How to Monitor CPU and GPU Temps While Gaming (Free, Step by Step)

In this guide (9 sections)

• Which method should I use?
• 1. Find out which graphics card you have
• 2. Turn on the NVIDIA app’s overlay
• 3. Turn on AMD’s metrics overlay
• 4. Use MSI Afterburner on any graphics card
• 5. Record the highest temperatures with HWiNFO
• 6. Compare your numbers with what’s normal
• 7. Fix the readout if it doesn’t appear
• Real cases: what other users ran into

To know whether your PC runs too hot while gaming, you need to see the temperatures during the game, when the processor and graphics card are working hardest. The easiest way is an overlayOverlay (on-screen display): Information drawn on top of a game, such as FPS or temperatures. Steam, Discord and graphics drivers have one. More in our Windows & performance glossary →Close ✕: a small readout in the corner of the screen. NVIDIA and AMD include one with their drivers, and free tools work with any PC. Pick one method below; you don’t need them all.

Which method should I use?

What you need	Best method	Where to look
You don’t know which graphics card your PC has.	Task Manager	Step 1
You have an NVIDIA graphics card and want the simplest option.	The NVIDIA app’s overlay	Step 2
You have an AMD Radeon graphics card and want the simplest option.	AMD’s metrics overlay	Step 3
You want one tool that works the same on any PC, with frame times too.	MSI Afterburner	Step 4
You prefer not to see anything during the game, or the overlay won’t show.	HWiNFO, checked afterwards	Step 5
You have the numbers and want to know if they’re normal.	Our temperature guides	Step 6
The readout doesn’t appear in the game.	Overlay settings	Step 7

1. Find out which graphics card you have

The best method depends on your graphics card’s brand.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Click Performance, then GPU in the list on the left.
3. The name appears at the top right: “NVIDIA GeForce…”, “AMD Radeon…” or “Intel…”.

If you see two GPUs, the one with NVIDIA or AMD in its name is the graphics card that runs your games. Task Manager also shows its temperature at the bottom of that page, but only while you’re looking at it, not inside the game.

2. Turn on the NVIDIA app’s overlay

NVIDIA cards come with the NVIDIA app (it replaced GeForce Experience). Its overlay can show the graphics card’s temperature, and since an update in September 2026 the processor’s temperature too.

1. If you don’t have it, install the NVIDIA app from NVIDIA’s website. In its Settings, make sure the in-game overlay is switched on.
2. Press Alt+Z to open the overlay.
3. Open Statistics and choose the Custom view.
4. Select GPU temperature and CPU temperature, plus FPS if you like. You can also change the position and size.
5. In the game, press Alt+R to show or hide the readout.

3. Turn on AMD’s metrics overlay

AMD Radeon cards come with AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, which has a metrics overlay.

1. Open AMD Software, type “Metrics” in its search box and choose Performance Metrics.
2. On the Overlay tab, switch on Show Metrics Overlay.
3. Choose what to show: GPU Current Temperature, GPU Junction Temperature (AMD’s name for the hottest spot on the chip) and CPU Temperature. Depending on your processor, the CPU temperature may not be available here.
4. In the game, press Ctrl+Shift+O to show or hide it.

4. Use MSI Afterburner on any graphics card

MSI Afterburner is a free tool that works with NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards of any brand, not just MSI. It comes with RivaTuner Statistics Server, the part that draws the readout in the game. It can also show a frame timeFrame time and short freezes (stutter): How long each frame takes to appear. When one takes much longer than the rest, the picture freezes for a moment (a short freeze). More in our Windows & performance glossary →Close ✕ graph, which is how you spot short freezes (stutter).

1. Download it only from MSI’s official website. Fake download sites are common for this tool.
2. Install it, including RivaTuner Statistics Server when asked.
3. Open Afterburner and click the gear icon (Settings), then the Monitoring tab.
4. In the list, click GPU temperature and tick Show in On-Screen Display below. Do the same for CPU temperature, Framerate and, if you want it, Frametime.
5. Click OK. Leave Afterburner and RivaTuner running (their icons appear in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar) and start the game.

To show or hide the readout with a key, set one in Afterburner’s settings on the On-Screen Display tab. On some PCs, Afterburner can’t read the processor’s temperature; in that case use step 5 for the processor. For Intel Arc graphics cards, HWiNFO (step 5) is the more reliable choice.

5. Record the highest temperatures with HWiNFO

If you’d rather not have anything on screen, or no overlay works in your game, HWiNFO records the temperatures in the background. It’s free and reads almost every sensor in the PC.

1. Download HWiNFO from its official website and start it.
2. Choose Sensors-only and click Start.
3. Leave the window open, and play a demanding game for 15–20 minutes.
4. Close or minimize the game and look at the Maximum column:
   • Processor: CPU Package (Intel) or CPU (Tctl/Tdie) (AMD).
   • Graphics card: GPU Temperature and GPU Hot Spot Temperature.
5. To start a fresh measurement, click the clock icon at the bottom, which resets the values.

HWiNFO can also send its readings to the RivaTuner overlay, if you want to see them during the game: that option is in HWiNFO’s settings.

6. Compare your numbers with what’s normal

A single number means little without knowing what’s normal for your parts. As a quick rule of thumb in games:

Part	Fine while gaming	Worth looking into
Processor	Up to about 80°C (80–90°C is still within spec for most processors)	Stuck at its limit (about 95–100°C), and games freeze briefly
Graphics card (main reading)	Up to about 80°C	Above about 85–90°C
Graphics card hot spot	Up to about 95°C	Above about 105°C, or 30°C or more above the main reading

Our guides on safe CPU temperatures while gaming and how hot a graphics card should run explain these ranges and what to do if yours are too high. If the frame rate falls as the temperatures climb, see our guide on FPS drops while gaming.

7. Fix the readout if it doesn’t appear

Overlays don’t work in every game, and several overlays can get in each other’s way. If yours doesn’t show:

• Press the toggle key (Alt+R for NVIDIA’s statistics, Ctrl+Shift+O for AMD). The overlay may be enabled but hidden.
• Make sure the tool is still running. For Afterburner, RivaTuner Statistics Server must be running too.
• Try “Borderless” or “Windowed fullscreen” in the game’s display settings.
• Turn off other overlays (Discord, Steam, recording tools) one at a time.
• Some games block overlays, especially ones with strict anti-cheat. In that case, use HWiNFO (step 5) and check the maximum values after playing.
• Readout appearing on other windows (Afterburner): in RivaTuner Statistics Server, switch off the on-screen display for the Global profile and add a profile only for your game.

Real cases: what other users ran into

These are real reports from PC forums, summarized in our own words, with a link to each original thread.

Real caseSolvedNVIDIA overlay statistics missing in Battlefield 6Read what happened

In 2026, a player found that the NVIDIA overlay’s frame rate statistics and instant replay weren’t working in Battlefield 6. A moderator suggested pressing Alt+R, the key that shows or hides the statistics, keeping instant replay switched on from the Alt+Z menu, or reinstalling the NVIDIA app, and pointed to the game’s own performance readout as an alternative. The player replied that “now everything works”.

Takeaway: the overlay can be on but hidden; the toggle key is the first thing to try. See step 7.

Source: EA Forums (Battlefield 6, Italian board)

Real caseSolvedAfterburner's readout appearing on another app's windowRead what happened

In March 2023, a user’s Afterburner readout (temperatures, FPS and graphics card details) showed up not only in games, but also on another program’s window on the second monitor. Adding the game to RivaTuner’s list didn’t help on its own. A reply suggested switching off the on-screen display for the “Global” profile at the top of RivaTuner’s list. The user replied the next day: “that did the trick”.

Takeaway: RivaTuner’s Global profile applies to every program; switch it off and keep a profile only for your games. See step 7.

Source: ElevenForum

Real caseNot solved by the userNo temperatures on screen in a flight simulator, even after reinstallingRead what happened

In October 2025, a user couldn’t get Afterburner’s temperatures and other readings to appear in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, even with RivaTuner’s on-screen display switched on. Uninstalling and reinstalling both tools didn’t help: “no luck for me”. Other users in the thread reported success with a full clean uninstall, and with switching off Windows’ hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling, but the person who asked didn’t confirm either.

Takeaway: some games are hard for overlays; recording with HWiNFO and checking afterwards always works. See step 5.

Source: Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums

Frequently asked questions

Does showing temperatures on screen lower my FPS?

Barely. A simple text readout costs a negligible amount of performance. Very detailed graphs and many sensors at once can cost a little more.

Can Windows show temperatures without installing anything?

Partly. Task Manager (Performance → GPU) shows the graphics card’s temperature, but not the processor’s, and not inside the game.

Is the temperature in the overlay accurate?

Yes, these tools read the same sensors. Different tools may label them differently, or show a slightly different processor reading, so compare like with like.

Why does my processor temperature jump up and down so much?

That’s normal. Processors heat up and cool down within a second as their load changes. Look at the average and the maximum over a gaming session, not single jumps.

Which temperature matters most on a graphics card?

The main “GPU temperature” for everyday checks, and the hot spot for spotting cooling problems. A very large gap between the two often points to dried thermal paste or poor cooler contact.