How to see FPS

Have you just installed a brand new video card in your PC but don’t seem to notice any change in the overall fluidity of the images you see on the screen? Are you playing your favorite title on consoles and are you noticing constant slowdowns in character animations? If you find yourself in such situations, it seems clear to me that you need to test the number of FPS your device can generate. How do you say? Have you already heard about it but you still don’t know what FPS are? Don’t worry, I’ll explain it to you right away in the simplest way possible.

For FPS ( frames per second ) we mean the frequency of the image displayed on the screen, i.e. how many times per second the frames you see on your screen are updated. In many cases, you will be able to notice with the naked eye when the frame rate (called the framerate ) is dropping and when it is more fluid. Generally, according to various studies, the human eye is able to perceive a sequence of frames reproduced at a rate of at least 50 frames per second as fluid. In progressive scan monitors the image frequency is measured in hertz (Hz), in this case 1 FPS equals 2Hz.

Devices such as graphics cards and consoles therefore produce and render a certain amount of frames every second. They then send the same frames to the monitor or TV, which in themselves are static but which, if observed in rapid succession, give the human eye the perception of watching moving images. So, to summarize, the higher the framerate of a given game, the less you’ll be able to perceive the small clicks between frames. In this guide of mine, I will explain how to see the FPS , that is, how to make a counter of frames per second appear while playing, to objectively understand when your games are more fluid and when they are less. Do you want? Well, then continue reading the next lines and put my suggestions into practice.

Index

• Preliminary information
• How to see FPS in Minecraft
• How to see FPS on Fortnite
• How to see FPS on Warzone
• How to see FPS on League
• How to see FPS on GTA 5
• How to see FPS on Rocket League

Preliminary information

There are several reasons why taking into account the frame rate per second when gaming is important. First, a higher framerate gives the player a generally more pleasant feeling than a lower refresh rate. However, it does not all boil down to a simple fact of pleasantness and general sensations.

In fact, you must know that in some games, such as shooters and many competitive games, viewing the images on the screen with a high frequency gives a real advantage over an opposing player who may be viewing the same images with a lower frequency. The player who displays the images on the screen with a higher framerate is put in a position to be more responsive.

Generally, with more performing hardware (with particular reference to processor and graphics card) higher framerates tend to be obtained. However, there are also “external” factors to consider when trying to increase this value. On PC, for example, keeping many programs open in the background while playing can have negative repercussions on the framerate .

Therefore, when playing the game, it is good to close all other running applications. Furthermore, keeping your titles up to date , both PC and console, often leads to an improvement in performance and therefore the framerate. In fact, with updates, developers make changes to the programming code of a game and this sometimes allows better use of the hardware to obtain improvements to the fluidity of the game.

With regard to the PC, moreover, you must also make sure that there is a sort of “balance” between the graphics card and the monitor: for example, if you have a card capable of reproducing more than 100 frames per second in many games but you have paired a monitor that supports a maximum frequency of 60Hz then the FPS will be limited just because of the monitor.

Well, now that I’ve cleared up your image rate a bit, I want to guide you in practice on how to see FPS while playing your favorite titles. The procedure in general is very simple, both on PC and on consoles, however below you will find practical examples relating to some of the most popular games of the moment.

How to see FPS in Minecraft

Let’s start with a very popular title, which you probably already know: Minecraft .

In the following lines I will tell you about the famous title of Mojang, but know that the procedure for showing the FPS on the screen is the same for many other games. Generally, the method changes depending on whether you are playing on PC or console. So let’s start by seeing how to act on PC.

What you need to do, first of all, is download the Steam client , the famous digital game distribution platform created by Valve. If you don’t know, the Steam client allows you to activate an FPS counter for games launched through it. Minecraft even if not included in the Steam catalog can still be imported into the client and then used with the FPS counter active. Let’s see immediately how.

The first step you need to take is to connect to the Steam site and click on the Install Steam button . When the download is complete, open the SteamSetup.exe file you just obtained and, in the window that opens, click first on the Yes button and then on Next ; then choose the installation language (eg Italian ) and press Next again and, in conclusion, click Install and Finish , to end the setup. If you use a Mac, you can install Steam by following the directions in my tutorial on the theme.

At this point, start Steam (e.g. via the icon on the desktop or in the Start menu). The program will start automatically installing the latest updates. A window will then open for you to login . If you don’t have an account yet, select the Create a new account item to create an account. Then enter an email address to which you can have access, your country of residence and check the entry relating to acceptance of the terms of the license agreement .

Finally, complete the captcha and an email confirming your registration on Steam should automatically arrive at the selected email address (remember to check the Spam if you can’t find it). Click, therefore, on the item Verify my E-Mail address present in the message you received, go back to the Steam client window and enter the email address and password you want to use to log in. You will then have access to the Steam client.

Since Minecraft is not a game that you can buy directly on Steam, you will need to add it to your library first and then enable FPS viewing. To add Minecraft to the Steam client, click on the Add a game item at the bottom left; then select the Add non-Steam game option from the drop-down menu that opens, select Minecraft Launcher on the next screen and, finally, click on Add to chosen programs .

At this point, go back to the main page of the Steam client. Then click on the Steam item located at the top left and select the Settings item from the menu that opens. On the list on the right in the menu that opens, click on In game .

Good. Now a scrolling menu should have appeared under the FPS counter in game : by clicking on it you can enable the FPS counter and show it in the part of the screen you prefer. After enabling it, press the OK button at the bottom to save the settings.

Perfect: at this point, when you start Minecraft, the FPS should be shown where you chose to view them. Alternatively, if you are looking for an even easier and faster way to see FPS on PC , you can, hold F3 , press F10 , release F3 and press F10 again on your keyboard.

You will immediately see all the game data appear on the screen, including the framerate, at the top left. Otherwise you can do the same by pressing on the keyboard F3 , Alt and then F3 again . This applies to all titles and not just Minecraft.

If you have any problems with the methods I just told you about, you can download a special program to measure FPS: I am referring to FRAPS , which you can find at this address . It is a completely free, light and very easy to use program.

To download it on your PC, connect to its official website (via the link I just provided) and click on Download FRAPS [version] Setup . When the download is complete, start the .exe file obtained, click on Yes and, in the window that opens , click on I Accept , Next , Install and Close , to complete the setup.

Very well, at this point you have to start FRAPS and, in the General window of the program, you will find several options at your disposal. I advise you not to touch any of the preset parameters, the program works perfectly as it is.

To use it you will simply have to keep it open in the background while you play (don’t worry, it’s very light it takes up very few solutions and you have to keep it minimized). At this point the FPS count should automatically appear in the top left while you are playing any game.

Let’s now turn to the console speech . Unfortunately I have to tell you that things in this case are much more complex than on PC. Unfortunately on PlayStation, Xbox and Switch there are no tools similar to those I told you about in the previous lines.

In many cases, therefore, you will have to be content with playing without paying attention to this technical aspect . In general, you should know that on consoles, video games generally tended to run at 30 FPS for a long time. Some specific titles, however, run at 60 FPS. With the course of time you are also coming more and more powerful consoles, such as PS4 Pro and Xbox One X and then SS5 and Xbox Series S / X .

The games of the latter consoles that I have often mentioned in their settings have game modes that aim to guarantee a fluid framerate or a higher graphic rendering by penalizing the former. In no case, however, will you be able to view the FPS directly on the screen as it happens on a PC.

In this case, if you are really interested in knowing how many FPS your favorite game on console reaches, you can get a rough idea by checking the numerous videos you find on the Net by searching on Google or YouTube for terms like FPS [game title] [console name] .

This will give you the opportunity to find videos made by video professionals who carry out tests on test consoles and have methods available for developers with access to debug modes. In short, these are quite complex things.

Alternatively, you could also capture video directly from your console by connecting to one of the USB ports of the same external capture cards , such as those that I point out below. However, these are very complex solutions that I do not recommend, also because you would still need some software to analyze the framerate of the captured videos.

 

Elgato HD60 S +, Capture Card 1080P60 HDR10, 4K60 HDR10 Zero -…

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How to see FPS on Fortnite

As mentioned above, the procedure for showing FPS on screen on PC and console is roughly the same for all games. On a computer, for example, using tools such as FRAPS or Steam you can make the FPS appear on the screen in a really simple and immediate way for most video games.

In the specific case of Fortnite , however, you must know that you also have a tool included directly in the game that allows you, if you wish, to view the FPS.

To use it, just go to the game menu, select the Settings item and then press the Video tab (with the icon in the shape of a monitor). Then scroll through the screen that opens and, under the Advanced Graphics item , enabling the Show FPS option you will activate the function to see the framerate.

Perfect, at this point you will see the framerate counter tick at the top right next to the game map. In any case, if you are also interested in knowing how to increase your framerate in this game, I refer you to my guide dedicated to the subject.

How to see FPS on Warzone

The same goes for Fortnite also for Warzone , which also includes a tool for viewing the FPS. From the general game menu, then select the options and, in the list that opens, go to General (it’s the second on the right next to Keyboard and mouse ).

At this point, scroll down to the Telemetry section and enable the FPS counter. You will then see the framerate appear on the screen, at the top left.

In this game, being a competitive shooter you will really need to control the FPS and try to maximize them as effectively as possible. How do you say? Would you like to know how to do it? No problem, it’s really very simple: if you play on PC I refer you to my guide in which I explained how to increase your framerate.

If, on the other hand, you are interested in knowing how to improve in this game, then you can read this tutorial which will help you in a short time to become a great player.

How to see FPS on League

In League of Legends you can use FRAPS , as I showed you above, to bring up the FPS on the screen. Speaking of another title strongly based on the competitive multiplayer aspect, it is essential to have a good framerate in order not to be at a disadvantage compared to the opponents.

In this regard, I refer you to my guide that could be really useful if you are interested in trying to improve your performance in this hugely popular MOBA title.

How to see FPS on GTA 5

Even in GTA 5 you can safely use the simple methods I told you about in the initial part of the tutorial to show the FPS on screen.

In this case, knowing the number of FPS will be useful especially in multiplayer sessions, therefore in GTA Online . How do you say? Do you know almost nothing about the multiplayer variant of GTA 5? Well, then read my tutorial where I explain how to take the first steps inside it.

And if you are interested in finding out how to improve the performance of your device for this game and not let it “lag”, take a look at this other guide of mine in which I explained how to do it in detail.

How to see FPS on Rocket League

Also in Rocket League , to test the FPS, you have the tools that I told you about in the chapter on Minecraft .

Rocket League is a fairly light game and you shouldn’t need very good hardware to get a satisfactory framerate. Even in this case, however, since it is a game in which the multiplayer component plays a predominant role, it will be better to try to increase performance.