Windows 10 Game Mode promises 2-5 percent performance gains

As part of the upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update, Microsoft will be adding a Game Mode to its operating system. A new Gaming section makes its way into the System Settings, where you will find settings for Game bar, GameDVR and broadcasting. Windows 10 Insiders will receive the feature later today, while regular users of Windows 10 will get it in April with the rollout of the Creators Update.

So what is the purpose of this feature and will it add any performance? Microsoft explains Game Mode makes gaming performance more consistent by minimizing the system resources used by background processes. Unlike earlier rumors, it works with both traditional Win32 games and the new Universal Windows Platform (UWP) games, but the latter are expected to see the biggest performance gains.

Speaking to ARS Technica, Kevin Gammill, partner group program manager for the Xbox platform, claims Microsoft is seeing performance increases of 2 to 5 percent. He also notes this is just the first iteration of Game Mode, further enhancements will be made to unlock even more performance in the future.

What will this all add up to? For games that are currently CPU- or GPU-bound, Gammill said that Microsoft was seeing framerate improvements of 2 to 5 percent.

Game Mode needs to be activated manually but Microsoft plans to cooperate with game developers to enable the feature by default for their software.

Last year, we set out to make Windows 10 the best Windows ever for gaming. With Game Mode, it’s our goal to now take things a step further to make the gaming experience on Windows even better. Our vision is that Game Mode optimizes your Windows 10 PC for an improvement in overall game performance. This week’s Windows Insider build represents the first step on our journey with Game Mode. To enable Game Mode for your Win32 or UWP game, pull up the Game bar (Windows key + G) and click on the Settings button. There you’ll be able to opt the running game into using Game Mode. We’ll have additional details about Game Mode to share throughout Insider testing, so stay tuned.

Here's a video demonstrating where you'll find the Game Mode settings: