Microsoft has released a long-awaited performance fix related to the Game Mode in Windows 10. The update is meant to solve several gaming-related problems that some people have been experiencing since March.
We now know everything that this Windows update includes, and how to install it on your computer.
How to install the new Windows 10 gaming update
Updating Windows to receive the game performance fix is simple. Simply click the Windows logo in the bottom left corner of your screen or tap the Windows key on your keyboard. Next, type in Update in the search bar and head to the section titled Check for updates.
Windows 10 will search for updates that are available to you. When that’s done, click on the View optional updates link, and then navigate to the update called KB5004296. Lastly, simply Download and install the patch. You’ll have to restart your computer for the changes to come into effect.
While the changes Microsoft introduced aren’t massive and the performance gains aren’t all too impressive, this patch could be the fix that some users have been waiting for. It may be worth trying if you are not happy with how your PC has been faring in games.
The issues that started in March of this year included game stuttering, frame rate drops, and overall frames per second (fps) that were lower than expected. Microsoft has admitted that the performance drop was related to problems with Windows 10, namely the power plans and the Game Mode itself. Game Mode is a feature that was introduced back in April 2017.
What does the Game Mode patch do?
According to Microsoft, Game Mode is meant to “help achieve a more stable frame rate depending on the specific game and system.” What it really does is detect the games present on the computer and prioritize them when distributing the computer’s resources, such as processor and graphics card power.
The company has tried to address the issue with Game Mode by releasing an emergency fix in April. However, the poor performance persisted even through that update. Since then, Microsoft was able to isolate the source of the matter and find a solution, resulting in this month’s quick patch. The update was originally meant to be released with a larger patch later in August, but it’s being pushed as a standalone ahead of time.
Some of the things fixed by this patch include:
- An issue with power plans and the Game Mode itself
- Sound problems in certain games when pressing the trigger button on a game controller
- Virtual private network (VPN) problems, such as Windows not detecting the internet connection when connecting to a VPN
- A problem that prevents gaming services from launching some games for desktop users
Windows also released a full list of updates found in this release. This is an optional update, meaning that it will not be automatically installed on every device.