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To show an FPS counter in a game, open MSI Afterburner’s Settings → Monitoring, select Framerate, and enable Show in On-Screen Display. Assign a toggle key in the On-Screen Display tab, then launch the game with both Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS) running. RTSS renders the in-game overlay; selecting Framerate alone does not put it on screen.
What you need
- A Windows PC with MSI Afterburner installed.
- RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS), installed alongside Afterburner or separately. MSI says both programs should remain running for in-game monitoring to appear: MSI Afterburner support guidance.
- A game that permits the overlay. RTSS supports common rendering APIs such as DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan, but compatibility can vary by game and anti-cheat software.
Download Afterburner from MSI’s Afterburner page. MSI warns that fake download sites may distribute modified installers or phishing malware. RTSS is hosted by Guru3D, which identifies itself as its official hosting partner; use its RTSS download page rather than an unofficial mirror.
If installing Afterburner, make sure the RTSS component is selected in the installer. If Afterburner is already installed without it, install RTSS separately, then open both programs before testing. The cited download page lists RTSS 7.3.7 Final and was updated September 30, 2025; software listings can change. MSI’s page lists Afterburner 4.6.6 Final (October 2025) and 4.6.7 Beta (February 2026), while Guru3D lists a 4.6.7 Beta 3 build dated June 19, 2026. For a straightforward setup, prefer a final release unless you specifically need a beta build. Interface labels may differ slightly between versions, skins, or languages.
Turn on the live FPS counter
- Open MSI Afterburner and confirm RTSS is running. RTSS usually has an icon in the Windows notification area; open it if necessary.
- Click the gear icon in Afterburner to open its properties.
- Choose the Monitoring tab.
- In the list of hardware and performance metrics, select Framerate.
- Enable Show in On-Screen Display for that metric. The metric must be assigned to the OSD as well as selected. MSI documents this setting in its on-screen display guide.
- Click Apply. Then open the On-Screen Display tab.
- Find Toggle On-Screen Display, click its shortcut field, and press a key not already used by the game. Scroll Lock is one possible choice, not a required default. Click Apply, then OK to close the settings window.
- Launch the game and press the assigned key if the counter is not already visible. It commonly appears in a screen corner.
MSI notes that global hotkeys generally work only after the settings window has been closed. Its OSD guide also explains the hotkey and benchmark controls.
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Adjust the overlay or add other metrics
To move or resize the counter, open RTSS from the notification area. You can also use the More button in Afterburner’s On-Screen Display tab to open RTSS, as described in MSI’s guide. RTSS offers controls for position, text zoom, background fill and opacity, as well as per-game profiles.
To make a more informative but still readable overlay, return to Settings → Monitoring and assign each additional metric to the OSD individually. A useful starting set is:
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- Framerate: frames per second.
- Frametime: time taken to render each frame, usually shown in milliseconds. More consistent frametimes can help explain why a game feels smoother even when its FPS is similar.
- GPU temperature and usage: GPU heat and how heavily the graphics processor is being used.
- GPU clock, CPU temperature and CPU usage: additional context when diagnosing performance.
Each sensor needs its own Show in On-Screen Display assignment. Start with a few items; displaying every sensor can clutter the game view and make it harder to spot the number you need.
Live FPS is different from average FPS and 1% lows
Framerate is the continuously updating counter most players mean by “FPS counter.” Framerate Avg, Framerate 1% Low and similar entries are benchmark-style statistics; simply enabling them in Monitoring may not produce meaningful values without a recorded benchmark.
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To record a repeatable result, open Settings → Benchmark and assign start- and stop-recording hotkeys. MSI’s example uses F9 to start and Shift+F9 to stop, but these are configurable examples, not universal defaults. In the game, start recording, play the same test sequence, then stop recording. Use consistent scenes and settings when comparing runs.
FPS is only one measure of how a game feels: it counts frames per second, while frametime consistency helps reveal uneven delivery or stutter. Enabling the counter measures performance; it does not improve FPS or change clock, voltage, power-limit, or fan settings.
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Fix an FPS counter that does not appear
Check the basic setup first
- Verify RTSS is installed and running, and leave Afterburner open too.
- In Settings → Monitoring, select Framerate and confirm Show in On-Screen Display is enabled for it.
- In Settings → On-Screen Display, confirm a toggle key is assigned. Close the settings window before testing the key.
- Start the game after opening Afterburner and RTSS. Check that the OSD is enabled in RTSS.
MSI’s support guidance says both Afterburner and RTSS need to run in the background for monitoring data to appear in-game.
If the hotkey does nothing
Return to Settings → On-Screen Display, clear and reassign the shortcut, and choose a key with little chance of conflicting with the game or another application. Click Apply and OK, then test after closing settings. Also check that neither Afterburner nor RTSS was closed after configuration.
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If it works in one game but not another
Some games or anti-cheat systems restrict third-party overlays, and other overlay or recording tools can conflict with RTSS. RTSS’s download information documents compatibility and anti-cheat limitations. Try temporarily disabling other overlays and testing another game or benchmark. You can add the game executable as an RTSS per-game profile, but that is not a guaranteed workaround; do not force an overlay in a competitive title if its publisher or anti-cheat rules prohibit it. MSI notes that some games may not display the OSD and suggests Windows Game Bar as an alternative in certain cases.
If the overlay broke after an update
A clean reinstall is a last resort because removing profile data can erase custom settings. Before proceeding, export or screenshot important settings and profiles. Then uninstall Afterburner and RTSS, remove profiles or configuration data only if you intend to discard them, restart Windows, reinstall from MSI or Guru3D, and configure the OSD again. Guru3D recommends a clean uninstall, including profile removal, when an update breaks overlay functionality.
Other ways to see FPS
If you only need a simple number, Steam’s built-in counter is convenient for Steam games. Windows Xbox Game Bar and NVIDIA or AMD overlays are other options. They may be simpler to activate, while Afterburner with RTSS is useful when you want to combine FPS with hardware temperatures, usage, clocks, or frametime. RTSS can also work as a standalone framerate-monitoring and OSD tool, according to its homepage, though game compatibility limitations still apply.
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