Is Windows 11 Good for Gaming? (Performance Test Results)
Is Windows 11 good for gaming?
Yes. But the honest answer has two parts. Out of the box, Windows 11 ships with a security feature called VBS that quietly drags your FPS down by 5 to 15 percent. Once you disable that and strip out the bloat, Windows 11 25H2 consistently outperforms Windows 10 in modern titles and gives you features Windows 10 never had.
The version is not what makes the difference. A properly configured Windows 11 will beat an unoptimized Windows 11 every single time, by a larger margin than Windows 11 beats Windows 10.
This guide covers the real benchmark numbers, what actually causes performance differences, and when the upgrade is worth making.
What the 2026 Benchmarks Actually Show
Steven Walton of TechSpot tested 14 games on brand-new SSDs for each OS with VBS disabled on both for a fair comparison. His results showed Windows 11 25H2 took a slight lead over Windows 10 across the 14-game average. Titles including Rainbow Six Siege X, Battlefield 6, Spider-Man 2, and Cyberpunk 2077 all ran at least as well or slightly better on Windows 11.
Hardware Unboxed found similar results in their testing, with Windows 11 25H2 producing an average of 194 FPS at 1440p compared to Windows 10’s 185 FPS across their test suite, a roughly 5 percent advantage. At 1080p the gap was much smaller at around 1.2 percent, while at 4K the gap widened to Windows 11’s 141 FPS versus Windows 10’s 134 FPS.
A separate benchmark series found Windows 11 tested 11 percent faster at 1080p, 14 percent faster at 1440p, and 15 percent faster at 4K in specific test scenarios.
These gains do not appear on a stock Windows 11 install with VBS active. They appear on an optimized setup. That distinction is what most guides miss entirely.
| Resolution | Windows 10 Avg FPS | Windows 11 25H2 Avg FPS | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | ~185 FPS | ~187 FPS | ~1.2% |
| 1440p | ~185 FPS | ~194 FPS | ~5% |
| 4K | ~134 FPS | ~141 FPS | ~5.2% |
What Is the VBS Problem Nobody Explains Properly?
Windows 11 is also the worst gaming OS out of the box. It includes more bloatware, more AI features, more telemetry, and a security feature called VBS that reduces your FPS by 5 to 15 percent unless you manually disable it. The benchmarks look good because reviewers removed everything first.
VBS stands for Virtualization Based Security. It creates an isolated memory environment to protect against certain types of malware. That protection comes at a cost. It consumes CPU overhead during gameplay, which shows up as reduced frame rates and slightly worse 1% lows.
HVCI, which stands for Hypervisor Protected Code Integrity, pairs with VBS and adds another layer of overhead. Both are enabled by default on many prebuilt and OEM systems.
To check and disable them: open Windows Security, go to Device Security, then Core Isolation, and turn off Memory Integrity. A restart applies the change.
On some hardware the FPS recovery is minimal. On others, especially older or mid-range CPUs, the gain after disabling VBS is more noticeable than any difference between Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Why Windows 11 Is Better for Gaming Than Windows 10 in 2026
Windows 11 is the better pick for gaming in 2026, not because it is dramatically faster, but because Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025 and Windows 11 owns the gaming-relevant features.
That support cutoff matters more than any FPS number.
GPU driver support is shifting. NVIDIA stated that Game Ready driver support for GeForce GPUs on Windows 10 continues only until October 2026, after which updates move to quarterly security patches only. AMD’s Adrenalin releases still list Windows 10 support in some cases, but Windows 11 is clearly where new feature testing and optimization focus goes first.
Anti-cheat systems are moving on. Faceit is dropping Windows 10 support for CS2 in October 2026. Other anti-cheat providers are following the same timeline. A competitive player who stays on Windows 10 past that point loses access to ranked modes entirely in affected titles.
The CPU scheduler advantage is real. Windows 11 introduced a thread director that handles hybrid CPU architectures properly. On Intel 12th generation and newer chips with Performance and Efficiency cores, Windows 10 sometimes routes game threads to the wrong cores. Windows 11 assigns them correctly. The result is better sustained frame rates and fewer stutters on modern Intel hardware. AMD Ryzen chips do not use the same big/little architecture, so this specific benefit does not apply to them.
What Gaming Features Does Windows 11 Have?
| Feature | Windows 10 | Windows 11 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectStorage | Partial only | Full implementation |
| Auto HDR | No | Yes |
| Thread Director (Intel hybrid CPUs) | No | Yes |
| Xbox integration | Basic | Deep native |
| DirectX 12 Ultimate | Partial | Full |
| Upcoming AI rendering features | No | Roadmapped for 2026 |
DirectStorage lets the GPU pull compressed game assets directly from an NVMe SSD, bypassing the CPU entirely. The result is faster level loads and less open-world stutter in supported titles. It exists partially on Windows 10 but runs at full speed only on Windows 11 due to improvements in the storage stack.
Auto HDR provides noticeable visual improvements on HDR displays with minimal to no measurable FPS reduction when enabled. It applies HDR tone mapping to games that never shipped with native HDR support. Titles like Halo 5, Doom Eternal, and hundreds of older games get expanded color range automatically on any HDR monitor.
Microsoft is positioning Windows 11 as its flagship gaming platform, with 2026 updates targeting background process management, power scheduling, graphics stack improvements, and driver optimizations. The roadmap includes Xbox Fullscreen Experience, Shader Delivery, DirectX Raytracing 1.2, and AI-accelerated rendering. Whether those materialize fully is uncertain, but the development investment is going into Windows 11 exclusively.
If you’re wondering whether these gaming features are available in every edition, compare Windows 11 Home vs Pro for Gaming before choosing.
When Is Windows 11 Better for Gaming?
The performance advantage is not uniform. It depends on your hardware and the games you play.
Some games show 3 to 8 percent higher average FPS on Windows 11, particularly newer titles optimized for Windows 11 features and games running on 12th generation Intel or Ryzen 7000 CPUs.
Certain older games and specific hardware configurations perform marginally better, 2 to 5 percent, on Windows 10, though this gap narrows with Windows 11 updates.
For very old DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 games, Windows 10 can still feel more stable. Games with abandoned launchers, old disc-based DRM, and legacy dependencies sometimes need compatibility mode settings on Windows 11 that work transparently on Windows 10.
Upgrade if:
- Your PC uses a 12th generation Intel CPU or newer
- You play modern online titles with active anti-cheat
- You want DirectStorage and Auto HDR support
- You care about long-term GPU driver updates
- Your hardware officially supports Windows 11
Stay on Windows 10 temporarily if:
- Your main games are old titles on DirectX 9 or DirectX 10
- Your hardware does not meet Windows 11 requirements
- You rely on legacy peripherals or old software
- You are enrolled in Windows 10 ESU and plan to upgrade hardware soon
How Do You Set Up Windows 11 for Gaming?
Raw Windows 11 performance is not peak Windows 11 performance. These steps close the gap.
Disable VBS and Memory Integrity. Open Windows Security, go to Device Security, Core Isolation, and turn off Memory Integrity. This recovers the 5 to 15 percent FPS penalty on affected systems.
Enable Game Mode. Go to Settings, Gaming, Game Mode and switch it on. Windows deprioritizes background tasks and update installations while a game is running.
Use Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling. Go to Settings, System, Display, Graphics, and enable HAGS. On modern GPUs this reduces CPU overhead in the graphics pipeline. Test it on your specific hardware as results vary.
Disable unnecessary startup apps. Open Task Manager, go to the Startup tab, and disable everything not needed for gaming. Each background process takes CPU cycles that should go to your game.
Use exclusive fullscreen mode in-game. Borderless windowed mode adds a small latency overhead on Windows 11. Exclusive fullscreen gives your GPU direct control over the display.
Keep GPU drivers current. Windows 11 is where NVIDIA and AMD ship new gaming features first. A stale driver on Windows 11 performs worse than a current driver on Windows 10.
A properly configured system on any Windows version will outperform a stock system on the best version every time. The optimization matters more than the version number.
After optimizing Windows 11, you may also want to compare it with other operating systems in our guide to the Best OS for Gaming.
Is Windows 11 Better for Your Gaming Setup?
The answer varies by CPU generation.
On a Ryzen 7 7800X3D or Intel 13th gen and above, Windows 11 wins clearly in modern titles. The CPU scheduler handles these chips better, and the hardware fully supports every Windows 11 feature.
On a 6th or 7th generation Intel chip or a Ryzen 3000 series CPU, the difference is marginal. Windows 11 supports these chips but was not built around them. The thread director advantage does not apply, and DirectStorage requires an NVMe SSD to function at all.
On very old hardware below Windows 11 minimum specs, Windows 10 remains the gaming platform of choice for now. But the clock is ticking on driver support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Is Windows 11 good for gaming? Yes, but not automatically. The stock install includes VBS overhead, background telemetry, and AI features that all consume resources your games need.
Disable VBS, enable Game Mode, strip the startup bloat, and keep drivers current. On that setup, Windows 11 gaming is better than Windows 10 for most modern titles and the gap will grow as more developers stop testing against an OS that Microsoft no longer actively supports.
The question is not which version is faster out of the box. The question is which version will still be fully supported, fully patched, and fully compatible with your games in 2027. That answer is Windows 11.
