In the endless debate between PC and console gamers, one major advantage that Team PC seems to always rely on is the customizability that comes with playing on the PC.
On your PC, you can customize your hardware settings to suit your gaming needs. From setting the clock speeds to memory, GPU speeds, and screen refresh rates, customization possibilities are endless.
However, today, many PC gamers play on computers that weren’t built to deliver consistent extended gaming performance. In the continued spirit of customization, that’s where game boosters come in. This software helps your computer compensate for its hardware shortcomings and deliver a smoother experience playing your favorite games.
This article will cover the seven best game boosters you can download today. We’ll discuss their pros and cons to help you pick the best solution for your needs.
What is a Game Booster? And is it Necessary?
In simple terms, a game booster is a software program designed specifically to improve the gaming performance of your Windows PC. It works to maximize your frames-per-second count and minimize the resource-intensive background processes.
Alongside the benefits above, game boosters also ensure uniform performance across all parts of a gameplay session. They also help you achieve reduced controller latency and network ping (in the case of online games).
Some boosters also overclock the CPU and increase the fan speeds, ensuring that the heat generated in intense gaming sessions is dissipated properly.
7 Best Best Games Booster
So that covers the basics. The table below provides a quick overview of the best games boosters on the market.
Best Games Booster | Pros | Cons | Pricing |
GameBoost | Helps boost gaming FPS | Doesn’t help defrag the system | $19.30 |
Game Fire | Straightforward game boosters as it automatically optimizes Windows | lacks manual optimization settings | $17.95 |
WTFast | Streamlines the data between your PC and Game Server | Doesn’t make any enhancements in the PC | $ 9.99 / Month |
MSI Afterburner | You can use it for your laptops and desktops along with non-MSI-supported graphic cards. | May not work with older hardware | Free |
Wise Games Booster | The software is safe to use. | Can’t do defragmentation and overclocking | Free |
MZ Game Accelerator | Helps Boost FPS | Unpleasing User-Interface | Free |
Razer Cortex | Effective Management of Background Processes | Limited Features | Free |
GameBoost
The best thing about GameBoost is, perhaps, the fact that it might be the most affordable software on this list. Available with a one-time payment of $25, it is currently used by millions of gamers across the globe.
It employs a command-level control over components like your GPU, allowing it to operate at its maximum sustainable capacity for improved graphic fidelity and smoothness. In addition, GameBoost automatically adjusts to your computer’s specs. Among other things, this means it can find and resolve any crippling system issues.
To use GameBoost, you don’t have to be an experienced coder. All that’s needed is for you to choose simple presets like internet type and CPU specs and tap the “optimize” button. Once done, you’re ready to go.
The software is designed to be simple, functional, and a breeze to pick up and use. The software is ad-free, so you aren’t distracted by annoying ads while playing.
Game Fire
The main strength of Game Fire lies in the fact that it identifies the background apps, services, and programs you can temporarily disable for improving the gaming performance. These processes are removed from RAM, freeing up valuable computing power while you play.
In addition, the tool encompasses a vast array of programs that it can disable – some of which are Windows Defender, Search, File Explorer, and other notorious power hogs. It displays them the moment you click into the game.
Game Fire also has an in-built game defragmentation tool and quick access to tools like the Memory Diagnostics and Performance Monitor.
WTFast
WTFast is perhaps the most popular game booster software available for PCs today. However, it is specifically focused on improving the speed (and reducing latency) while playing online games.
When gaming on the internet, speed is everything. Metrics like latency and ping are crucial to ensuring smooth frame rates, reducing lag, and enhancing your overall gaming experience. The company claims that WTFast streamlines and repackages the internet data to and from your game, thus decreasing ping and latency.
The software also uses private global networks where your stream doesn’t compete with other data packets for bandwidth, much like a highway between the game server and your PC. The company behind WTFast also has a gleaming CV, with partnerships with the likes of ASUS and MSI in its name.
Yes, WTFast is amazing, but you have to be prepared for a monthly subscription. The software has a limited free trial period and a monthly plan of $8.33 after that.
MSI Afterburner
Speaking of big names in the gaming hardware space, it scarcely gets any bigger than MSI. This company has churned out expertly-made machines that, for years, have impressed the most discerning of PC gamers.
Now, however, MSI has made a companion app for game optimization for all gaming-focused Windows PCs. The tool gives you a fair slew of overclocking options in addition to amazing features like benchmarking, fan speed customization, and gameplay video recording.
The sheer vastness and granularity of the GPU and CPU controls afforded by Afterburner allow you to unlock the real gaming potential of your hardware. However, a downside to the tool is that it often requires trial and error to find the optimum setting for each variable.
Wise Game Booster
This very popular Windows 10 game booster tool possesses many of the same key features as the Razer Cortex software. However, reviewers often praise it for being cleaner and much easier to use than the latter.
Wise Game Booster stops many of the unnecessary background processes that may be bogging down your PC, freeing up resources for it to run the game properly. While the tool can work automatically, users can also choose the manual optimization option, allowing you free reign over what processes you want to go.
Best of all, Wise Game Booster is entirely free to use.
MZ Game Accelerator
MZ Game Accelerator is for you if you’re looking for a lightweight, unobtrusive game booster that won’t create new problems while solving others. The software takes up only a couple of megabytes.
MZ Game Accelerator is very intuitive. A few clicks launch the program and, from there, you can start the game accelerator mode. Within a few seconds, your PC will be optimized to start the gaming session.
In addition, using the software doesn’t require you to restart your computer. It takes control immediately, maximizing device performance without the need for fancy tricks like GPU overclocking or fan speed increases.
MZ Game Accelerator is entirely free to use.
Razer Cortex
This Game booster is considered by many to be the best in the market. It remedies high network ping issues, lagging, and other system issues that could lead to a forgettable gaming experience.
With Razer Cortex, all of the possible performance given your system’s specs is made available when needed. Once you’re done playing, your PC returns to its normal performance state.
Cortex is designed for people whose PCs aren’t exactly state-of-the-art but want a stable gaming experience. Even things like junk files and cache repositories are cleared efficiently by the software.
Conclusion
There has never been a better time to be a PC gamer. With Nvidia’s latest offerings in the GPU space, PCs are handily outperforming current-generation consoles in the most demanding games like Forza, Dead Souls, and Horizon: Zero Dawn.
However, not everyone can afford the hardware required to run those games at optimal levels or even want to play graphically demanding games. If you’re someone with a budget gaming rig that wants to play games for fun, game boosters are the way to go.
These boosters manage your PC’s state and remove things like junk files, allowing it to sustain high-performance workloads and improve game load times. Many of them are free too, so you don’t have to worry about recurrent monthly expenditures.
What are you waiting for? Turbocharge your gaming experience today.