Monitor FPS in UWP Games on Windows 10

Monitoring Performance in Universal Windows Platform Games

Popular utilities such as FRAPS and NVIDIA ShadowPlay are effective for tracking game performance within the Windows operating system.

However, these tools are generally incompatible with games built on Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform (UWP).

Solutions for UWP Game Performance Tracking

Fortunately, several alternative solutions exist to enable framerate monitoring and benchmarking for games designed for Windows 10’s newer application platform.

While certain games may incorporate built-in FPS counters, this functionality isn't universally available.

Compatible Games

The following tools provide the capability to monitor frames per second (FPS) in UWP titles like Quantum Break, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex, and the Windows Store edition of Rise of the Tomb Raider.

These utilities offer a way to assess performance when standard methods fall short.
They are particularly useful for evaluating games distributed through the Windows Store.

Effectively gauging performance in UWP games requires utilizing specialized software due to limitations with traditional performance monitoring applications.

This ensures accurate data collection and a comprehensive understanding of how your system handles these modern titles.

PresentMon: A Free Tool for Performance Monitoring

Related: Considerations Regarding PC Game Purchases from the Windows Store, Specifically Rise of the Tomb Raider

PresentMon is a freely available, open-source utility developed by an Intel engineer. It leverages event tracing to observe the Windows operating system’s “present” commands, subsequently logging pertinent data. This functionality enables performance assessment of games utilizing DirectX 10, DirectX 11, and DirectX 12.

Notably, the tool remains functional even with Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications, those distributed through the Windows Store. Its operation is predicated on a lower-level monitoring approach, circumventing the need for direct interaction with the UWP app itself, which is intentionally restricted.

As a command-line application, PresentMon lacks a conventional graphical user interface. However, a developer could potentially construct a GUI-based tool utilizing this command-line program to enhance usability in the future.

Currently, initial setup requires some effort. Users must navigate to the PresentMon repository page and select "Download ZIP" to obtain the source files. Additionally, the free Visual Studio Express Community Edition from Microsoft needs to be downloaded.

Install Visual Studio and ensure all available updates are applied. This will guarantee optimal functionality and compatibility.

Extract the contents of the downloaded PresentMon repository archive. Then, double-click the "PresentMon.sln" file to open it within the Visual Studio environment.

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Visual Studio may prompt you to download the necessary compiler. Allow the download and installation to proceed to completion.

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Once the required software is installed, reopen the PresentMon.sln file in Visual Studio and initiate the build process. Select Build > Build Solution to compile the application.

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Upon successful compilation, an x64 directory will be generated, assuming a 64-bit Windows 10 installation – a common configuration. This directory contains the executable file, PresentMon64.exe, which is the core component of the tool.

You can relocate this file to a more accessible location, such as the Desktop or Downloads folder, for convenient access.

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To monitor a UWP application, you must first identify its process ID (PID). Launch the target game, then open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Escape.

Within the Task Manager, right-click on the column headers in the Processes tab and select "PID" to enable its display. If the Processes tab is not visible, click "More Details."

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Locate the running UWP game within the Task Manager and record its corresponding PID number. Keep in mind that this PID will change each time the application is launched, necessitating a new retrieval upon each session.

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A Command Prompt window must be opened with Administrator privileges to execute the monitoring command. Right-click the Start button or press Windows+X, then select "Command Prompt (Admin)."

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Navigate to the directory containing the PresentMon64.exe executable. Use the "cd" command followed by the full path to the directory where you stored the file.

For example:

cd C:\path\to\PresentMon-master\x64\Debug

Then, execute the following command, substituting "####" with the PID of the application you wish to monitor.

PresentMon64.exe -process_id ####

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The application’s frames per second (FPS) will be displayed within the Command Prompt window. Note that the FPS is not overlaid on the game itself; you will need to switch back to the Command Prompt window (Alt+Tab) to view the data.

Dxtory: A User-Friendly, Though Paid, Solution

For those seeking a more intuitive experience, Dxtory presents itself as a viable alternative. Similar to PresentMon, Dxtory accesses system data at a lower level within Windows. This approach bypasses the need for direct interaction with the game application itself, ensuring compatibility with Universal Windows Platform (UWP) games.

It’s important to download the “latest” build, specifically version 2.0.134 or newer, rather than the “stable” release. These recent builds address compatibility concerns encountered with DirectX 12 applications.

A key distinction from PresentMon lies in Dxtory’s inclusion of a graphical user interface (GUI). Furthermore, it’s capable of displaying an FPS counter directly over UWP games.

This functionality positions Dxtory as a more complete substitute for FRAPS, offering a comprehensive suite of features.

However, Dxtory is not free software. A trial version is available, but a license purchase is required for continued use. The cost of a license is 3800 Japanese Yen, which currently translates to approximately $34.50 USD.

To begin monitoring your FPS, simply launch the Dxtory application and then start – or switch to via Alt+Tab – your UWP game. An FPS readout will then be overlaid on the top-left corner of the game window.

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Additional information and settings customization are accessible through the Dxtory application itself. No complex configuration is necessary; launching Dxtory and then a UWP game will initiate FPS monitoring automatically.

To remove the FPS counter, simply close the Dxtory application.

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Looking ahead, it is anticipated that more gaming utilities, such as NVIDIA’s ShadowPlay, will receive updates to support Microsoft’s UWP platform. Currently, however, only a limited number of tools function with UWP games.

Utilizing these tools often requires deliberate effort. The UWP platform remains under development, and its limitations are particularly evident in the realm of PC gaming.