Best Ways to Reduce Lag and Boost FPS in Games

So for gamers, below lag and low fps (frames per second) can be little bit frustrating and makes the games unplayable. No matter where your gaming, a well optimized system can give you a much better experience out of it, weather it be a PC, Console or Mobile. In this article, we will discuss how to eliminate lag and get maximum FPS for a seamless gaming experience.

Understanding Lag and FPS

What Is Lag?

Lag is a broad term covering various delays to game responsiveness, usually due to high ping (network latency) and less often related to hardware malfunctions or software inefficiency.

What Is FPS?

FPS (frames per second) refers to the number of images that are shown on a second in a game. Higher fps means smooth gameplay and low fps means stutter and bad responsiveness.

How to Reduce Lag in Online Games

In online gaming, lag usually depends on the network. Here are the top solutions to the problem:

1. Use a Wired Connection

Wi-Fi is convenient but less stable as compared to ethernet connection. It decreases ping and lag when using a wired connection.

2. Lower Background Internet Consumption
  • Quit the other applications that use bandwidth (e.g. streaming videos, downloads).
  • Request that users who are on the same network as you refrain from using the internet when you are playing games.
3. Choose the Right Game Server
  • Choose a server nearest to you for the lowest ping.
  • Ping testers, a third-party tool used for testing the performance of a server.
4. Turn QoS (Quality of Service) On Inside Your Router

QoS gives gaming traffic a higher priority than other online activities. To enable:

  1. Access your router settings.
  2. Find QoS options and give your console / gaming device highest priority.
5. Upgrade Your Internet Plan

You can change your Wi-Fi plans to higher bandwidths if the net speed is lower than that, for stable performance.

6. Only Use Gaming VPN (If Desperately Needed)

If your ISP is throttling your connection, a gaming VPN can help to mitigate the effects of lag. But do not go for high latency VPNs.

How to Boost FPS in Games

Since FPS problems are generally due to hardware, drivers, or settings. Here’s how you can boost FPS:

1. Update Your Graphics Drivers

Manufacturers of video cards often give updates for their performance increase. Things to Check Make sure drivers are updated:

  • NVIDIA: Open GeForce Experience.
  • AMD: Use Radeon Software.
  • Intel: Google for the Intel graphics command center
2. Tweak Graphics Setting Within The Game

Reducing Non-Essential Graphics Settings For FPS Gain:

  • Texture Quality Lower — Loads down the GPU
  • Anti-aliasing off — this reduces jagged edges Appearance, but increase the frame rate.
  • Lower Shadow Quality – More processing power saved.
  • Disable motion blur – Greatly reduces eye strain.
3. Windows Performance Settings Change

Windows power settings can also improve your gaming performance:

  1. Go to Control Panel > Power Options
  2. Select High Performance mode.
4. Enable Game Mode in Windows

Windows Game Mode is a handy feature that optimizes your system resources when running a game.

To do that, open Settings, click on Gaming, and lastly, click on Game Mode.

5. Enable Game Mode

Instead, make sport of your images card settings

  • For NVIDIA Users: Navigate to NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D Settings → Maximize Power Management Mode
  • For AMD Users: Open Radeon Software → Performance → Graphics.
6. Overclocking your GPU and CPU (Pro Users)

Increasing the clock speed generally helps with performance, but it increases thermal output as well:

  • MSI Afterburner (GPU overclocking)
  • Use either Ryzen Master (or Intel XTU if overclocking AMD)
  • Make sure to cool it to prevent high temperatures.
7. Lower Your Screen Resolution

Lowering your game resolution from 1440p to 1080p or reducing 1080p to 720p can improve FPS by a lot.

8. Close Background Applications

Kill All Background Apps: Unnecessary background apps consume CPU and RAM which may affect gaming performance. To close them:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and open Task Manager.
  2. Kill high CPU/memory usage processes.
9. Turn off Overlay and Recording in the Background

Recording games with applications such as Windows Game Bar, NVIDIA ShadowPlay, or AMD ReLive can lower FPS. Disable them if not needed.

10. Expanding the Virtual Memory (Page File Size)

Limited in RAM will cause lagging. Firstly: Increasing the virtual memory might help:

  1. Open Control Panel > System > Advanced System Settings.
  2. In the Performance tab, click the Settings button, then click the Advanced tab.
  3. In the Virtual Memory section, click on the Change button.
  4. The page file size should be 1.5 times to 2 times larger than your RAM.

How to Optimize Storage and RAM for Better FPS

1. Install Games on an SSD

For one, SSDs load games much more quickly than HDDs and allow for less stutter. Whenever possible, use an NVMe or SATA SSD to install games.

2. Enable XMP/DOCP for RAM

XMP (for Intel) or DOCP (for AMD) enables the maximum speed of your RAM inside the BIOS:

  1. Reboot your PC and access BIOS/UEFI.
  2. Locate XMP/DOCP settings.
  3. Allow available maximum frequency.
3. Increase RAM (If Possible)

So nowadays having 16GB of RAM would be a good fit for a gaming machine.

How to Optimize Consoles for Better Gaming Performance

And here are some tips for PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo Switch players:

1. Clear Storage and Cache
  • Remove games/apps you do not play as to release space.
  • Clear cache in settings.
2. Enable Performance Mode (If Supported)

Toggle between Performance Mode( FPS) and Quality Mode(graphics), depending on the game Select Performance Mode for better gameplay.

3. Keep Your Console Ventilated

It decelerates because it is overheated.

  • Place your console somewhere with ample space available to allow for airflow.
  • Use compressed air to clean dust from vents.

How to Optimize Mobile Games for Better Performance

1. Turn on Gaming Mode (if it exists)

Most phones have a built-in Game Mode to prioritize gaming performance.

2. Reduce Graphics Settings

In mobile games, you can reduce resolution and effects to gain FPS.

3. Close Background Apps

Excess background apps needlessly bog games down performance. Playing games will close unnecessary apps.

4. Use a Cooling Fan or Cooler

Hot phones during heavy gaming. Setup an external cooler so that performance slowdown can be avoided.

5. Keep Your Phone Updated

System and app updates on a regular basis comprise a number of performance enhancements.

Final Thoughts

Lag reduction and FPS boost needs a combination of hardware optimization, software adjustments, and internet enhancement. With these steps, you can get rid of that lag section making your game smoother with FPS. Optimizing your setup will significantly improve your overall experience, whether you are a PC, console, or mobile gamer.

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