One-click game mode
Closes the background apps you pick, switches to High performance, mutes notifications and starts Discord & co. Everything is restored afterwards.
New in 1.1: performance overlay & PC check →
Your PC.
Your PC.
Game-ready in one click.
GameBoost tunes Windows for gaming, shows FPS and GPU temperature right in your game, checks your PC and puts a custom crosshair on screen. Free, no installation needed.
1 clickto game mode
1 .exeno installation
10 checksfor a game-ready PC
100 %free & open source
Performance overlay
FPS and GPU temperature. Right in your game.
A tiny, click-through overlay in the corner of your screen – no game hooks, no injection.
- FPS and frame time for DirectX 9–12 games
- GPU load and temperature for NVIDIA, AMD and Intel – no extra drivers
- VRAM, CPU and RAM usage, optional clock
- Choose corner, size, background and which values to show
- Toggle with Ctrl + Alt + H or show it automatically with game mode
PC check
Find the settings that cost you FPS.
GameBoost analyzes your hardware and Windows, scores your PC and fixes what it can – every change can be undone.
- Windows Game Mode, background recording, mouse acceleration
- Refresh rate, optimizations for windowed games, power plan
- Hints for GPU scheduling, old graphics drivers, RAM and disk space
- Recommended in-game settings for your GPU and monitor: preset, textures, shadows, DLSS/FSR, Reflex, FPS limit
Crosshair overlay
Your crosshair. Pixel-perfect in the center.
- Cross, dot, circle, cross + dot and T-shape
- Color, opacity, length, thickness, gap, outline and offset with live preview
- Exactly centered – multi-monitor and display scaling handled
- Presets, and share crosshairs with friends via code
GB1-…
And everything else
One app instead of five little tools.
Profiles & automation
One profile per game. GameBoost notices when the game starts and turns game mode on – and off again when you quit.
Live dashboard
CPU, GPU, temperature and RAM in real time, your PC score and hardware at a glance – plus quick toggles for everything.
Global hotkeys
Toggle game mode, crosshair and overlay mid-game. All shortcuts are fully customizable.
Safe by design
System, Windows, security and anti-cheat processes are never closed. After a crash GameBoost restores your settings.
Lightweight
A single .exe, runs quietly in the tray and only measures while you actually look at the stats.
Ready in 30 seconds
How it works
- Download and unzip the ZIP file.
- Run GameBoost.exe – no installation needed.
- Run the PC check and click “Optimize all”.
- Play. GameBoost runs quietly in the system tray.
Global hotkeys
Even mid-game
| Toggle game mode | Ctrl + Alt + G |
| Toggle performance overlay | Ctrl + Alt + H |
| Toggle crosshair | Ctrl + Alt + C |
| Next crosshair preset | Ctrl + Alt + N |
All shortcuts can be changed freely in the settings.
Borderless window
Overlays are only visible when the game runs in borderless window (windowed fullscreen) mode – not in exclusive fullscreen.
Anti-cheat
Games with strict anti-cheat or tournaments may disallow overlays. Use at your own risk. GameBoost never touches game files or game memory – it only draws its own transparent windows.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Windows shows a warning on launch – is that normal?
Yes. The .exe is not digitally signed, so SmartScreen shows “Windows protected your PC” on first launch. Click More info → Run anyway. The full source code is on GitHub.
Why does the FPS counter need administrator rights?
GameBoost counts frames with Windows event tracing – the same technique as PresentMon – and Windows only allows that for administrators. Everything else (GPU temperature, load, VRAM, CPU, RAM) works without admin rights. In the app, one click restarts GameBoost as administrator.
What does the PC check change – and can I undo it?
Only per-user Windows settings such as Game Mode, background recording, mouse acceleration, refresh rate and windowed-game optimizations. Every change shows an Undo button that restores the original value. Game files are never touched.
Does GameBoost need admin rights?
No. Everything except the optional FPS counter runs with normal user rights. Only programs of your own user account are closed – and only the ones you selected.
What happens if my PC crashes while game mode is on?
On the next start GameBoost automatically restores your previous power plan and notification settings.
Does GameBoost cost anything?
No. GameBoost is free and open source.
Ready for the next round?
Version 1.1.0 · Windows 10 (1809+) / 11 · 64-bit
Download GameBoost for Windows