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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Microsoft acknowledges that Windows 11 security features can affect gaming performance in some configurations, but there is no universal Windows 11 FPS penalty. The features most often involved are Memory integrity (also called Hypervisor-protected Code Integrity, or HVCI), the broader Virtualization-based Security (VBS) framework, and Virtual Machine Platform (VMP). The size of any effect depends on the processor, game, drivers and whether the workload is CPU- or GPU-limited.
Measure your own game before changing protection. A repeatable improvement may justify a temporary, reversible test; a tiny or inconsistent difference usually does not justify reducing kernel-level security.
Which Windows security features are involved?
| Feature | What it does | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| Virtualization-based Security (VBS) | Uses the Windows hypervisor to isolate sensitive operating-system functions in a protected environment. | It is the security framework, not a synonym for every virtualization feature. |
| Memory integrity (HVCI) | Runs kernel-mode code-integrity checks inside the protected VBS environment, helping prevent malicious or vulnerable drivers from tampering with the Windows kernel. Microsoft also calls it Hypervisor-protected Code Integrity. | It is one protection that uses VBS, not the same thing as VBS itself. |
| Virtual Machine Platform (VMP) | A Windows optional component that supplies virtualization capabilities used by features such as some virtual-machine workloads. | It is not interchangeable with Memory integrity. |
| Core isolation | The Windows Security area where Memory integrity and related protections are shown. | It is a user-interface category, not a separate hypervisor. |
| TPM and Secure Boot | Hardware and boot-chain security technologies often required by modern Windows or games. | Simply having TPM or Secure Boot enabled does not prove that they are causing a frame-rate problem. |
Microsoft’s technical explanation of Memory integrity is available in its Memory integrity and VBS documentation. Its consumer explanation of Core isolation is in Windows Security device security.
Why can these protections affect games?
Virtualization adds another enforcement layer
VBS places selected security operations in an environment isolated by the Windows hypervisor. HVCI also changes how kernel-mode code and drivers are validated. That work can consume some CPU time or alter driver behavior, although the cost is not fixed across systems.
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Processor support matters
Microsoft says Memory integrity generally performs better on Intel Kaby Lake and newer processors with Mode-Based Execution Control (MBEC), and on AMD Zen 2 and newer processors with corresponding virtualization support. Older processors may emulate some capabilities and can therefore show a larger overhead.
Games expose different bottlenecks
A CPU-bound game, high-refresh competitive title or simulation is more likely to reveal a CPU-side cost than a GPU-bound game running at high resolution. Driver-heavy setups can also be more sensitive: peripheral software, RGB and fan-control utilities, hardware monitors, capture tools, overlays and anti-cheat components all rely on low-level drivers.
Frame-time behavior can matter more than average FPS
An average-FPS change can hide stutter. Compare frame-time graphs and 1% lows as well as average FPS, and watch whether GPU utilization changes. A laptop changing power mode, temperature or battery state can create a larger difference than the security setting itself.
How large is the performance loss?
There is no single percentage that applies to every Windows 11 PC. Some modern systems show no meaningful difference; some CPU-limited games lose measurable average FPS or low-percentile performance; older CPUs and driver-heavy configurations can be affected more.
Historical independent testing by Tom’s Hardware found game-specific losses ranging from negligible to several percentage points, including roughly 6% in one tested Shadow of the Tomb Raider configuration. That was an older test of particular hardware, Windows and feature combinations—not a current benchmark for every Windows 11 installation. See the test at Tom’s Hardware.
The defensible conclusion is workload-dependent: a few percentage points may be normal in one configuration, while another shows no meaningful change—or a larger decline in a CPU-limited title. Do not treat a dramatic maximum quoted without hardware, game, graphics settings, Windows build and feature combination as a general rule.
How to check whether Memory integrity is enabled
- Open Settings.
- Select Privacy & security.
- Select Windows Security.
- Select Device security.
- Under Core isolation, select Core isolation details.
- Read the Memory integrity toggle.
The labels and available controls can vary by Windows version, edition, hardware and policy. Hardware virtualization must be enabled in UEFI/BIOS for Memory integrity to function; that does not mean you should turn firmware virtualization off to test the Windows feature.
Check VBS status with built-in diagnostics
Open System Information from the Start menu and inspect the virtualization-based security status. Advanced users can query Microsoft’s documented WMI class in PowerShell:
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteGet-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_DeviceGuard -Namespace rootMicrosoftWindowsDeviceGuard
The Win32_DeviceGuard documentation explains the returned properties.
How to test the effect without fooling yourself
Use an A/B test on the same workload instead of applying a generic “gaming optimization.”
- Choose a game with a repeatable built-in benchmark or a route you can reproduce precisely.
- Record average FPS, 1% lows or frame-time data, GPU and CPU utilization, resolution, graphics settings, Windows build and GPU-driver version.
- Run the benchmark at least three times with Memory integrity enabled and keep the results.
- Change only the Memory integrity setting; do not simultaneously update drivers, change power mode or close unrelated software.
- Restart Windows.
- Repeat the identical benchmark at least three times.
- If needed, restore the original setting and retest to confirm that the result follows the setting rather than run-to-run variation.
- Keep scenes, save files, resolution, frame cap, background processes and display mode identical.
- Do not compare different game patches, driver versions or Windows updates and then attribute the difference to VBS or HVCI.
- Record frame-time graphs when stutter or input latency is the complaint; an FPS overlay alone may miss it.
Should you turn Memory integrity off?
Leave it enabled when
- The measured difference is negligible or inconsistent.
- The PC is used for banking, work, school, business files or other sensitive activity.
- You install mods, trainers, unsigned utilities or software from uncertain sources.
- The computer is shared, is a laptop where security is a priority, or is a Secured-core PC.
- A game or anti-cheat system requires or prefers modern security settings.
A controlled temporary test can be reasonable when
- A repeatable CPU-bound performance loss remains after normal driver and system troubleshooting.
- An older processor is in use and the measured gain is material.
- A peripheral or utility is blocked and an updated compatible driver is unavailable.
- You understand the reduced protection and have a plan to restore the setting.
Do not disable it merely because
- A forum post says VBS always destroys FPS.
- Task Manager reports that virtualization is enabled.
- TPM or Secure Boot is enabled.
- One game stutters without checking shader compilation, drivers, overlays, thermal throttling, background tasks and frame-time data.
How to disable and restore Memory integrity
- Open Settings → Privacy & security → Windows Security → Device security.
- Select Core isolation details.
- Turn Memory integrity off.
- Restart the computer when Windows requests it.
To restore protection, return to the same page, turn the toggle on and restart again if prompted. Microsoft warns that disabling the feature can take a Secured-core PC out of its protected state. Its driver troubleshooting guidance recommends finding an updated compatible driver first.
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Do not use BIOS virtualization changes, registry edits or boot-configuration commands as the default method. Disabling CPU virtualization in firmware is a different action and can disrupt Hyper-V, virtual machines, Windows Subsystem for Linux, Android emulation and other software.
What disabling the feature changes
- Protection against some kernel-level attacks and malicious or vulnerable drivers is reduced.
- A Secured-core device no longer has its full intended security posture.
- A blocked driver may work, but it can still be outdated or unsafe; a block does not automatically mean the driver is malware.
- Group Policy, Intune or another enterprise baseline may prevent the change or re-enable it.
- Windows, OEM or policy updates can alter defaults and available controls.
Microsoft says the vulnerable-driver blocklist is associated with Memory integrity, Smart App Control and Windows S mode in relevant configurations. Driver trust rules are also changing: Microsoft’s Windows driver policy says drivers covered by the old cross-signed program are no longer trusted by default after the April 2026 security update.
Competitive games and security requirements
Some anti-cheat systems require TPM, Secure Boot or other security states. Turning off Memory integrity may not improve performance and can create a separate compatibility problem. Check the game publisher’s current requirements before changing settings.
Try these fixes first
- Install Windows updates and optional driver updates.
- Install current GPU, chipset and motherboard drivers from the relevant manufacturer.
- Update or remove incompatible peripheral, RGB, fan-control, monitoring and capture utilities.
- Test with overlays and hardware-monitoring tools closed.
- Use a clean boot to identify background-software conflicts.
- Check CPU frametime, GPU utilization, temperatures and throttling.
- When plugged in, test Windows Best performance power mode—but note that Microsoft warns it increases power use, heat and battery drain. See Microsoft’s performance guidance.
- Test Optimizations for windowed games separately. This is a distinct Windows 11 setting for compatible DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 games, documented at Microsoft Support.
Do not treat a Secure Boot certificate update or TPM setting as evidence that Memory integrity is responsible. Microsoft says 2011-era Secure Boot certificates begin expiring from June 2026, with updates rolling out to supported Windows versions; that timing is separate from game-performance testing. Details are in Windows 11 and Secure Boot.
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Bottom line
Windows 11’s Memory integrity, VBS and related virtualization components can affect a particular game, especially on older CPUs or CPU-limited systems, but Microsoft does not say that Windows 11 universally damages gaming performance. Verify the active feature, benchmark the same workload several times, and change only one setting. Keep Memory integrity enabled when the gain is small or security matters; use a reversible, documented test only when the improvement is consistent and worth the protection trade-off.
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