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Steam’s performance readings can help you work out whether a game is more likely limited by its CPU or GPU, but they do not prove the cause on their own. Compare the same repeatable scene, change one setting at a time, and use the result as a hypothesis to investigate—not a diagnosis from one percentage.
What Steam performance data can tell you
Steam’s In-Game Overlay Performance Monitor can display frame rate, CPU performance, GPU performance, and system RAM information. Steam’s documentation focuses on metrics initially available on Windows PCs; support for individual readings can vary with operating system and hardware. See Steam’s Performance Monitor documentation.
The readings help you assess how a game behaves at its current settings. They are not a complete account of every frame or a direct explanation of which code, asset, or system component caused a slowdown.
Separate base-game FPS from generated frames
When Steam detects frame-generation technology, its monitor can distinguish base-game FPS from FPS that includes generated frames, with values reported over one-second intervals. Keep the two figures separate when recording a test: generated frames can make displayed motion look smoother, but they do not mean the game simulation is producing the same number of frames.
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Read GPU utilization cautiously
A GPU engine can appear busy during a sampling period without all of its available cores being fully or optimally used. Treat Steam’s GPU indication as evidence about whether the game appears GPU-limited at the settings you tested, not as a standalone verdict based on a utilization percentage.
Run a controlled FPS bottleneck test
- Choose a repeatable scene. Use the same location, camera direction, graphics settings, and approximate activity for each run. Prefer stable gameplay over menus, loading screens, and transitions, which can behave differently from the part of the game you are investigating.
- Record a baseline. Note the FPS and Steam’s CPU and GPU indications. If frame generation is on, write down base-game FPS and generated-frame-inclusive FPS as separate values. Keep caps, refresh rate, and other graphics settings unchanged.
- Watch the pattern, not just the average. An average FPS figure describes broad throughput but can hide a slow frame or recurring spike. If the game exposes frame-time information, compare its consistency as well as its average. Valve’s Source 2 Telemetry HUD documentation distinguishes average FPS from the maximum (slowest) frame time in its recent window.
- Lower resolution only. Keep the scene and other settings fixed, then reduce resolution and repeat the run. A material FPS increase suggests the game responds to reduced graphics workload and may be GPU-limited. If FPS does not improve, Steam Support says performance is probably limited by CPU performance. This is a useful heuristic, not a guarantee.
- Repeat and check confounders. Run the comparison more than once. Make sure a frame-rate cap is not holding both results down, and check for changes in background activity, scene complexity, heat, or power-saving behavior that could affect performance.
- State the result proportionally. Describe results as “suggesting” or “consistent with” a CPU or GPU limit. If you need to identify the exact resource or code path, the overlay alone may not be enough; use a suitable engine or platform diagnostic as a follow-up.
Interpret the resolution test without overclaiming
If lowering resolution raises FPS while the scene and other settings stay constant, the game is responding to a lighter graphics workload. That is consistent with a GPU limit under the original settings, but it does not show that every graphics setting will have the same effect.
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If FPS stays roughly the same, a CPU limit becomes more likely. Steam Support’s guidance uses “probably,” rather than treating the test as conclusive. CPU heat or power-saving slowdowns can also cause sudden drops, so a flat result should prompt checks for those conditions rather than an automatic conclusion that the processor is the sole problem. See Steam Support’s troubleshooting guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use Steam Deck dashboard data as field evidence
For eligible titles, Steamworks provides developers with average framerate and a framerate-distribution chart in the Partner Dashboard. Steam’s October 1, 2026 announcement says the data comes from anonymized sessions of Steam Deck customers who opted in, and that the feature is currently available to Steam Deck Verified titles. It describes LCD Steam Decks as topping out at 60 FPS and OLED models at 90 FPS; those are hardware maxima, not performance targets or population averages. Details are in the Steamworks Development announcement.
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Use dashboard results to understand the range of reported player experiences, not as a clean measure of uninterrupted gameplay under identical conditions. The chart includes all sampled time, including loading screens. Player-set frame caps and external displays can also affect reported sessions, so a lower average does not by itself identify a bottleneck.
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Common mistakes to avoid
- Changing several settings at once: If FPS changes, you will not know which change mattered. Hold settings steady except for the test variable.
- Comparing different scenes: A crowded fight and an empty corridor may place very different demands on the same system.
- Using average FPS as a full account of smoothness: Averages can conceal slow frames and recurring spikes.
- Calling a GPU bottleneck from one utilization reading: Steam cautions that GPU utilization is not a simple measure of whether all GPU cores are fully or optimally used.
- Treating Deck aggregate results as gameplay-only measurements: Loading time, user caps, and display setup affect how those results should be read.
- Treating a resolution test as proof: It indicates how performance responds to that change; it does not isolate every possible cause of a slowdown.
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