How to Fix Windows Stuttering in Games

What Causes This?

Windows game stuttering usually happens when your PC is busy doing other work in the background while you play. Startup apps, overlays, browser tabs, Windows updates, antivirus scans, and low free disk space can all cause sudden spikes in CPU, RAM, disk, or GPU usage. Outdated graphics drivers, the wrong power settings, and games installed on a nearly full drive can also make frame delivery uneven even if average FPS looks fine.

Common Symptoms

• The game freezes or hitches for a split second every few seconds or minutes
• FPS looks normal overall, but gameplay feels choppy or inconsistent
• Stutter gets worse after opening other apps or playing for a while
• Audio crackles or cuts out during gameplay spikes
• Disk, CPU, or memory usage jumps to very high levels in Task Manager

How to Fix It Manually

1. Check what is using system resources

   1. Open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
   2. On the Processes tab, click CPU, Memory, and Disk to sort by usage.
   3. Look for apps using a lot of resources while your game is open, such as browsers, launchers, cloud sync tools, RGB software, or update services.
   4. Select anything unnecessary and click End task.

2. Disable unnecessary startup apps

   1. In Task Manager, open the Startup apps tab.
   2. Right-click apps you do not need running all the time and choose Disable.
   3. Focus on game launchers, chat apps, updater tools, and manufacturer utilities you rarely use.
   4. Restart your PC after making changes.

3. Turn off game overlays and background recording

   1. Open Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar and turn it Off if you do not use it.
   2. Go to Settings > Gaming > Captures and turn off Record what happened.
   3. Also disable overlays in apps like Discord, Steam, GeForce Experience, or AMD Software if they are enabled.
   4. Test your game again after turning them off.

4. Free up disk space and remove temporary files

   1. Open Settings > System > Storage.
   2. Check how much free space is left on your game drive. Try to keep at least 15-20% free.
   3. Click Temporary files, select items you do not need, and click Remove files.
   4. If the drive is nearly full, uninstall unused apps or move large files off the drive.

5. Set Windows to a better performance mode

   1. Open Settings > System > Power & battery.
   2. Set Power mode to Best performance when plugged in.
   3. If you are on a desktop, also open Control Panel > Power Options and select High performance if available.

6. Update your graphics driver

   1. Right-click Start and choose Device Manager.
   2. Expand Display adapters, right-click your GPU, and choose Update driver.
   3. For best results, install the latest driver directly from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel.
   4. Restart your PC after the update.

7. Reduce background update activity

   1. Open Settings > Windows Update and let any pending updates finish before gaming.
   2. Pause large downloads in game launchers like Steam or Epic Games Launcher.
   3. If cloud sync apps like OneDrive are actively syncing, pause them during gameplay.

Fix It Automatically with Kudu

Kudu can quickly find the background apps, startup clutter, temporary files, and resource-heavy junk that commonly cause game stutter on Windows. Instead of checking each setting manually, it helps clean unnecessary files and reduce background load so your system has more resources available for gaming.

Download Kudu Free →