FPS, short for “frames per second”, is a crucial part of any gaming experience. A higher FPS will make a game appear smoother and more responsive, whereas a low FPS will make a game look slow and choppy. When it comes to highly visual games, such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, knowing the FPS can make a huge difference in your visual gaming experience.
There are multiple ways to find the FPS in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. If you are running the game in Steam, you can choose to have a FPS counter on display while playing a game in the settings. Otherwise, you can use third-party software to show you the FPS.
Unfortunately, there is not a console command to display FPS to the player, so there are a few extra steps in order to show your FPS in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Read on to see the different ways to display FPS and the third-party software options that are available.
Table of Contents
How To Show FPS In Skyrim
Steam
Although there is no way to display FPS from the game settings, you can accomplish the desired effect in your Steam settings instead. In the upper lefthand corner of the Steam application on desktop, there is a button simply labeled “Steam”. When you click on it, a drop down menu will appear and one of the buttons is labeled “Settings”. Click that to open your Steam settings.
Once you are in the Steam settings, you will see a menu on the left side of the window. Select the option that says “In-Game”. You should see a page with a variety of options, including a section labeled “In-game FPS counter”. This is the area you want to focus on.
Under the section label, there is a drop down menu. The default settings will have it set to “Off”, but if you open the menu, you will see four options for placement of an FPS counter:
- Top-left
- Top-right
- Bottom-left
- Bottom-right
Pick whichever placement suits you. Underneath the drop down menu is a checkbox labeled “High contrast color”, which will display the FPS counter in a higher contrast while you are in-game.
Displaying FPS With Third-Party Software
If you are not playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Steam, you will have to download and install a third-party software that shows FPS. Run the third-party software before launching the game. Your FPS will now be visible on screen, although the exact location of the FPS counter may vary depending on what third-party software you choose.
Third-Party Software Options
The most popular third party software for displaying FPS is known as Fraps. Fraps is a Windows application that will display how many FPS you are getting on screen, along with screen and video capture software. The free version of Fraps will allow you to display FPS, so you do not have to purchase the full version of Fraps unless you want more content from the software.
You can also download and install mods for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that will display FPS information. A popular mod is the Elys MemInfo SKSE plugin, also known as MemInfo by Elys. This mod will display FPS and Memory Usage information in the top right corner of the screen if you hit Scroll Lock while you are playing the game.
Here is a brief list of other third party software for displaying FPS information:
- FPS Monitor
- MSI Afterburner
- GeForce Experience
- DXtory
How To Display FPS On Consoles
If you are playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on a PS4 or PS5, you can still display FPS information but only if you plug in a keyboard first. Once you have plugged in a keyboard, push the F3 button to display FPS information.
For the Nintendo Switch, you will need the Tesla Overlay, which has a menu of utility options. The Status Monitor Overlay option will display system and hardware information, including FPS. You can also use the NX-FPS plugin to display FPS information.
For the Xbox, you will need to open the Game Bar, select the Overlay menu, and look under the Performance section. Choose the FPS tab and press request access. However, with the Xbox series X, you will need to check under “Manage game and add-ons” and toggle FPS Boost or Auto HDR, then restart the game.
Conclusion
Whether you are on a PC or console, there are multiple ways to display FPS information while playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Even if you are on PC and do not have access to Steam, you can always use third party software to achieve the same effect. Regardless of your gaming setup, there is a way to show FPS.
