Software for pc gamers: 7 free programs every PC gamer needs — Mitspielen — Vampire Live in München

7 free programs every PC gamer needs

Home

Feature

Monitor your frame rates, beautify your games, talk to friends, and more.

By Thiago Trevisan

PCWorld Nov 22, 2021 6:24 am PST

Image: Thiago Trevisan/IDG

PC gaming is fun, versatile, and chock full of snazzy utility software tailored to supercharge your experience. That said, there’s plenty of bulky, frustrating utilities out there too. Fear not! After years of playing around with all sorts of tools during intense gaming sessions, we’ve identified the best sidekick utilities for PC gamers. Who knows—they may even help you snag another win in your score column!

If you need to bring a bit more firepower to your online frag sessions, be sure to check out our round ups of the best CPUs for gaming and the best graphics cards, too.

MSI Afterburner

Let’s start with the basics: Altering and monitoring your game hardware performance. MSI Afterburner is a free utility that works with both Nvidia and AMD graphics cards and allows you to keep tabs on the vital stats for your hardware.

Thiago Trevisan/IDG

Afterburner lets you see your GPU clock speed, temperatures, fan speed, and even how many frames per second you’re getting in-game. You can conveniently configure it to show up on-screen while you’re playing. Feeling adventurous? It will allow you to overclock and adjust power limits, too.

MSI Afterburner offers tremendous utility. You’ll be able to monitor performance changes depending on the graphics settings you tweak. You’ll also be able to make airflow adjustments in your case depending on thermal readings. Want to put a beefy GPU in a mini ITX case? No problem—you can custom adjust power and GPU clocks to improve efficiency. (Check this benchmarking article out for further suggestions on testing your rig)

Discord

Communication is vital for gamers playing online, be it team games or even competitive solo matches. Discord is the ultimate evolution of voice, text, and video chat that augments your gaming experience. Need to communicate with your teammates in Call of Duty? How about organize a tournament amongst many friends? Discord will allow you to do this, and much more.

Even though this stock photo shows the Mac interface, the PC interface looks almost identical.

Discord

It doesn’t stop there – how about Discord channels that update you on hardware availability? Many boutique PC builders have such a community where users can share experiences, lead times, and hardware advice. There are even channels specifically tailored to help you find that elusive piece of hardware, like new GPUs when they restock!

Discord does have a slightly steeper learning curve compared to traditional social media apps, but it is a powerful tool once you’re comfortable navigating through the various communities and chat rooms. Our beginner’s guide to Discord can help get you started.

Steam

Thiago Trevisan/IDG

What’s the first piece of software a gamer usually installs? You probably guessed right! It’s Steam, the massive online library for buying and storing your games. There are other similar online shops out there, but Steam is the most expansive and the one most beloved by gamers. Here is where you’ll find the latest titles, and keep your library updated. The best part is that it’s easy to use and consolidates your games—and friends—in one place. It also has a great older game library, and plenty of user feedback to help you make a decision on what to play next.

We’ve all been there. You have Steam open, ready to download the newest game. The problem: It’s massive and your rig is running low on space. The solution: WinDirStat, a free utility that allows you to deep clean the space on your PC. Simply uninstalling a piece of software is often not enough. With WinDirStat, you can chase down remnants of old installs and other space-hogging files that are taking up precious space, giving you more room for the newest mega monster game downloads. It also gives you visual indications and a tree map of your storage situation, making it more easy and enjoyable to use.

OBS Studio

OBS Studio is a fantastic, free to use screen recorder that has tremendous value for gamers and streamers alike. Want to video record your awesome game performance and share it with the world? OBS will do it, giving you many options. You can even stream live! While OBS Studio does not have the deep community structure and features of Discord, it excels at screen recording, though it has a steeper learning curve than the recording tools built into Windows or your graphics card’s software. Speaking of…

Nvidia GeForce Experience and AMD Radeon Software

Thiago Trevisan/IDG

Don’t forget the utilities from Nvidia and AMD! They not only allow you to grab the latest driver updates, but they’re also full of useful features. You can automatically overclock your graphics card with Nvidia GeForce Experience or AMD Radeon Software, and even optimize game settings too. Each also offers Afterburner-esque hardware monitoring tools, and Radeon Software can track your total hours played in each game. Those are just the tip of the iceberg though. Your GPU utilities serve as useful companions in your gaming toolbox!

Reshade

Reshade is free utility that lets you get deep into customization of the graphics and post processing in your games. You know those drool-worthy in-game screenshots you often see shared on social media? ReShade often powers the extra eye candy behind them. Game modding is a vibrant community, ranging from custom worlds to utilities like this that allow you to create the visual settings that you want. This is what makes PC gaming great – endless versatility.

Thiago Trevisan/IDG

ReShade’s not rocket science, but it’s also not for novice users. It’s a great utility for folks looking to get better-looking games with the hardware that they currently have. You’ll tinker with resolution, anti-aliasing, and other visual niceties. Be prepared to solve problems as they arise, as many games will differ and often presets found online will need your own custom settings.

Author: Thiago Trevisan

The best free software for your gaming PC

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Looking for essential free apps for your new gaming PC? You’ve come to the right place. Whether you’ve just bought yourself a gaming PC or built one from scratch, that humming mass of silicon and plastic is in need of superior software to take it to said limits. Lucky for you, even if you’ve just blown all your cash on your rig, there are a few such apps out there that won’t cost you a dime.

Don’t let your shiny new PC sitting in pride of place in your office wait to be pushed to its limits until you refill your bank balance. There are quite a few essential free apps for your new gaming PC that you can download now, at no cost to you, as long as you know where to look.

Our carefully collated collection of complimentary curatives should start you off on the right foot, just in time for PC Gaming Week 2020. These 10 essential free apps for your new gaming PC will help turn your burgeoning beast into a towering powerhouse, enabling you to track frame rates, voice chat with ease, and stream like a seasoned pro.

1. Steam

Why you can trust TechRadar
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Valve’s essential PC gaming platform and marketplace

Okay, this one’s an easy sell. If you’ve built or bought a shiny new PC for the express purpose of gaming, there’s one piece of software you simply won’t be able to live without: good ol’ Steam . We love it here at TechRadar, and we’re pretty sure you’ll have a lot of affection for it too.

Steam gives PC owners the kind of secure, professional ecosystem normally associated with closed–box consoles. You can search for free–to–play games, inexpensive indies or full blown triple–A titles, and launch them directly from the software. There’s even support for achievements, plus Big Picture mode for gaming from your sofa.

Download Steam

Enjoy multiplayer games over a secure virtual network, completely free

If you want to organize secure meetings or record multiple contributors to a podcast or game session, you need to be able to rely on a strong and robust VPN (virtual private network).

As you might have guessed since it’s included in this list LogMeIn Hamachi is totally free to use, but don’t let the absence of a price tag scare you off – free most definitely does not equal ‘cheap’.

Hamachi enables you to establish an airtight network between multiple computers and do everything from sharing files to playing private games, using a super–secure P2P protocol to ensure it can smoothly access servers, firewalls and routers. It boasts one of the simplest interfaces we’ve ever used in the world of VPNs, so if you’re relatively new to the concept, Hamachi won’t make you feel a total noob.

Download LogMeIn Hamachi

Optimize your PC’s settings, no matter what gaming platform you’re using

Razer, as a long established maker of PC gaming peripherals, also makes some very powerful free software to optimize your machine. Of course, there are areas of the suite that will lead you to some of Razer’s premium apps, but there’s still a lot of gratis gold to be mined from Razer Cortex: Game Booster .

It’s been designed to work with every kind of PC, so whether you’re rocking a basic build or a souped–up monster of a rig, Game Booster has something to offer your machine. Whether you’re using Steam, Origin or any other platform to launch your games, Game Booster will start trying to enhance your settings to improve your experience automatically.

It’s a really clever bit of free software for your gaming PC, and it’s ideal if you’re looking for a little extra improvement without much effort. It’s also great if you want to make an older PC work a little harder.

Download Razer Cortex: Game Booster

4. TeamSpeak

The perfect voice chat application for gamers, with optional encryption

Gaming can be a great source of escapism, but few things compare to joining up with your friends online for a good chat over your headset. Whether you want to link up on World of Warcraft or simply chew the fat while everyone is playing their own thing, a great a VoIP (voice over internet protocol) app is essential.

There are a lot of options out there when it comes to voice chat, but our favorite VoIP app is TeamSpeak . You can connect to your friends with ease, and its suite of options is seriously impressive, enabling you to tune sound levels, employ echo reduction and even use encryption.

TeamSpeak is free for everyday non-commercial PC use, though you’ll have to open your wallet to rent a server or use the mobile app.

Download TeamSpeak

The best free overclocking tool to wring extra performance from your GPU

MSI originally wrote Afterburner to overclock its own range of graphics cards, but the software has since been opened up to enable Nvidia and AMD card owners to push their hardware to the limit. If you have even a passing interest in making your new gaming PC’s graphics card earn its price tag, free optimization software MSI Afterburner is essential.

Think of MSI Afterburner as the way to unlock the inner potential of your GPU – the software opens up the voltage settings of your chosen bit of hardware and enables you to improve its overall performance.

Video memory and clock speed are the two areas MSI Afterburner shines the most when it comes to overclocking your machine. Be warned, though – mucking about with this settings can seriously overheat your rig, so make sure your cooling unit is set to full blast before you start cooking your GPU.

Download MSI Afterburner

High-end recording and streaming software for YouTube, Twitch and more

You’ve got your new PC, a stable internet connection and an unhealthy obsession with gaming. There’s only one way this is going to go: streaming.

There are plenty of options out there when it comes to broadcasting your games, but far too many constrict you with unnecessary limitations. That’s where OBS Studio comes in – a brilliantly customizable piece of freeware that enables you to stream to your own server or a variety of popular portals (including Twitch, DailyMotion and more).

Setting up OBS Studio is really easy too, so if you’re relatively new to the streaming scene you won’t get lost amid all those options. Should you want to get a little more advanced, there’s the option to adjust your webcam footage and add images/graphics to add that extra level of professionalism.

OBS Studio also supports HD streaming, so if you’re into broadcasting with a higher level of quality you can maintain your pristine image online.

OBS Studio review
Download OBS Studio

7. f.lux

A free app that adjusts your display automatically to protect your eyes

Away from your smartphone, gaming sessions usually mean long stretches in front of your display, straining those peepers of yours in the quest for trophies and achievements. It’s a fine old life, but it’s not going to do your eyes any good in the long run. One potential solution is a piece of software specifically designed to make your monitor that bit less damaging over long periods.

One such option is f.lux , and it’s especially useful if you like getting in your gaming hours later at night with the lights down low. This free Windows app works by dynamically adjusting the colour temperature of your display depending on the time of day and the light sources in the place you have your new gaming PC PC set up. It will help reduce eye strain and potentially improve sleep patterns when gaming later in the evening. It’s also pretty tiny, and won’t gobble up system resources better used by your favorite games.

Download f.lux

8. CPU-Z

Get detailed info about your PC’s performance and identify ways to boost it

Much like MSI Afterburner and f.lux, CPU–Z is all about fine–tuning your beloved PC gaming machine into a well–oiled, well, machine.

It’s certainly not an attractive program, but it’s the kind of back end kit you should really try if you want to get your PC in the best possible condition (especially if you’re trying to break into the eSports scene or you’re building a career in streaming).

CPU–Z enables you to review all kinds of detailed information about various areas of your PC in a fairly straightforward format. It’s certainly not for the faint hearted, but it’s definitely worth spending some time with if maximizing PC performance is your bag. You can see what’s going on in real time, and save reports at any time in TXT or HTML format.

Download CPU-Z

Clean out junk files to free up space, and suspend resource-hungry programs

Whether you realize it or not, your gaming PC or laptop is full of files and various bits of digital detritus you simply don’t need. All those extra bits and bobs take up valuable space, and that means said PC is going to run slower and slower as time goes by. Not the kind of situation you want with a gaming–dedicated rig. The solution: a proper cleaning utility like Piriform CCleaner.

It can delete temporary files and broken Windows registry entries automatically, and identify software your system doesn’t need. There is a caveat, though: CCleaner is very powerful, so make sure you check its settings before turning it loose on your machine to avoid accidentally deleting anything you’d rather hang onto (saved passwords in your web browser, for example). Still, CCleaner is an excellent free app for your new gaming PC.

Piriform CCleaner review
Download Piriform CCleaner

Analyze and optimize your PC for a noticeable performance boost

Another great option for cleaning up and optimizing your Windows PC is Iolo System Mechanic . There isn’t much benefit in running both, but this would be our preference if you’re not too confident tinkering with software settings yourself and would prefer a wizard-based program to make the decisions for you.

You’ll need to invest in the premium version of System Mechanic if you want extra tools like real-time optimization, but for clearing out the cruft from your system without the worry that you might accidentally delete something important, the free edition is hard to beat.

Iolo System Mechanic review
Download Iolo System Mechanic

TechRadar’s PC Gaming Week 2020 is celebrating the most powerful gaming platform on Earth with articles, interviews and essential buying guides that showcase how diverse, imaginative, and remarkable PC games – and gamers – can be. Visit our PC Gaming Week 2020 page to see all our coverage in one place.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site .

Essential software for gamers

Have you just bought yourself a new gaming PC or have you built it yourself? Of course, many gamers know the necessary programs — at least Steam — but there are a number of other interesting applications that you will probably want to install.

This collection includes programs that will help you not only with games, but also with optimizing the performance of your PC. These are the best free apps that any gamer will benefit from. But we are no less interested in your favorite programs — share them in the comments!

Game Store Customers

Let’s start with where we buy games. You no doubt know about Steam — it’s a great online store with a huge number of games and a proven track record over the years. Until recently, it had practically no competitors, but in recent years the situation has changed, so for a more complete coverage of the gaming market, it is worth installing the applications of several game stores, each of which has its own advantages.

For example, every month the Epic Games Store distributes not the newest, but very worthy games for free, and many titles are sold exclusively for at least a limited time after the release. GOG is renowned for being DRM-free, with a rich selection of classic games and direct developer support, and the GOG Galaxy launcher brings games from all platforms together into a single library.

And these are only official stores — in addition to them, there are many services with a proven reputation, where you can buy games at a discount. In the end, it all comes down to personal preference and budget, but to help you understand better, we have written separate articles: an overview of the top digital stores on PC, and the best applications for downloading games.

Opera GX

Opera GX is not a simple browser, but a game one: it is optimized in such a way that it does not consume PC resources and network traffic beyond what is necessary, and it is also integrated with Discord and Twitch, which can be accessed directly from the sidebar. You can follow your favorite streamers and get notifications from your friends without having to navigate tabs.

By limiting CPU and RAM consumption, Opera GX can be kept open even if you’re running a demanding online game — it won’t eat away resources like some other browsers do. You can share files between the mobile and desktop versions of the platform, and the built-in ad blocker will save you from annoying spam.

Finally, Opera GX has many themes with which you can personalize your browser, a separate service with a calendar of upcoming releases, information about discounts on games and free updates, current news from the gaming world, a built-in messenger and a music player in which you can integrate popular services. And even a free VPN.

Download

IObit Uninstaller

Unlike consoles, uninstalling programs on a PC may not be as easy. After deleting some of them, content files still remain forgotten on your PC. But instead of manually searching your disks for everything related to the remote program, you can use the IObit uninstaller.

This one-click application can get rid of any unnecessary program and remove everything associated with it. A very simple but incredibly useful program. Especially if you have been playing on your PC for more than a year.

DOWNLOAD

Malwarebytes

You should have some security software on your gaming PC. If you accidentally downloaded an application from some website, it’s a good idea to check your PC for viruses. There are a lot of antiviruses, and you probably know them — everything here is determined by personal preferences. But for our selection, we chose only free applications, so we recommend trying the free version of Malwarebytes.

It can scan your PC for viruses, malware, suspicious applications and any other dangerous objects that infect your PC and prevent you from reaching its full potential.

DOWNLOAD

LaunchBox

Emulators and ROMs are a delicate subject. Collectors often prefer to play original releases of video games on physical media, and of course, we should not forget about the legal side of the issue. However, if you love games for old classic consoles, you probably had to download several emulators and ROMs — often there are simply no other options. Unfortunately, managing such a collection in order to play without difficulty can be quite difficult.

But instead of constantly scrolling through a long list of video games on your hard drive, we suggest using LaunchBox. This program conveniently organizes your ROMs and emulators, allowing gamers to easily search for games right from their controller.

Games can be divided into several categories, so it will be even easier to choose the right one. The program is free, although if you’re willing to give up some money, we highly recommend purchasing the paid version — it has more features and tools that you should definitely get yourself.

DOWNLOAD

F.lux

When it comes to displays, players often prefer bright panels with lots of options, from vibrant colors to a level of brightness that won’t let you miss anything when raiding dark dungeons. But if you start playing in the late afternoon, the beautiful and bright display turns into a pain in the eyes.

Looking at the bright display late at night can be a little hard. When you turn on your computer in the dark, it’s easy to forget that your monitor’s brightness is set to daylight and expose your eyes to too much light. Pleasant little, but, fortunately, there is a program that can help you.

It is called F.lux and allows you to change the display settings depending on the time of day. If you turn on your computer in the early morning when the room is filled with bright natural light, the monitor will also be brighter according to the set schedule. With this program, your display will look great whether it’s day or night — you no longer have to go into settings to change the brightness manually.

DOWNLOAD

GameSave Manager

It is not uncommon for computer users to add additional drives to back up their operating system, images, videos, and any other files they want to save. This is no less important for gamers — few people are happy with a damaged file or hard drive.

If you’re playing a long RPG or just want to keep your saves in a safe place, then we recommend downloading GameSave Manager. This program provides easy navigation through all the game saves on your computer so you can back them up somewhere else.

If you’re unlucky with a hard drive crash or save corruption, you won’t lose all your progress. The app also allows you to restore your save files, so don’t worry, they’re in safe hands. You can play without fear of losing all your achievements and even take your saves with you in case you get a chance to play your favorite game away from home.

Like most of the programs on this list, GameSave Manager is completely free to download. But if you like it and want to support the developers, you can send them a donation via PayPal.

DOWNLOAD

WinDirStat

WinDirStat is another program for working with the drive. However, unlike the GameSave Manager discussed in the previous section, it helps you figure out what you can get rid of on your computer. Video games are constantly evolving, and when a new title comes out, you may need to make some space for it.

Games are getting bigger all the time, so if you don’t want to buy a new drive, or you just can’t afford it, then all you have to do is decide what to erase. WinDirStat is a great way to see what’s on your discs. This application not only displays the usual layout of space distribution, but also shows in a much more attractive way how much space a particular program takes up.

When opening an additional panel, the program will show several rectangles of different colors and sizes. The larger the size, the more space the file takes up on your disk. This is very handy if you need to see how much space a program or file is taking up, and it helps a lot when clearing space for installing a new game.

DOWNLOAD

MSI Afterburner

PC gaming is famous for the fact that if someone took the time to build a PC by himself, he often does not stop there and likes to dig into it a little more. As new games come out, you want to see if you can squeeze a few more frames per second out of your system by tweaking the settings.

But in addition to the in-game settings, you have a huge variety of other features and tools at your disposal. One of the most popular and recognized is MSI Afterburner. This is a program for working with various video cards. The video card is one of the key elements of a gaming PC, which is why attempts to improve frame rates and stability often begin with it.

MSI Afterburner allows gamers to control their graphics card. You can overclock it for maximum performance, set an fps limit, and use a detailed monitoring system to assess how much you can load the video card without compromising security. You can even launch a monitoring app on your smartphone and change settings without having to leave the game. So if you want to get a little more out of your gaming PC, this program is definitely worth considering.

DOWNLOAD

SuperF4

Everyone has faced this problem in their life. The program on the PC suddenly freezes and you can’t even exit it. Moreover, some programs in principle do not support the standard Alt + F4 combination.

That’s why we recommend installing SuperF4. With this app, gamers can close any active program with Ctrl+Alt+F4. It is quite small, but very useful, especially if you have programs that often refuse to close.

DOWNLOAD

Keytweak

Most often, developers are quite generous to the players and give them the opportunity to change the controls. However, in some games, the authors for some reason decided that the player is obliged to adhere exclusively to the control scheme that they came up with. If you’ve ever encountered games where you can’t remap keys, KeyTweak can solve this problem.

Its functionality exactly matches the name. Gamers will be able to customize the keys and create a control scheme that best suits them. The app is pretty easy to get to grips with — it displays the entire keyboard and lets you remap keys to make it work in-game.

Much easier than digging through the registry or additional files. The best thing is that after the game is over, the program can return the key layout to its original state with a single click of a button. Of course, there are some limitations here — for example, you cannot bind an entire combination to one key or use Fn on most laptops. But in any case, you will be pleasantly surprised at how useful this program can be, even if you only need a slight tweak to the control scheme.

DOWNLOAD

Borderless Gaming

Whether it’s a story-driven adventure or a simple game to kill time, you’re sure to play in full screen mode. And for the few games that don’t, we suggest using a program called Borderless Gaming.

This is another simple and small but very useful program. It allows the player to run any game in frameless full screen mode. In addition, it saves you from many other inconveniences. For example, there are games that do not support the Alt+Tab key combination for switching to another program or viewing the manual.

Borderless Gaming will allow you to minimize the game and set up a playlist, read the guide, and even open another application without fear that the game will crash. In addition, the application is open source, which means that anyone can contribute.

DOWNLOAD

Sharex

There are many ways to immortalize beautiful views or funny moments from games, but we recommend Sharex. This program not only allows you to easily take screenshots, but also has rich functionality.

For example, Sharex can automatically watermark your pictures. It is also possible to automatically upload images to hostings.

If you delve a little deeper into the settings, you can see that the program not only allows you to easily take screenshots, but can also improve their quality, as well as generate the necessary names. Forget about the times when you had to use the ancient PrintScreen key and process screenshots in an image editor to bring to mind all the small details before posting a picture on the web. Believe me, this application will save you a lot of time.

DOWNLOAD

OBS Studio

If you like to record your gameplay on video and upload it online or use streaming services like Twitch, you probably know a lot of programs for this purpose. One of the best we can recommend is OBS Studio.

It not only records video, but also has convenient streaming functionality. The source code is open, allowing any user with sufficient knowledge to help update the application. Among the features of the program are a sound mixer with many filters, several scenes for recording various screens or cameras, as well as a convenient interface layout system. As already mentioned, the program allows you to stream and is supported on Twitch and YouTube.

DOWNLOAD

Nexus Mod Manager

Nexus Mod Manager is a program worth downloading if you like to play with mods. It’s basically a mod manager that makes installing mods for some video games incredibly easy, although the list of supported mods and games is worth checking out because certain projects don’t support this program. It is also worth recalling that the use of modifications can affect your account — therefore, we once again recommend that you carefully look at games and mods before proceeding with their installation.

This manager allows you to download custom mods available online, as well as organize the mods you use. Currently, the most popular mods for games such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 4, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and XCOM. Of course, it doesn’t work with all games, but it does support the most popular open world games. In the future, we will certainly see the list of supported games expand — so bookmark the application page to be aware of what new games will be included there.

DOWNLOAD

GeForce Experience

If you have an Nvidia graphics card, then you should definitely install GeForce Experience. This is a useful program with rich functionality. In particular, it helps to ensure that you always have the latest graphics card drivers.

In addition to providing timely updates, the application allows gamers to record and publish videos from their games using a special recording system that supports streaming. Another interesting feature of the program is the optimization of the game settings in accordance with the configuration of your PC.

As mentioned above, this program only supports Nvidia graphics cards, but for AMD users, there is an AMD Radeon application with similar functionality.

DOWNLOAD

Speccy

If you don’t remember the components of your PC or didn’t build it yourself at all, a utility called Speccy can help you. There are many programs with similar functionality (for example, CPU-Z or AIDA64), but here the interface and navigation are especially convenient. The application allows gamers to see all their hardware, including the processor, memory and graphics card. In addition, there is a nice summary of useful information about each of them, such as temperature, frequency, and various model numbers.

Keeping track of the temperature of your components is always a good idea. Overheating can cause stability issues and potentially shorten life. This program will give you an idea of whether you should change the cooler and whether your case has enough air circulation.

DOWNLOAD

PC Decrapifier

Often, after buying a computer, it is clogged with useless programs that run when the PC boots up and can clutter up and slow down your computer. Manufacturers often install applications that may seem useful at first glance, but in fact turn out to be garbage.
PC Decrapifier will help you here. This is a great program to free your new computer from all unnecessary applications. But it can be no less useful for those who have been using a computer for a long time. If you notice that your PC has become slower over time, this may be due to the fact that it has accumulated a lot of useless programs that waste valuable resources. In this case, just insert the flash drive with the program and let it do all the dirty work.

As with buying a new PC, PC Decrapifier will detect all programs that are hardly used or considered garbage and recommend you remove them. After that, your computer will probably run faster again.

DOWNLOAD

UltraMon

Ultramon is another simple but useful tool for gamers. If you have multiple monitors, you may run into some issues. Not the fact that they will arise, but in order to avoid inconvenience or difficulties in the future, it is better to download UltraMon.

This application allows users to set up several different monitor configurations. It supports wallpapers, screen savers and helps you to be more productive. Even if you have already set everything up to your taste, this program will allow you to achieve even greater possibilities and stability.

DOWNLOAD

Prime95

If you like to dig into your gaming PC, then you probably tried to overclock it. This is a good way to increase its speed and improve performance in the latest games, which can potentially be heavy on your hardware.

But when assembling and overclocking, you should be careful and do not forget about the stability of your system. The Prime95 app will help with this. It allows the user to monitor the stability of the processor and memory. With its tests, you can find out how successful the overclocking was and whether there are any hidden problems that should be fixed before starting the game.

DOWNLOAD

Discord

Chatting with friends online is very easy, and there are a variety of programs for this. But the most popular of them among the bulk of gamers is Discord. This is a VoIP application that allows you to communicate with friends via text or voice chat.

Discord is used by almost all gamers, and it’s incredibly easy to set up a private channel in which your team or group of friends can chat while playing. In addition, in this application for gamers, you can chat with many popular media people on the network and in various thematic channels.

Thanks to the simplicity and popularity of Discord, you can ditch Skype altogether and keep Discord as your primary online chat app. What’s more, if you don’t want to install the program on your own computer or you’re playing on someone else’s, you can still chat with your friends online using the web client.

DOWNLOAD

JoyToKey

The JoyToKey application is very similar to Keytweak, which we reviewed above. However, unlike Keytweak, it allows you to remap not keyboard keys, but gamepad buttons. As you know, many controllers do not work very well in certain video games.

While most games work fine with Microsoft Xbox controllers, you can still run into problems if the game doesn’t support anything other than a keyboard and mouse, or is simply too old to support a gamepad. This application will allow you to bypass such restrictions.

DOWNLOAD

Flawless Widescreen

If you’ve succumbed to the frenzy of ultra-wide monitors, you’ve probably experienced image problems in games a couple of times. Some games still don’t support ultra-wide monitors, so they have to be played with black borders around the edges. And it’s not worth talking about old games — they always have this problem.

If you’re looking for a simple solution, we recommend Flawless Widescreen. It helps to adjust the field of view to fit some games on a wide screen. Unfortunately, not all games are supported, but there is a list of them on the application page. Most popular AAA games are included.

Hopefully, over time, developers will take into account that some gamers prefer an ultra-wide display over a traditional gaming monitor. In the meantime, you can use Flawless Widescreen.

DOWNLOAD

7 free must-have apps for PC gamers • Oki Doki

Here are some must-have apps that PC gamers need in their lives. The bonus is that they are all completely free.

Games are more than just a phrase and a boast these days. Rather, the hobby has evolved into something with social, competitive, commercial, and entertainment elements, which means gamers can use apps to enhance their experience.

Applications for gamers, from fun communication platforms to must-have utilities, are needed more than ever. Here are some essential apps that PC gamers need in their lives. The bonus is that they are all completely free.

1. Discord

Finding a convenient, reliable and free voice chat program for online games was a difficult task. Most platforms required a username, a subscription, or knowledge of the technology.

Programs for Windows, mobile applications, games — EVERYTHING is FREE, in our closed telegram channel — Subscribe 🙂

But Discord changed everything when it was introduced. The free app is available on browsers, a standalone desktop app, and a mobile app.

The ability to invite people to a channel with an invite link, a user-friendly interface, and free channel hosting make Discord an ideal choice for many gamers. Discord is not only reliable, but you can also use a guest account if you don’t want to create your own.

Over time, the application continues to improve, adding new features that make life easier for gamers.

Discord even launched an online game store to compete with Steam in the marketplace. It also has various servers that you can join to entertain your interest in games, music, movies, etc. Here’s how to find the best Discord servers that match your interests.

Download: Discord (Free)

2. Steam

Steam is the most popular digital game library software, but it goes much further than online games and cloud libraries. The client is also a social hub that allows you to connect with friends, share achievements, and play together.

Home streaming is another incredibly useful platform for gamers. This feature allows you to stream games from your main PC to another device on your home network, such as a laptop.

The recommendation queue, reviewer signing features, and the new and improved Steam Chat are other ways the platform has evolved its software over the years.

Download: Steam (Free)

3. Parsec

Parsec is a free game streaming app that allows you to play local co-op games with friends online. The cloud gaming platform also makes it easy for users to host games on their computers.

You can use this feature both for streaming at home and for online multiplayer with friends and other Parsec users.

You can also use Parsec for multiplayer games that not all group members have. These multiplayer sessions do not require everyone to have the game installed on their computer.

As long as there is a game on the host computer and the game has the local multiplayer feature, any friend using Parsec can join the session.

Download: Parsec (free)

OBS Studio is a popular game recording app for many gamers who want to share their gameplay — and it’s easy to see why. Not only is the software available for free, but it also works well and is relatively easy for beginners to get to grips with.

The program can record your screen, audio input and audio output when you play the game. This makes it easy to record not only what’s happening in the game, but also any comments you’d like to add using a microphone or headset.

OBS Studio can also be used for other purposes, including recording your screen for other types of content such as tutorials.

Despite its simple appearance, it is a powerful tool. You can use it to stream, record YouTube gameplay, or even just record clips to share with your friends.

Download: OBS Studio (Free)

5. Twitch

As soon as you hear the name «Twitch», you think of live streaming. But it turns out that the Twitch desktop app has some handy features even for gamers who don’t watch streamers.

One of its most useful features is its game add-ons and overlay management through integration with CurseForge. Twitch acts as a central hub through which you can manage various mods for games like Minecraft or World of Warcraft.

The Twitch desktop app also has many social features such as community hosting, friend lists and video chat. Like the other apps on this list, it seems like the developers are constantly finding new ways to improve the program and add new features.

Download: Twitch desktop app (free)

6. Razer Cortex

While many gamers upgrade their hardware over the years to get the most out of their games, budget constraints mean most gamers never have the latest components.

This is why game acceleration software can be so helpful. The right software can help propel your existing hardware when it comes to gaming.

The Razer Cortex does this in many ways. Its game boost feature helps free up system resources and RAM so that more memory can be allocated to your game.

Meanwhile, its system enhancer defragments your system to help streamline programs and processes.

These functions are launched automatically when the game starts. After exiting the game, your PC settings will return to normal. It is this automation that makes the program so simple and easy to use.

Download: Razer Cortex (Free)

7. MSI Afterburner

The

MSI Afterburner is an indispensable tool for gamers who want more control over how to improve their computer’s performance.

The free software is an indispensable graphics card overclocking tool for those who want to easily access their GPU settings. The only drawback is that only some manufacturers allow users to overclock their graphics cards.

MSI Afterburner also includes scanning tools that can help improve your system.

On 8 февраля, 2023 By alexxlab

Sonstig