How to reduce input lag on PC

Input lag is the time from your click to the result on screen. The biggest wins are a higher refresh rate, a frame cap just under your GPU's limit, your GPU's low-latency mode, and running the game in fullscreen.

Fastplay team · Updated

Steps

  1. Refresh rate. Settings > System > Display > Advanced display > highest rate.
  2. Fullscreen. Use exclusive or borderless fullscreen in the game, not windowed.
  3. Low-latency mode. NVIDIA Reflex in game if offered, otherwise NVIDIA Low Latency Mode or AMD Anti-Lag in the driver panel.
  4. Don't max your GPU. Cap frames a bit below where the GPU hits 100%. A maxed GPU queues frames, which adds delay.
  5. V-Sync. Off in competitive games unless you use G-Sync or FreeSync, in which case cap 3 to 4 frames under your refresh rate.
  6. Mouse. Turn off Enhance pointer precision. Use wired or a good 2.4 GHz dongle, not Bluetooth.
  7. Polling rate. Set your mouse to its highest stable polling rate in the mouse maker\'s software.
  8. Notifications. Turn on Do not disturb while gaming (Settings > System > Notifications) so pop-ups do not steal focus.
  9. Monitor. Turn off picture modes that process the image, and use Game or Low input lag mode if it has one.

What Windows controls versus your game

Most input lag comes from frame queuing and display settings, which live in game and in your driver. Windows adds its own layer: pointer handling, focus changes and how quickly the game gets CPU time. Clean Aim and Game Priority Engine target that layer. Neither changes your mouse polling rate or DPI.

Want to go further?

The steps above are the settings Windows and your driver show you, and they are worth doing either way. Underneath them is a deeper layer of Windows scheduling, input, network and storage behavior that the normal menus do not expose. That is what Fastplay builds for, from a team working on gaming regedit optimization since 2015, with modules developed and tested over years. See what each module does.

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FAQ

Is input lag the same as ping?

No. Ping is network delay to the server. Input lag is local, between your hands and your screen.

Does a 240 Hz monitor help on a weaker PC?

It helps a bit even below 240 frames, because each frame shows up sooner.

Why does my game feel floaty only sometimes?

Usually the GPU hitting 100% in busy scenes. A frame cap fixes that.

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