Windows 11’s 25H2 update has flipped a long-running narrative: in the latest independent rounds of testing, Microsoft’s newest feature update can, in many cases, deliver equal or better gaming performance than Windows 10—though the truth is nuanced, hardware-dependent, and still driven by drivers and configuration choices.
Background / Overview
Since Windows 11 launched, the community has argued about whether the newer OS costs or gains gaming performance compared with Windows 10. Early independent tests, driver teething issues, and default security settings (notably
Memory Integrity / Core Isolation) produced varied results and a persistent narrative that Windows 10 was the “faster” choice for gamers. That story has evolved: recent public benchmarks highlight that updates acroscing cadence—culminating in the 25H2 release—have changed the balance in some scenarios.
At the same time, Microsoft’s product lifecycle decision to end Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025 raises practical and security incentives to migrate to Windows 11 for many users, even as performance debates continue.
What the new tests say: conflicting headlines, consistent nuance
Hardware Unboxed: Windows 11 25H2 often edges out Windows 10
Independent testing summarized by news outlets reports that Hardware Unboxed’s latest suite of gaming benchmarks shows
Windows 11 25H2 performing at least as well as Windows 10, and in many titles outright faster—particularly as resolution increases. In the specific Hardware Unboxed runs noted by Notebookcheck, an RTX 5090-equipped test system produced small but measurable average gains for Windows 11 over Windows 10: roughly a 1.2% advantage at 1080p and a larger ~5% advantage at 1440p/4K across a set of modern AAA titles. The improvement trend with higher resolutions suggests GPU-limited scenarios are where Windows 11’s recent tweaks can matter most.
Key takeaways from that testing:
- Gains are title-dependent: some modern AAA games showed meaningful uplifts while others were essentially tied.
- Resolution matters: the reported advantage grew with resolution in several tested titles.
- Driver + OS combo matters: the results were achieved with current GPU drivers and the 25H2 OS build.
TechSpot: fresh multi-platform testing still favors Windows 10 in several titles
A separate, methodical campaign by TechSpot—covering multiple CPUs (Intel 12th/14trts) and 13 games—reached a different emphasis:
of the 13 games tested, five delivered a notable advantage on Windows 10. TechSpot ran clean installs and explicitly disabled Virtualization‑Based Security (VBS) / Memory Integrity for parity, but still found measurable Windows 10 advantages in titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Counter‑Strike 2 on the tested hardware. Their conclusion: the winner depends on title, CPU, and driver interplay—not a blanket OS superiority.
Phoronix / Guru3D: 25H2 ≈ 24H2; Linux often leads in raw benchmarks
Lower-level benchmarking across a broad set of workloads (including renderer and compute tests) has shown that
Windows 11 25H2 delivers performance parity with 24H2 rather than a sweeping uplift. Phoronix results summarized by Guru3D indicate that, across a large multi-workload suite, 25H2 did not materially outpace the prior Windows 11 release, and in some compute-heavy cases Linux distributions still led by a significant margin. This underscores that 25H2 is an
incremental servicing release: improvements are ransformational.
Why the results differ: a checklist of technical variables
When outlet A says “Windows 11 is faster” and outlet B reports “Windows 10 is faster in some games,” it’s not necessarily contradictory—it's a reflection of how many moving parts affect game performance. The most important variables:
- Hardware configuration: CPU family, GPU model, PCIeed change whether a test is CPU‑bound or GPU‑bound. Tests with an RTX 5090 and a high-end GPU may expose different OS bottlenecks than midrange systems.
- Resolution and GPU load: Higher resolutions shift the bottleneck to the GPU; several testers report Windows 11’s relative gains appear stronger at 1440p/4K than at 1080p.
- Drivers and driver timing: GPU driver releases often target the latest OS and add optimizations that land first (or only) on Windows 11. Conversely, particular driver builds may inadvertently favor Windows 10 due to historical validation. A single driver change can swing results by several percent.
- Security defaults (VBS / Memory Integrity): Windows 11 enables certain virtualization‑based protections by default; these can incur CPU overhead in some workloads. Tests that leave these enabled vs. disabled will diverge. TechSpot explicitly disabled them for parity; real-world users might see different results with factory defaults.
- OS servicing and microcode/patches: Microsoft’s scheduler and microarchitectural fixes (some aimed at Ryzen family branch prediction) have improved some CPU‑bound scenarios in recent Windows 11 updates, but those fixes may be absent or differ in Windows 10. Past updates (24H2) showed meaningful Ryzen uplifts; 25H2 is more incremental.
- Benchmark methodology details: Are testers measuring average FPS, 1% lows, or frame times? Small differences in capture method, test loop length, or overlay/anti‑cheat presence can change outcomes.
Technical deep dive: what Microsoft and hardware vendors changed
Scheduler and CPU microoptimizations
Microsrs have pushed kernel and scheduler tweaks that help certain modern cores, especially some AMD Ryzen Zen iterations, avoid prior performance penalties. These are not universal wins; the net effect depends on the engine’s threading and the CPU microarchitecture. Independent outlets previously documented
notable Zen improvements after 24H2; 25H2 has continued iterative improvements without wholesale rewrites.
Driver focus and validation
GPU vendors increasingly validate and optimize drivers for Windows 11 first. While this favors Windows 11 in many current driver drops, it also increases sensitivity: an imperfect driver/OS interaction can produce regressions that are later fixed by hotfixes or WHQL releases. The ecosystem reaction to one harmful cumulative update in 2025 shows how GPU vendors can issue rapid hotfix drivers to restore performance when necessary.
Security primitives: trade-offs between safety and raw throughput
Features like
Memory Integrity (Core Isolation) add a small overhead but significant protection. Tests show this can shave a few percent in some CPU‑bound workloads; toggling it changes outcomes. TechSpot’s methodology disabled VBS to equalize the baseline—something many real users may not do. That trade-off is central: faster vs. potentially less secure.
Practical guidance for gamers: how to decide and how to test
If you’re deciding whether to move to Windows 11 25H2 or stay on Windows 10 (where still supported), follow a structured approach:
- Inventory your system:
- Check CPU (model and generation), GPU, RAM, and storage.
- Confirm whether your machine is eligible for Windows 11 and whether firmware/driver updates exist for Windows 11.
- Benchmark your own games:
- Run the titles you actually play, at your target resolution and settings.
- Record average FPS, 1% lows, and frame times—not just averages.
- Test both OSes cleanly:
- Use fresh installs or well‑reset systems to reduce configuration noise.
- Use the same GPU driver version for both OSes if possible, or document the driver differences explicitly.
- Toggle Memory Integrity / VBS deliberately:
- Test with it enabled for real-world parity; test with it disabled only if you understand the security implications.
- Watch driver releases:
- Prior to major OS moves, ensure a current WHQL (or vendor‑recommended) GPU driver is available for your target OS.
- Consider support lifecycles:
- Windows 10 reached end-of-support on October 14, 2025; security and app‑compatibility considerations make staying on unsupported software risky long‑term.
Short checklist for a practical upgrade test:
- Backup your system image.
- Update firmware and drivers to vendor-recommended versions.
- Test at your preferred resolution (1080p vs 1440p/4K).
- Measure averages and 1% lows over multiple runs.
Strengths of the 25H2 story — what to believe
- rovements exist in recent Windows 11 servicing**: multiple outlets and reviewers have observed concrete gains in select games, especially where driver and OS scheduling improvements line up with modern GPU behavior.
- The gap is narrowing oU‑limited scenarios: at 1440p and 4K the tests that show Windows 11 leading indicate the update matters more when the GPU dominates.
- Microsoft and vendors are listening: iterative updates, improved telemetry for performance diagnostics, and tighter driver validation show a healthier update model that should continue to reduce edge-case regressions.
Risks and caveats — what to watch out for
- Results are not universal: benchmark gains are title- and platform-dependent. Some games still show Windows 10 advantages, especially in CPU‑heavy scenarios on certain CPUs. TechSpot found five of 13 games favoring Windows 10.
- Driver regressions can reverse gains quickly: a single GPU driver or cumulative OS patch can swing outcomes; this makes timing and update cadence important for competitive gamers.
- Security vs performance trade-off: disabling Memory Integrity to chase frames reduces protective barriers; for many gamers the performance gain isn’t worth the increased risk.
- Enterprise and supported environments: businesses must validate 25H2 across their application and driver matrix. Microsoft’s enablement-package rollout model reduces install friction, but staging and testing remain essential.
- *End: Windows 10’s support ended on October 14, 2025; sticking with it indefinitely invites security and compatibility problems for many users. This is a major non‑performance reason to migrate when feasible.
Recommendations for different user types
Competitive esports / high‑FPS players
- Stay cautious. Test your specific title and toolkit (overlays, anti‑cheat) before switching.
- Keep a rollback plan (backup image) and only upgrade drivers after verifying they’re recommended for your setup.
Enthusiast / AAA single‑player gamers
- If your rig meets Windows 11 requirements and you value features (DirectStorage, Auto HDR, recent scheduler fixes), 25H2 is a reasonable upgrade candidate—test with your own game library first.
- Expect small, sometimes single‑digit percentage differences; perceived smoothness (1% lows) matters more than headline averages.
Casual players on older hardware
- Windows 10 historically has had a smaller baseline resource footprint; if your machine is borderline for Windows 11’s practical needs (RAM, TPM/secure boot quirks), remain cautious. But remember Windows 10 support is finished; consider ESU or hardware upgrade options.
IT / Enterprise
- Stage 25H2 in rings, test vendor drivers and key applications, and use safeguard holds where appropriate. Microsoft’s enablement-package approach makes rollout lighter, but compatibility and security testing remain mandatory.
How to run your own clean comparison (step‑by‑step)
- Create full disk images of current Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems.
- Use separate NVMe drives or partitions to host each OS to avoid cross-contamination.
- Use the same GPU driver for both OSes if possible, or document exact driver versions.
- Disable background software (cloud sync, game launchers) for fair comparison.
- Run each game benchmarked over at least three full runs, capturing:
- Average FPS
- 1% and 0.1% lows
- Power draw and thermals (if equipment allows)
- Compare results at your target resolution and at a lower resolution to reveal CPU vs GPU bottlenecks.
- Re-enable real‑world defaults and repeat one test with Memory Integrity on to see the real-user delta.
Final analysis: a nuanced upgrade story, not a single headline
The emerging picture is that
Windows 11 25H2 is not a universal “make‑or‑break” change for gaming performance, but it does represent an important step toward parity and, in many modern gaming scenarios, a measurable advantage—especially when paired with current GPU drivers and high resolutions. At the same time, careful, independent testing like TechSpot’s shows Windows 10 still holds wins in a nontrivial subset of titles and configurations. The correct takeaway for readers:
the OS is now one variable among many, not the decisive factor it was once perceived to be.
For responsible upgrade decisions:
- Test on your hardware, with your games and settings.
- Keep security and vendor driver support in view—Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025, creating a strong non-performance incentive to move forward.
Windows 11 25H2’s gaming story is promising: it closes the gap, occasionally opens a lead, and removes one of the last practical objections to migration for many players—but it is not a blowout. The performance playing field is now governed by drivers, micro‑patches, and the specifics of each game engine. For gamers, that means the sensible path is pragmatic testing, staged rollouts for critical machines, and a readiness to update drivers and OS builds as vendors and Microsoft iterate.
Source: Notebookcheck
Windows 11 is now reportedly faster than Windows 10 in gaming after latest 25H2 update
Source: TechSpot
Windows 11 25H2 vs Windows 10: Which is Faster for Gaming?