How do I display and check FPS in a flight simulator?

To display and check FPS in a flight simulator, use its built-in counter: DCS uses Right Ctrl + Pause/Break, MSFS 2020 and 2024 on PC use Developer Mode, X-Plane uses Data Output, and FSX uses Shift + Z. If none is available, pin the Xbox Game Bar Performance widget or a GPU overlay.

FPS shortcut key: what works in each flight simulator?

There is no universal FPS shortcut key; the correct command depends on the simulator and platform.

Key assignments can be edited, and compact keyboards often place Pause/Break behind an Fn layer. If a shortcut fails, search the simulator's control assignments for FPS, frame rate, service info or information text.

How do I show FPS in DCS World?

In DCS World, the default command for the FPS counter is Right Ctrl + Pause/Break.

1. Load a mission: Enter the cockpit or an external flight view rather than testing from the main menu.
2. Use the right-hand Ctrl key: Hold Right Ctrl and press the key labelled Pause, Break or both. Left Ctrl may not activate the command.
3. Cycle the display: Press the combination again to change or hide the performance information.
4. Rebind it when necessary: Open DCS Controls and search for the frame-rate or service-information command. Assign an unused combination if the keyboard has no accessible Pause/Break key.

A mistake we see constantly is pressing the shortcut on a small keyboard without engaging its Fn layer. If the physical key still sends no Pause command, rebinding the DCS action is more reliable than trying random Windows shortcuts.

How do I show FPS in MSFS 2024 or MSFS 2020?

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and 2020 have a detailed built-in FPS display on PC, accessed through Developer Mode.

1. Enable Developer Mode: Open the simulator's Settings or Options and locate Developer Mode. Its category differs between the 2020 and 2024 interfaces, so use the settings search if necessary.
2. Open the developer toolbar: Move the pointer to the toolbar at the top of the screen after Developer Mode has loaded.
3. Enable the counter: Select Options, then Display FPS.
4. Test in the aircraft: Return to the cockpit and observe the display during the part of the flight that causes poor performance.
5. Disable it afterwards: Turn off Display FPS and Developer Mode when the diagnostic session is finished.

The MSFS panel is more useful than a basic number because labels such as Limited by MainThread and Limited by GPU identify the sustained bottleneck. Our closer explanation of the MSFS 2024 and 2020 performance panel covers its frame-time and bottleneck fields.

The PC Developer Mode counter is not exposed in the Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro editions of MSFS 2024, nor in the Xbox edition of MSFS 2020. Xbox Game Bar is a Windows PC feature despite its name; it cannot add an FPS overlay to an Xbox console or PlayStation.

How do I use Xbox Game Bar as an FPS counter?

On Windows, Xbox Game Bar provides a convenient FPS counter when a simulator lacks a suitable built-in display.

1. Start the simulator: Load into an actual flight so Game Bar can detect the running application.
2. Open Game Bar: Press Windows + G.
3. Open Performance: Use the widget menu to display the Performance panel.
4. Select FPS: Choose the FPS section and pin the widget if it should remain visible after Game Bar closes.
5. Grant permission if requested: Follow the Windows access prompt. Restart Windows if Game Bar specifically asks for a restart before it can collect FPS data.
6. Return to the simulator: Press Windows + G again. The pinned counter should remain over the flight.

If the FPS field displays a dash or N/A, confirm that Game Bar is enabled in Windows, complete any performance-access prompt, restart if requested, and reopen it while the simulator has focus.

Which FPS counter should I choose?

Use the simulator's counter for diagnosis, Xbox Game Bar for a quick Windows-wide reading, and the GPU software's performance overlay when you also need graphics utilisation or presentation statistics.

• Built-in counter: Best for MSFS, X-Plane and other simulators that expose CPU, GPU or simulation timing.
• Xbox Game Bar: Best when you only need an uncomplicated FPS number across different Windows simulators.
• Platform counter: If the simulator is launched through Steam, its in-game settings include a simple FPS counter.
• GPU performance overlay: Useful for frame time, GPU load, memory use and comparisons involving frame generation.

Run only one overlay when making before-and-after comparisons. Multiple counters can use different sampling periods, clutter the screen and add a small amount of monitoring overhead.

How should I check flight-simulator FPS accurately?

Check FPS in a repeatable flight, not on a loading screen, in the main menu or from an unusually light external camera view.

1. Choose a representative workload: Use the aircraft, airport, cockpit view, resolution and traffic level that matter to you. A complex airliner at a busy hub behaves very differently from a light aircraft over open terrain.
2. Let initial loading settle: Wait for the aircraft and nearby scenery to finish loading before recording figures. Do not dismiss pauses that recur later during normal scenery streaming.
3. Control variable conditions: Use fixed weather, time and traffic when comparing settings. Live weather and online traffic can change the workload between runs.
4. Measure for at least 60 seconds: Record typical FPS, repeatable lows and visible frame-time spikes. A one-second minimum caused by initial loading is not a useful benchmark by itself.
5. Repeat the same segment: Keep the route, camera, weather and aircraft state consistent. Change one graphics or traffic setting at a time.
6. Test more than cruise: Check the cockpit on the ground, take-off or approach, and a cruise segment. A flight can move from CPU-limited near an airport to GPU-limited above cloud.

For controlled MSFS comparisons, our repeatable MSFS benchmarking method explains how to keep test flights and settings consistent.

What do FPS and frame time tell me?

FPS counts completed frames per second, while frame time measures how long each frame takes and reveals short stutters that an average FPS figure can hide.

Frame time is calculated as 1,000 divided by FPS. Consistency matters: a stable 30 FPS can look smoother than an average of 45 FPS interrupted by repeated 50–100 ms frames.

What FPS is good for a flight simulator?

A stable 30 FPS is often usable for conventional monitor flying, while 45–60 FPS gives more responsive camera movement and controls. VR needs frame delivery matched to the headset's refresh or reprojection target, so the right number is not the same for every setup.

Our guide to choosing a sensible flight-simulator FPS target explains how display refresh, VR and frame pacing affect perceived smoothness.

How do I identify a CPU or GPU bottleneck?

The component with the longer sustained frame time is normally the limiting side, but simulator-specific labels are more useful than total CPU utilisation alone.

• Main-thread or CPU limitation: Look first at traffic, terrain and object detail, complex aircraft systems, glass-cockpit updates and dense airport scenery. One busy CPU core can limit FPS even when the overall CPU percentage looks modest.
• GPU limitation: Look first at render resolution, anti-aliasing, clouds, shadows, reflections and other graphics effects.
• Intermittent spikes: Scenery loading, shader compilation, online data, add-ons or background applications may be responsible even when neither side remains fully limited.

Once the bottleneck is clear, use our CPU- and GPU-specific simulator optimisation steps rather than lowering every option indiscriminately.

Why is the FPS counter stuck, missing or different from another counter?

A fixed, absent or conflicting reading usually comes from a frame cap, permissions, frame generation, VR reprojection or different measurement points.

• Fixed at exactly 30, 60 or another regular value: Check the simulator's FPS limiter, V-sync, driver cap and display refresh setting. This can be normal behaviour rather than a fault.
• Xbox Game Bar shows N/A: Complete its performance-access request, restart if prompted and reopen the widget with the simulator running and focused.
• Two counters disagree: An engine counter may report natively rendered frames while an output or driver counter may include generated frames. Their averaging intervals can also differ.
• VR reading looks wrong: The desktop mirror does not necessarily represent headset performance. Reprojection may hold the rendered rate at a fraction of the headset refresh while synthesising intermediate frames.
• Television reports 60 Hz or 120 Hz: That is the output refresh signal, not proof that the simulator is rendering a new frame for every refresh.
• FPS is high but motion still stutters: Check frame-time spikes, camera pacing, scenery loading and display synchronisation instead of relying on the average number.

For valid comparisons, keep the same counter, view and test conditions throughout. Switching tools halfway through a test can make an unchanged simulator appear faster or slower simply because the counters measure and average frames differently.