- TechSpot retested Windows 11 for gaming performance compared to Windows 10
- Windows 11 emerged victorious and was significantly faster in some games
- The previous test showed Windows 10 to be faster, but 24H2 significantly improved Windows 11 on the gaming front – but there are other issues to consider here.
Which is better for gaming: Windows 11 or Windows 10? If you thought – like many people – that Windows 10 is faster in terms of performance with PC games (despite being the older OS), well, not according to a new comparison, although there are admittedly a lot of nuances here.
Still, the news is that in a TechSpot test comparing gaming performance across a number of benchmarks, the latest version of Windows 11 (25H2) came in ahead of Windows 10 (22H2, the final incarnation) – even though there wasn’t a huge difference.
As TechSpot concluded: “The verdict? Windows 11 25H2 edges out Windows 10 in gaming performance, although your mileage will vary depending on hardware configuration, and we obviously can’t compare every configuration imaginable.”
This was based on benchmarking with 14 different games and averaging those results across three resolutions. At 1080p, Windows 11 was 4% faster than Windows 10, and 5% faster at 1440p and 4K.
This notably reversed the result of a previous test which showed that Windows 10 (22H2) was faster than Windows 11 23H2, when the latter was the latest version. TechSpot observes that the 24H2 update has actually fixed a number of issues related to gaming performance.
So here are the pitfalls. Obviously, this result is based on a hardware configuration and, as TechSpot admits, it is a high-end configuration: AMD’s Ryzen 9800X3D CPU and Nvidia’s RTX 5090 GPU. A low-end gaming rig could very well show a somewhat different perspective, and changing the game selection could obviously also skew the results in other ways.
Using an AMD GPU could do the same thing, although the test also ran a few bonus tests (to clarify some issues with particular games) that used an AMD RX 9070 XT and a Ryzen 9700X. This is also a more realistic (though still high-end) typical gaming setup, and Windows 11 continued to be faster in one test (by 2% to 3%), although it was a dead end in the other. Again, this was a slight nod in favor of the new operating system.
Beyond the averages, there were some revealing individual results here. Arc Raiders particularly stands out, as Windows 11 was found to be 11% faster at 1080p, and somehow 14% and 15% faster at 1440p and 4K respectively. Borderlands 4 was also between 9% and 13% faster on Windows 11.
Analysis: Various captures – and the giant bug in the room
This is an intriguing battery of tests, and it certainly shows that Windows 11 is not slower than Windows 10 – which is an anecdotal claim often cited on social media. Although this idea is rooted in the past, where Windows 11 was (a little) slower, according to previous TechSpot tests.
So this is good news for gamers on Windows 11, but we need to keep the mentioned caveats firmly in mind – and that overall there is hardly a huge gap in gaming performance (except for the noted outliers).
We should also remember that TechSpot notes that it has “removed both operating systems to minimize interference”, which means disabling VBS, memory integrity and kernel isolation (security features), as well as antivirus and others – which seems like a reasonable precaution (but not everyone does it).
Aside from that, however, my problem – and I suspect this is the case for many PC gamers – is not with the performance levels that Windows 11 has proven to be good for here. It’s these bugs.
If you’re using Windows 11, you’re more likely to be frustrated by issues, and while 24H2 may have improved gaming performance, as TechSpot explains, it was also teeming with gremlins. This was the start of a bad streak of bugs for Microsoft, and we’re still seeing Windows 11 hit by these annoyances in the very first patch of 2026, which brought some really nasty issues including boot failures and also sleep mode disruptions for some older PCs. There have also been many gaming issues with Windows 11.
Okay, not everyone experiences bugs with Windows 11, and of course it depends on the PC configuration, installed apps, and for gamers, the specific GPU they have and the games they often play, how often they update their drivers, etc. There are a lot of moving parts, and that includes Microsoft’s monthly updates for Windows 11, which can introduce gaming (or other) bugs out of the blue.
Windows 10, on the other hand, is a much more stationary beast. It only receives monthly security updates, with no new features and a minimal level of manipulation of the underlying code base. In short, it’s more stable and reliable, and gamers using Windows 10 must surely be watching the bug reports and Windows 11 frustrations roll in, and thinking, “well, I won’t bother upgrading then.” And can you blame them? Even though Windows 11 is now faster than Windows 10 by all accounts (which it should have been anyway, in the first place).
Of course, the situation will change when Windows 10 drops out of extended support in October 2026, because at that point decisions to upgrade (or buy new PCs) will be forced. But in the meantime, I think Microsoft’s frustration with the lack of migration to Windows 11 from its old operating system – among gamers, and even everyday users – will persist.
That said, work is apparently underway to fix Windows 11’s wonky innards in terms of bug prevalence, and as I’ve discussed elsewhere this morning, I really hope that happens – but I have no real belief that it will. Fingers crossed that I’m wrong.
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