[2023 Answered] Is Windows 11 Good for Gaming?

Windows 10 vs Windows 11 gaming: new features, better experience?

The new system Windows 11 has captivated the attention of gamers because of its fresh design and powerful features, but many people still have questions like “Is Windows 11 good for gaming?” or “Which Windows edition is better for gaming?”. Notably, DirectStorage and AutoHDR are two crucial and newly added gaming features integrated into Windows 11. And Game Mode and Start Menu still play a part when answering "Is Windows 11 worth it for gaming?".

But do the new features are equal to a better experience? About this, we would like to share more details on Windows 10 vs Windows 11 gaming for you to further explore the answer.

▌ DirectStorage: Accelerating Storage Speeds
The DirectStorage is originally developed for Xbox. The latest gaming consoles have introduced high-speed storage as a significant advancement compared to previous generations. However, computers have difficulty fully utilizing the speeds offered by modern SSDs. To address this, Windows 11 introduces that.

DirectStorage capitalizes on the high-data transfer speeds of NVMe SSDs to minimize load times and enhance the efficiency of game data delivery. Compared with the conventional and less efficient process of sending game data back and forth between the CPU and GPU, DirectStorage enables direct transmission of game data to the GPU.

This direct transfer allows for quicker decompression, processing, and projection of the game data by the GPU, optimizing performance and reducing latency. 

▌ Auto HDR: Immersive Visuals
Auto HDR (High Dynamic Range Imaging) is a prominent feature in Windows 11. Enabling Auto HDR enhances the visual experience and immersiveness of HDR video games on your PC. HDR offers a broader color range and increased brightness compared to SDR (Standard Dynamic Range). 

For gamers who have a preference for Action, Adventure, and Fighting game genres, a noteworthy and appealing feature awaits. With Windows 11 and an HDR monitor, an automatic detection mechanism activates, enabling you to immerse yourself in visually captivating scenes. This feature adds a level of attractiveness to your gaming experience.

To fully enjoy Auto HDR, navigate to Settings > System > Display > HDR, expand Display capabilities, and enable “Use HDR” and “Auto HDR”. Remember to ensure you have an HDR-compatible monitor to utilize this feature.

▌Game Mode: Optimized Performance
Few things are as frustrating as experiencing dropped frames during gameplay. Laggy or unplayable games can result from a PC struggling to maintain frame rates. To mitigate these issues, Windows 11 introduces Game Mode.

Compared to its Windows 10 counterpart, Game Mode optimizes Windows 11 for gaming. This feature ensures smooth gameplay without lags or hang-ups by deprioritizing non-game processes, allowing your hardware to perform optimally.

To activate Game Mode, simply navigate to Settings > Gaming and enable it.

▌ Personalized Start Menu: Better gaming experience
Although the importance of the Optimized Start Menu update may be underestimated by some gamers, it brings considerable convenience, especially for gameplay streamers and specific gaming communities. This update facilitates swift and seamless access to various applications, streamlining the overall gaming experience.

Moreover, the Optimized Start Menu update offers a personalized feature that allows gamers to customize the size of the Start menu according to their preferences. This ensures that the menu icon remains functional and avoids becoming a bothersome visual hindrance caused by improper sizing.

Is Windows 11 good for gaming?

For professional game players, the updates in Windows 11 sound attractive. But some daily gamers are still hesitating. The question, “Should I upgrade to Windows 11 for gaming?” comes as a consequence.

However, no matter whether you decide to upgrade, you should notice that the upgrade should meet the system requirements for Windows 11. If your system is on the low end of the specifications or it doesn’t have TPM 2.0, it may not be worth upgrading due to extra hardware improvement demands.

Now, do you have your own answer about “Is Windows 11 worth it for gaming?” We know that every computer game avid does hope to enjoy a better gaming experience. In fact, there are many practical approaches that are available to your expectations. Next, we will share some for improving the gaming experience.

2 methods for improving gaming performance

Game players are familiar with the advantages of sufficient drive space and an excellent SSD. So, in this part, we will introduce 2 methods for computer performance enhancement on these aspects, relieving your pressure of pondering on “Is Windows 11 better for gaming?”.

Method 1. App mover

Many game enthusiasts are inclined to download gaming peripheral software, launchers like Steam or Epic Games Store, or game modding tools, which take up a large number of drive space. Low space drive can decrease frames per second (fps), heightened latency, and even frequent program crashes while playing games. But for gamers, it might be difficult for users to select which app needs to be removed when the space is full.

In this case, you can try AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, a disk and partition manager for Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7/XP, to move the large programs to another drive/disk to release more resources from your system drive.  

The "App Mover" feature scans your disk to identify movable apps and folders, allowing you to relocate them. Once the process is complete, you can run your programs from the new storage path, and the files will be stored in the new location.

Notes:

Ensure that the target drive has sufficient free space to accommodate the moved files. If you receive a notice indicating insufficient space, consider extending the partition.

To ensure proper functioning of folders, avoid moving or deleting files within the source and target directories.

This feature exclusively operates between NTFS drives. If you intend to move folders from or to a FAT32 drive, conversion to NTFS is necessary.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. Click on "Free up" > "App Mover."

Step 2. In the pop-up window, select the partition (e.g., C drive) from which you want to free up space by moving apps and click on "Next."

Step 4. The window displays all movable apps on the selected drive (e.g., C drive). Choose the desired apps to move and select the destination partition. Click "Move" to initiate the operation.

Step 5. Ensure that the apps you're moving from the source drive to the destination drive are closed. Then, click "OK."

Step 6. Wait for the move process to complete. Finally, click "Finish."

Method 2. Upgrade to a better SSD

The second choice is that you can migrate OS to the a better SSD, such as the M.2 NVMe SSD for faster processing speed when running games.

While most tools found on the internet employ cold migration methods, which require multiple reboots and prolong the migration process, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional utilizes the Hot Clone technique. This technique eliminates the need to repeatedly reboot your system, allowing for a more seamless migration experience.

Step 1. Connect the target disk to your device and ensure it is detected. Launch the installed software. Next, click on "Migrate OS" under "Clone" in the top toolbar and then click "Next" to proceed.

Step 2. In the pop-up window, select the target disk and check the option "I want to delete all partitions on disk 2 to migrate the system to the disk". Click "Next."

Step 3. Here, you can resize the partition on the M.2 NVMe SSD if desired.

Step 4. Click the "Finish" button to proceed.

Step 5. You will return to the main interface. Click on "Apply" > "Proceed" to execute the operations.

Conclusion

Now, do you have your own answer about “Is Windows 11 good for gaming”? You can also optimize your Windows 11 gaming performance and enjoy a smoother gaming experience by employing methods like moving apps and SSD upgrades.

With AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can enjoy features like cloning disk, allocating free space and converting between MBR/GPT. And there is also the Server Edition that effectively manages the devices of Windows Server users.