After the 2024 and 2025 updates, Windows 11 is already being called a more suitable system for gaming than Windows 10. Now, Microsoft is testing Xbox Mode — a special mode with an interface for gaming in front of a TV and reduced load from background processes.
According to the Ancient Gameplays channel, a particularly noticeable increase appeared in Counter-Strike 2. In tests, Desktop Mode used regular Windows 11, while Xbox Mode showed significantly higher FPS.
On NVIDIA graphics cards, the average performance increase in 1080p reaches 4.5%, and on AMD — about 1.5%. But the main effect is not related to average FPS, but to the reduction of micro-stutters. In 1440p resolution, the 1% low on NVIDIA GPUs improved by almost 25%.
The difference is most noticeable in esports games and on systems with weak processors, where performance is limited by the CPU.
Currently, the update with Xbox Mode is available in the Preview version KB5083631. A full release is expected later in 2026.
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