The short answer: for most players, switching from Windows 10 to Windows 11 will not change your average framerate in today’s demanding games — but a handful of minimum‑FPS regressions and micro‑stutter reports make the decision more nuanced than a simple “upgrade or wait.” Recent hands‑on testing on a high‑end AMD system shows near‑identical average FPS between Windows 10 and Windows 11, yet several titles exhibited deep 0.1%/minimum drops after the upgrade that could turn smooth sessions into jarring stutters. With Windows 10’s official end of support looming, gamers must weigh practical performance parity against occasional experience‑breaking lows and the security implications of staying on an unsupported OS.
When Microsoft set October 14, 2025 as the end of support date for Windows 10, it created a ticking clock for users who were reluctant to adopt Windows 11. For many gamers, the question has been straightforward: does moving to Windows 11 degrade — or improve — gaming performance?
Independent benchmark testing run on modern hardware finds that average framerates are effectively unchanged between Windows 10 and Windows 11 in most titles. Yet the devil is in the tails: the lowest frame rates — the 1% and 0.1% lows, or the minimum FPS values — are where some users and tests report noticeable regressions on Windows 11, producing stutters and interrupted smoothness during complex scenes.
Microsoft has also introduced an Extended Security Updates (ESU) path so users don’t have to rush, offering methods to get an extra year of security updates for Windows 10 — including a free option tied to cloud sync — but the underlying performance and compatibility trade‑offs remain a practical concern for PC gamers.
The methodology was straightforward: identical settings, a fresh OS install for Windows 11, and repeatable benchmark runs to compare averages, maximums, and minimums. The focus was split between average FPS (what most headlines highlight) and minimum/low‑percentile FPS (which most directly affects perceived smoothness).
This combination of controlled tests and community observation suggests that the problems are real for a non‑trivial number of users, but they are not universal. The variability and intermittent nature also point to drivers, scheduling and background processes rather than a global architectural regression.
Key points to know:
Those regressions are real for some users and deserve attention because they affect the player experience more than headline averages do. At the same time, community testing, lab benchmarks, and Microsoft’s ESU bridge mean you have choices: upgrade now and follow mitigation steps if you see problems, or use the ESU route to delay until drivers and OS updates iron out the edge cases. Whatever path you choose, test deliberately and keep backups — that’s the safest strategy for gaming performance and for preserving your play sessions.
Source: Glass Almanac Windows 11 vs. Windows 10 Gaming Performance: Experts Reveal Best Choice!
Background / Overview
When Microsoft set October 14, 2025 as the end of support date for Windows 10, it created a ticking clock for users who were reluctant to adopt Windows 11. For many gamers, the question has been straightforward: does moving to Windows 11 degrade — or improve — gaming performance?Independent benchmark testing run on modern hardware finds that average framerates are effectively unchanged between Windows 10 and Windows 11 in most titles. Yet the devil is in the tails: the lowest frame rates — the 1% and 0.1% lows, or the minimum FPS values — are where some users and tests report noticeable regressions on Windows 11, producing stutters and interrupted smoothness during complex scenes.
Microsoft has also introduced an Extended Security Updates (ESU) path so users don’t have to rush, offering methods to get an extra year of security updates for Windows 10 — including a free option tied to cloud sync — but the underlying performance and compatibility trade‑offs remain a practical concern for PC gamers.
The data: what recent testing shows
Test platform and scope
One recent hands‑on comparison used a fairly current, high‑end gaming rig: an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, an NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti GPU, and 32 GB of DDR5 RAM. Seven demanding, modern titles were benchmarked with identical in‑game settings first under Windows 10 and then again after a fresh install of Windows 11 version 24H2.The methodology was straightforward: identical settings, a fresh OS install for Windows 11, and repeatable benchmark runs to compare averages, maximums, and minimums. The focus was split between average FPS (what most headlines highlight) and minimum/low‑percentile FPS (which most directly affects perceived smoothness).
Headline results: averages are nearly identical
Across the tested titles, average FPS differences were negligible — usually a one‑frame swing either way and well within normal benchmark noise. Examples from the test include:- Red Dead Redemption 2: roughly 135.8 FPS on Windows 10 versus 135.9 FPS on Windows 11.
- Cyberpunk 2077: around 87 FPS on Windows 10 and about 88 FPS on Windows 11.
- Far Cry 6: slightly higher minimums on Windows 11 in this specific run, but averages matched closely.
The red flags: minimums and micro‑stutters
Where Windows 11 diverges is at the lower end of frame‑time distribution. Some titles showed sharp drops in minimum FPS after the Windows 11 upgrade in otherwise identical tests:- Black Myth: Wukong saw a minimum fall from the low‑70s down to the high‑20s in a single test run after migration to Windows 11.
- Grand Theft Auto V (Enhanced) minimums dropped from the high‑80s to low‑50s.
- Doom and a few other titles displayed deeper 1% lows under Windows 11 in certain configurations.
What could be causing the dips?
There’s no single smoking‑gun answer yet. Multiple plausible causes have been proposed and investigated by testers and the community:- Driver interactions: Newer OS builds can interact differently with GPU drivers and the driver installation stack. Minor timing differences or different default driver behaviors could expose pathologies in some drivers that didn’t appear under Windows 10.
- Scheduler and CPU‑thread handling: Changes in Windows 11’s kernel scheduler behavior, especially with the handling of X‑series or 3D‑cache CPUs, have been suggested as a contributor to 1%/0.1% low regressions. Some Ryzen users report micro‑stutters that correlate with specific Windows 11 releases.
- Background system services and telemetry: Windows 11 ships with different default services and housekeeping behaviors. If a background task wakes a core or interferes with a high‑priority thread at the wrong time, it can cause a visible frame‑time spike.
- Hardware‑accelerated features and settings: Features like Hardware‑Accelerated GPU Scheduling, Game Mode, or new 24H2 features may interact unexpectedly with specific titles, frame generation, or DLSS/driver combos.
- Game engine behavior and resource spikes: Some games have scenarios that are extremely sensitive to tiny scheduling or I/O differences (shader compilation, streaming textures, or path‑tracing spikes). A small operating system timing change can magnify those cases into large minimum drops.
Independent corroboration and community signals
Multiple benchmark labs and testing outlets show the same broad pattern: average FPS parity, with isolated low‑end regressions under Windows 11 in a subset of games and hardware configurations. At the same time, active user communities report anecdotal micro‑stutter incidents — particularly among Ryzen‑based systems — that map to specific Windows 11 updates.This combination of controlled tests and community observation suggests that the problems are real for a non‑trivial number of users, but they are not universal. The variability and intermittent nature also point to drivers, scheduling and background processes rather than a global architectural regression.
What gamers should test before migrating
If you’re on Windows 10 and considering the leap, here’s a practical checklist to evaluate risk and prepare your system:- Inventory your hardware: confirm CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage specs and whether your PC meets Windows 11 minimums.
- Backup or image your current system (full system image recommended) so you can roll back quickly if a problem appears.
- On a spare drive or a separate partition, perform a fresh Windows 11 install and run the games you play most — focus on long play sessions and scenes known for stress (crowds, ray tracing, streaming textures).
- Monitor not only average FPS, but 1%/0.1% lows and frame‑time graphs to detect hitches.
- Test with the same GPU driver versions — sometimes a newer driver fixes Windows 11 regressions, while other times a rollback helps.
- If you encounter problems, try a clean driver install (DDU), update chipset drivers, update UEFI/BIOS, and retest.
- Do a clean GPU driver install using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) and then install the latest WHQL driver from NVIDIA or AMD.
- Update your motherboard chipset drivers and BIOS to the latest releases from your vendor.
- Temporarily disable background overlays and telemetry utilities (Steam overlay, SteelSeries/GG, Razer/Chroma software) and re‑test.
- Experiment with Hardware‑Accelerated GPU Scheduling on/off and with Game Mode on/off.
- If frame generation or driver features are enabled (DLSS Frame Generation, e.g.), toggle them to assess impact.
The security clock: Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) explained
If you choose to stay on Windows 10 because you’re satisfied with performance and want to avoid a rushed migration, Microsoft has provided a bridge: the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) program.Key points to know:
- Windows 10’s official end of support is October 14, 2025. After that date the OS will no longer receive routine security patches unless enrolled in ESU.
- Microsoft offered an enrollment pathway that includes a free option for consumers who use the OS’s cloud sync/backup facilities to register, as well as tied options that accept Microsoft Rewards points in lieu of payment.
- A low‑cost paid option is available for individuals who prefer not to use the free enrollment methods; businesses and organizations have a separate licensing track with different pricing and terms.
Risk assessment: what’s likely and what’s speculative
- High confidence: Average in‑game FPS is unlikely to change dramatically for most modern hardware when moving from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Multiple independent labs and hand‑on tests confirm effective parity in averages.
- Medium confidence: Minimum/1%/0.1% lows can regress in certain titles and system configurations after upgrading to Windows 11. Regressions are real and have been reproduced in some cases, but they are not universal across all games or hardware.
- Lower confidence / speculative: A single definitive root cause that explains every stutter or minimum‑FPS drop has not been established. Evidence points to several interacting causes — drivers, scheduler behavior, background services, and game engine edge cases — and some fixes are per‑case rather than universal.
Practical recommendation: when to upgrade and when to wait
- Upgrade now if:
- You want the latest features (DirectStorage support improvements, Auto HDR refinements on supported hardware, OS platform longevity).
- Your hardware is fully compatible and you can tolerate (or quickly fix) minor compatibility hiccups.
- Security and staying on a supported OS outweigh the risk of isolated regressions.
- Wait if:
- You rely on absolute smoothness for competitive play and cannot tolerate risk of an occasional, unexplained hitch.
- Your primary games are among those flagged in tests to show minimum regressions on Windows 11 and you don’t have a spare system to test on.
- You’re comfortable using the Extended Security Updates (ESU) option to buy a year while drivers and OS updates mature.
Quick checklist: optimize Windows 11 for gaming (post‑upgrade)
- Perform a clean GPU driver install using the vendor’s recommended toolchain (clean install or DDU + fresh driver).
- Update motherboard BIOS and install latest chipset drivers.
- Turn off unnecessary overlays and background peripherals’ software while testing.
- Experiment with Hardware‑Accelerated GPU Scheduling, Game Mode, and other toggles — note that their effect can be game‑ and driver‑specific.
- Use monitoring tools to capture frame‑time graphs and low‑percentile metrics, not just averages.
- Keep Windows and drivers updated but test major updates in a controlled fashion before committing them to your main gaming drive.
The bottom line
For most gamers, today’s Windows 11 delivers performance parity with Windows 10 in terms of average FPS. That should be reassuring: upgrading does not automatically penalize your average framerate. The real issue is the occasional severe minimum‑FPS regressions and micro‑stutters that appear in certain titles and configurations after migrating to Windows 11 version 24H2.Those regressions are real for some users and deserve attention because they affect the player experience more than headline averages do. At the same time, community testing, lab benchmarks, and Microsoft’s ESU bridge mean you have choices: upgrade now and follow mitigation steps if you see problems, or use the ESU route to delay until drivers and OS updates iron out the edge cases. Whatever path you choose, test deliberately and keep backups — that’s the safest strategy for gaming performance and for preserving your play sessions.
Source: Glass Almanac Windows 11 vs. Windows 10 Gaming Performance: Experts Reveal Best Choice!
