Windows 11 is getting much-needed improvements to gaming in a window
30 years in the making
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If you prefer to play certain games in a window, rather than full screen on your PC, then you might want to check out the latestWindows 11Insider update.
The Windows Insider Dev update of build 22545 and above - which allows you to sign up to features in testing that are not ready for a final release - is showcasing a feature called ‘Optimizations for windowed games’. Enabling this inSettingswill allegedly improve latency, and showcaseAuto HDRand Variable Refresh Rates (VRR) for the games that support these two features.
There are some games that should be played in full-screen mode, especially if you’ve bought an expensive monitor to showcaseGod of WarorSonic Adventure. But windowed games make it easier to multitask between emails, social media, and watching video side-by-side.
Improvements to this only prove further thatMicrosoftis looking at all aspects ofWindows 11in this upcoming feature update to make this OS its best yet. Seeing Microsoft focus on something like windowed gaming would have been completely unimaginable back in the days of Windows Vista.
Analysis: windowed gaming gets its due
If you’re running build 22545 and above, you can go to Settings > System > Display > Graphics > Default Graphics Settings to turn this feature on.
But you can also enable this for certain games by going to Settings > System > Display > Graphics and selecting which games you want to benefit from this feature.
It’s another welcome move by Microsoft to look at aspects of theoperating systemthat’s been left by the wayside. There are plenty of users out there with one monitor, where they like to easily switch between a game and a web browser, or have them side by side.
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Especially for games that work well for a keyboard and not a controller, you can seamlessly switch windows using Alt+Tab to jump back and forth between the game and whatever else you have open.
However, this also looks to be laying the groundwork for better compatibility for games that you can buy on a storefront, such asSteam,Epic Games, and Microsoft’s own Xbox app. Having better ways to play a game in windowed mode is only a positive move by the company, and if this display type is getting attention, it makes us wonder what else Microsoft is focusing on for Windows 11 in the coming months and years.
ViaWindowsLatest
Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.
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