The Aggressive Optimization
To appeal to PC gamers, Windows 11 includes a background service called “Game Mode.” When the operating system detects that you have launched a full-screen video game, Game Mode automatically engages. It aggressively reprioritizes your CPU and GPU, funneling maximum power to the game while intentionally starving background applications of resources. While this can increase your framerate by a few frames per second, it is disastrous for multitaskers. If you are trying to stream your gameplay to Twitch via OBS Studio, or listen to a podcast on Spotify while you play, Game Mode will actively throttle those background apps, causing your stream to stutter and your audio to skip. You must disable the optimization engine.
How to Turn Off Game Mode
You can completely disable the gaming reprioritization via the system settings.
- Click the Start Menu and type Settings, or press the Windows Key + I.
- In the left-hand sidebar, click on Gaming.
- In the main window, click on Game Mode.
- Look for the master toggle switch labeled Game Mode.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position.
Equal Priority
The change is instantaneous. The next time you launch a heavy 3D game, Windows 11 will treat it exactly like any other piece of software. It will no longer artificially throttle your background processes, ensuring OBS Studio, Discord, and Spotify have all the CPU cycles they need to run perfectly smoothly alongside your game.