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Really this goes for any game, but for my current needs, how do I measure my Frames per Second in Skyrim?

If possible I would like to avoid installing any additional software.

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  • If you bought it over Steam, Steam has built-in support, you just need to enable it before on Steam before launching the game. Also Geforce Experience has it, as well.
    – Haggra
    Dec 28, 2017 at 10:29

6 Answers 6

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Unfortunately, Skyrim does not provide a method for displaying its FPS to the player. The console command tdt (ToggleDebugText) was expected to work by many players, as it did in previous Bethesda games. It doesn't work in Skyrim, though, so third-party software really is your only choice in this case.

I've used FRAPS successfully with Skyrim, the free version is sufficient for just an FPS readout.

In general, if a game or its engine doesn't specifically provide an implementation of an FPS readout (usually via some sort of console command or similar), then additional software is your only choice.

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  • DMA57361 is correct. I recommend FRAPS as well: but keep in mind other factors such as vertical sync ( a setting which can be in your graphic card's software or in game or both) that limits your FPS to 60. This prevents screen tearing. With the beta patch (1.4?), it increased 10-15+ FPS but it is still a little buggy - hence beta.
    – Zero
    Jan 31, 2012 at 16:39
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    +1 for FRAPS, even nVidia recommends using it for their Skyrim settings tweaking guide.
    – James
    Jan 31, 2012 at 17:10
  • An update: The latest steam beta now has an FPS option in the steam overlay. Soon it'll be in the stable channel I bet.
    – James T
    Jan 11, 2015 at 2:50
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You can use the Elys MemInfo SKSE plugin to display FPS along with several other useful statistics in-game. This will likely result in more accurate readings and is simpler than using a separate tool.

Requirements:

Skyrim version 1.1.21 or above is required.

Skyrim Script Extender version 1.1 or above.

At least Windows XP SP1.

Installing:

Extract the content of this archive into your Skyrim folder. ( by default the folder is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\skyrim" )

If correctly extracted you should find SKSE_Elys_MemInfo.dll inside your "\DATA\SKSE\Plugins\"

Usage:

Hit Scroll Lock in-game, direct gaze toward the top right corner of the screen.

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Steam has an in-game FPS counter for any game built into the in-game settings.
From HowToGeek:

In Steam (while no games are running), just head to Steam > Settings > In-Game and then pick a position for the FPS display from the “In-game FPS counter” dropdown. Look at the corner of the screen you chose while playing a game and you'll see the FPS counter.

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  • Even though the OP does not mention Steam, this can prove a helpful answer.
    – Joachim
    Apr 17, 2019 at 8:18
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MSI Afterburner is another one you can use. It was working then all of the sudden stopped for me. Could be just something I am using interfering with it. One thing worth a shot trying;

  • Download, install, open up
  • Right click on the monitor and go to properties
  • Click the monitoring tab
  • Go down to 'Active Hardware Motioning graphs'
  • Check FPS and below that options were to show

Game Booster also has FPS options.

Will try FRAPS this time. Above may work well for others or not. Who knows. Worth a shot as well.

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If you are using ENB Series (link), just press * on your numpad.

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If you have an EVGA video card their tuning utility has the ability to display fps in custom colors/locations.

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