How Many FPS is Good for Gaming in 2021 and Beyond? [Ultimate Guide for New Gamers]

Today, we are going to talk about how many FPS is good for gaming in 2021 and beyond.

In short, 60 FPS is good for gaming. 

It is the bare minimum that you should aim to get a great gaming experience.

To get a better understanding, in this guide, you will learn about:

  • What is FPS in Gaming?
  • Is 30, 60, 100 FPS Good for Gaming?
  • What is the Ideal FPS for Games?
  • What is a Good FPS for Fortnite?
  • Some Easy Tips on How to Increase Your FPS.

So, if you want to learn more about FPS and get a competitive edge from a higher FPS number, you will love this post.

Let’s get started.

What is FPS in Gaming?

If you are new to PC gaming or just recently pick up games, you will encounter the terms “FPS” a lot.

In fact, PC gamers will use the terms FPS to brag about how powerful their gaming PC or laptop is.

So, what is FPS in Gaming?

FPS is an abbreviation of Frame Per Second. 

It is the frequency of how many frames (or series of images) your computer can display on a screen.

In other words:

FPS is how many frames (or series of images) your GPU and CPU can draw on your screen for every second.

For example, if you get 30 FPS in your games, it means that your computer is drawing 30 new frames per second.

So, the more powerful your system is, the more FPS it can produce.

A higher FPS number translates to a smoother and more responsive animation or movement displayed on your screen.

Image source: Nvidia

You will see that the animation on your screen is rough and choppy with a low FPS number.

A golden rule about FPS is to always aim to get a high number.

With that definition in mind, let us talk about how many FPS is good for gaming in 2021 and beyond.

Is 30 FPS Enough for Gaming?

I recently met many new gamers who said 30 FPS is simply not enough for PC gaming in 2021.

But I don’t entirely agree with these new gamers.

In fact, in many cases, 30 FPS can be enough for gaming.

It all boils down to the type of games you play.

If you play many single-player games that do not involve many fast actions and precise movements, you will be just fine with only 30 FPS.

For example, if you only play single-player games like Skyrim, where it focuses more on the story rather than the action, 30 FPS is going to be enough.

I’m not going to lie to you; the images you see on your screen will not run buttery-smooth in 30 FPS.

But, you can finish those games with only 30 FPS without any problems.

Now, if you play mostly multiplayer games, especially First Person Shooters games where you need to have fast reaction and precise aim, 30 FPS won’t be enough.

You will be having a hard time in fast-paced multiplayer games like Call of Duty or CS: GO. 

Those games require the players to have excellent reaction time and precise aim to win.

With only 30 FPS, the animation you will see on your screen will not be responsive and smooth enough.

I kid you not; it will be difficult to win games with only 30 FPS.

Now, if you want to taste how a 30 FPS will look like, you can play a regular, slim PS4 or Xbox One.

PS4 or Xbox One games are limited to only have a maximum of 30 FPS.

Or if you do not have a PS4 or Xbox One, you can go and watch a movie.

Most movies nowadays are shot at 24 FPS.

It all depends on the type of games you play at the end of the day, whether 30 FPS is enough or not for gaming.

Is 60 FPS Good Enough for Gaming?

The same bunch that told me 30 FPS is not enough also said to me that 60 FPS should be the minimum for gaming in 2021 and beyond.

This time, I agree entirely with them.

I firmly believe that 60 FPS is good enough for gaming.

With 60 FPS, you can get that smooth and responsive frame animation.

Why is this important?

Because you can now enjoy all types of games even more.

For example, in single-player games, You can have an even more immersive gameplay experience where characters and scenes’ movement is very smooth.

On the other hand, multiplayer games will be a tad bit easier for you.

Now you can aim better and respond to things that are happening on your screen faster, helping you win more games.

With all that said:

60 FPS should be the bare minimum FPS you should be aiming for gaming in 2021 and beyond.

Also read: Is HDR Worth it for Gaming?

Is 100 FPS Good for Gaming?

When it comes to FPS, the more you have, the better it is for gaming.

Like I mentioned before, A golden rule is to have as much FPS as possible.

So, is 100 FPS good for gaming?

Heck yeah! 

100 FPS is very, very good for gaming, especially for competitive game titles like PUBG, Fortnite, or Overwatch.

Because the more frames you get every second, the more information you receive.

It will also make the animation appears very smooth, resulting in a nice looking image displayed on your screen.

Image source: Nvidia

This informations and animations will help you to track your opponents easier.

I always suggest new gamers to push their gaming PC or laptop to prioritize FPS over resolution.

What I mean is:

If your computer cannot get a high FPS number, you should try to lower your resolution and graphics settings.

Because a higher number of FPS can give you a competitive edge in multiplayer games.

We will talk more about this in the next part of this guide, so keep on reading…

What is the Ideal FPS for Games?

This is a tricky question to answer.

I believe there is no single answer for what is the ideal fps for gaming.

Because I think it will hugely difference between each individual.

The ideal fps will be heavily dependent on your preferences when gaming.

Firstly, it depends on the type of games you play.

If you play mostly single-player games, you do not need that high of FPS numbers.

For example, if you play games like Skyrim or GTA V, you can get away with only just 30 FPS.

In fact, you will not have any trouble finishing those games with only 30 FPS.

Still, I will recommend you get to the 60 FPS marks for that butter-smooth gameplay and that extra responsiveness.

On the other hand, if you are playing a lot of multiplayer games, it will be a whole lot different.

In this type of game, you will not get away with just 30 FPS.

Why?

Because multiplayer games are played in a fast-paced environment, they require a lot of precise movement and usually very competitive.

Especially First Person Shooters games like Call of Duty, CS: GO, or Fortnite.

The problem is, with low FPS, the animation you see on your screen will be choppy and not responsive.

It is not rocket science. 

For those type of games, if your movement are not smooth enough, you can get killed easily by your enemies or you cannot kill your enemy because your aim will be very terrible.

Now, check this out:

The folks at Nvidia researched how High FPS can give you an advantage in Battle Royale games.

So, what did Nvidia find?

Image source: Nvidia

Battle Royale game players with higher FPS tend to have a better Kill-to-death ratio compared to players with lower FPS.

In other words:

Players with higher FPS have better performance compared to a player with lower FPS.

According to that study, players with higher FPS can beat their competitors easier.

Well, is it true?

According to that study, players with higher FPS get an edge compared to those with lower FPS in two major areas.

Firstly, players with higher FPS can see more kinds of stuff on their screen, making them respond faster.

Remember, FPS is the number of frames or images per second you can see on your monitor.

Secondly, a higher FPS number makes the animation on their screen smoother and more responsive, allowing them to aim at their target more precisely.

The bottom line is,

For these types of games, you want as much FPS as possible.

In another study, 99% of Pros Esports Player are using at least 144 Hz monitor that is capable of displaying 144 FPS. 

So, to get the same competitive advantage with 99% of the player, ideally, you want to have at least 144 FPS.

That said:

Getting a high number of FPS is not easy, Steve.

I know that is why it leads to my second point, your budget.

How many FPS is good for gaming will depend on the budget you have when building your system.

If you have a minimal budget, I’d say 60 FPS will be the ideal target you should strive to achieve.

However, if you have quite some room in your finance department, the ideal FPS number for games will be a whole lot different.

Again, the golden rule for FPS is to get as many as possible out of your system.

Ideally, I would recommend to people who are building a new system to try to get to 144 FPS.

With this FPS number, you can get that competitive edge over most people in multiplayer games.

Plus, single-player games will definitely look gorgeous, and you will enjoy a more immersive gaming experience.

With the recent launch of Nvidia RTX 3,000 Series GPU and AMD Big Navi GPU, attaining 144 FPS is not a big deal anymore.

What is a Good FPS for Fortnite?

Fortnite is a highly competitive, fast-paced multiplayer game with millions of new players getting into the game every day.

According to the statistics on BattleRoyaleSettings.com, many of the Pro Fortnite players are using a 144 Hz monitor that is capable of producing 144 FPS.

With that numbers in mind, a good FPS for Fortnite should be at least 144 FPS if you plan to stay competitive in the game.

The advantage of having a high FPS in games like Fortnite is very significant to your performance.

Reduced latency, minimal ghosting and tearing, and more responsive actions will help you win more games.

We already know from a previous study I mentioned that higher FPS would lead you to have a better Kill-to-Death ratio.

This high FPS number might not make you a great Fortnite player, but it will help you become a better one.

Easy Tips on How to Increase FPS

As we know now how vital FPS is in PC gaming today, let me share my favorite tips on how to increase FPS.

Needless to say, you want as much FPS as you can get out of your system.

So here are three quick and easy tips to increase your FPS.

Enable High-Performance Power Plan

This is one of the things that not only new gamers but sometimes seasoned gamers forget to adjust.

Out of the box, your computer will be running on a power-saving mode where it prioritizes your system to use less power.

By doing so, the computer will not be using its full power in order to save energy.

That is why you want to enable the High-Performance power plan to increase FPS.

Enabling the high-performance power plan will let your computer use its full potential, giving you more FPS in games.

Now, This is very easy to do.

First, open your settings and go to Power & Sleep.

Then, you want to click on your right Additional Power Settings option.

Finally, enable the High-Performance mode by clicking the option.

Pro Tip: If you don’t see the High-Performance option inside your settings, make sure to check on the Hide additional plans tab.

Some of my friends said that their High-Performance mode option is hidden there. 

And that’s all there is to it.

Close Apps Running on Your Background

The next tips on this post seem pretty apparent to you.

It is not rocket science.

The more apps you run, the slower your computer will be.

Because now, your CPU and GPU will divide all of its power to all those apps.

That is why you want to close every app before you launch your game.

But it would help if you did not stop there.

Now, check this out:

Without you realizing it, many apps get started simultaneously whenever you turn on your gaming PC or laptops.

For instance, Skype, torrent clients, Dropbox, VPNs, etc.

These apps are called “Startup Program”.

The problem is, these so-called “Startup Program” will keep on running on your background without you realizing it.

And new gamers tend to forget about them often.

That is why you also want to disable these startup programs.

Here’s how to disable these apps:

First, open up your Task Manager.

Then, find the Startup tabs on the upper part.

Finally, disable all startup programs that you don’t really need.

By disabling these apps, you can free up some RAM and CPU usage that can be used to give you more FPS increase in games.

Adjust In-Game Settings

It is no secret that gamers will want to play their games on ultra settings.

That said:

I always encourage gamers to lower their graphical settings in favor of FPS.

Those extra details in the shadow or ray tracing and anti-aliasing will not make you a better gamer.

Especially in competitive gaming like Fortnite or CS: GO.

By lowering some graphical settings, you can increase your FPS substantially.

We already know the advantage you will get by having a high FPS number.

Now, go and turn down those shadows, anti-aliasing, and other graphical stuff that will not help you in games.

The bottom line is, always focus on Frame per Second than graphical elements.

Bonus Tips: If you are serious about getting the maximum out of your system, read these 16 tips that will make your computer run faster for gaming.

Final Words

So, there you have it.

With this guide, I hope you can now answer how many FPS is good for gaming in 2021 and beyond.

Now I would like to hear from you:

What is your FPS number right now?

Are you going to aim for a higher FPS after reading this post? Or will you focus on graphical settings than your FPS number?

Either way, let us know using the comment box below.

Thank you!

About the Author
Hi, I'm Steve. I'm a proud gamer. I have been active within the gaming sphere for 30+ years. As gaming is something I enjoy very much, I want other people to enjoy it also. That is exactly why I started this blog.

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