy background services and programs. For example, if defragmentation of the hard disk starts in the background , it will be disabled. So with the rest of the services.
But this is not the main thing. The most basic thing that is the ultimate goal of this mode is to increase the frame rate or FPS. Many users know that it is this parameter that largely determines the comfortable passage of the game without any freezes, braking or jumping from one image to another, which is exactly what is connected with the work of the graphics accelerator. How justified is the use of such a tool in the operating system, we will consider it separately, but for now we will dwell on some nuances, without which the use of the game mode is not possible at all.
Prerequisite for using the mode
And first, let's see how to install game mode in Windows 10. This is easy enough to do. At least three options can be offered. However, one main condition must be observed - the above update must be installed on the computer.
You can make sure that it is really installed when viewing the information that is called by the winver command in the Run console. If it is installed (version 1703 and higher), you can skip the next step; if it is not there, you will have to install the update yourself.
To do this, go to the "Update Center" through the options menu and click the check button for available updates. At the end of the search, install all the components found, and assembly 1703 must be installed without fail. If the remaining service packs are not needed, you can simply remove them from the list. In addition, note that another update was recently released called Fall Creators Update, which is installed on top of the main one (Creators Update).
Enabling Mode: Method One
So, with the game mode itself and the conditions for its use figured out. Now we proceed directly to its activation.
The first method is to go to the appropriate section of the games through the options menu and simply move the slider to the on position. Also, as a related setting, you can check the box next to the notification line, although this is not necessary.
Second way
The second solution to the problem of how to enable game mode in Windows 10 is to call the game console itself. You can do this the fastest way through the Win + G key combination. In the console that appears, you need to click on the button with the gear icon, and then select the mode for this game in the menu.
Along the way, you can resolve the question of how to configure the game mode in Windows 10. The menu itself has several basic parameters, such as turning on the timer when recording, showing prompts before starting the game, remembering the running application as a game (to do this, close all other active programs), quick opening of the panel on the gamepad, sound settings, etc. In principle, nothing complicated.
Third way
Finally, game mode in Windows 10 can be activated by editing the registry entries. The editor is invoked by the regedit command, which is entered on the Run menu bar.
In the editor, you must use the HKCU branch and, through the SOFTWARE and Microsoft sections, lower the directory tree to the GameBar directory. In the right part of the editor, through RMB, you need to create a 32-bit DWORD parameter, name it AllowAutoGameMode, enter editing via RMB or double-click and set the unit to the current value.
Support Questions and User Reviews
Based on official statements by Microsoft specialists, the game mode in Windows 10 supports both classic Win32 games and UWP (applications downloaded from the Store). However, according to user and expert reviews, preference is given specifically to programs based on the Universal Windows Platform, since all the latest arrivals are already optimized for use in game mode. But among the rest of the games, support is mainly focused only on the most basic hits of recent times, and that’s not all.
As for the performance improvement, which is widely discussed there, reviews about the game mode in Windows 10 do not look very flattering so far. For example, many gamers talk about increasing FPS only at the level of 2-5%, although Microsoft promised performance of about 50%. In addition, many complain that sometimes there are problems with the “crash” of the DVR when recording or broadcasting a game. Finally, quite often (again, according to user reviews), you can see the so-called sticky keyboard, when the control buttons work spontaneously, and the mouse does not respond to the player’s actions at all. Separately, it is worth saying that it was in the Creators Update assembly that such troubles could be eliminated by disabling the launch of the game on the gamepad, but in the latest version of the Fall Creators Update, which was released just the other day, such actions do not lead to anything.
Should I activate this feature?
In general, according to the testimonies of all those who have tried the game mode in Windows 10 in action, at the moment it is an absolutely useless function. And the expected performance was not there, and not. Game boosters cope with a similar task of optimizing the use of system resources much better. In general, it turned out as always. The product was clearly unfinished. Whether or not to turn it on is up to you, but still do not feel the special effect. And do not look at all sorts of comparative performance tests. Anyway, in most cases, this is nothing more than a normal advertising move.