Game mode is a feature available to all Windows 10 users that focuses system resources on games when activated. In this article, we will explain why this functionality may be missing or not available for some users – then provide the necessary actions to take to restore this option.
The game mode is intended to make Windows 10 the best operating system for gamers – enabling a seamless gaming experience on all types of computers and devices. This feature essentially prevents system background activities such as Windows updates or app notifications during the game in order to provide a more consistent gaming experience.
Windows 10 game mode switch is missing
It is imperative to point out that the users most likely to encounter the missing game mode problem are the users N / KN Windows 10 editions.
labeled "N" for Europe and "KN" for Korea – includes all the basic functionality of the operating system – but without Windows Media Player and related technologies preinstalled. For Windows 10 editions, this includes Windows Media Player, Music, Video, Voice Recorder and Skype.
To find out if you are running the N / KN edition of Windows 10, do the following:
- Press Windows key + R.
- In the Run dialog box, type winner hit Enter.
You will get a display with the information.
Therefore, if you are running an N / KN edition of Windows 10 – to fix this problem, you just need to download and install the Media Feature Pack.
Once the update package has finished installing the Media Feature Pack, restart your PC. When your computer starts up, your computer is in Game mode. The quickest way to check is to press the Windows + I key to launch the Settings app – make sure that one of the options available in the window is Gaming.
Additionally, in a related issue, where the Game Mode option is available but the On off the toggle button is missing or grayed out.
This problem can be encountered by any Windows 10 user, whether or not running N / KN editions. In this case, you will need to make an adjustment to the registry to resolve this issue. Here's how:
First, create a system restore point or back up the registry – in case things go south.
Now go to the following location in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER> Software> Microsoft> GameBar
Here, look for a key called AllowAutoGameMode. If it is not there, create it by right-clicking in the right panel and selecting New> DWORD (32-bit) value.
Double-click on this newly created key to modify its properties.
Now set the value according to what you want and click OK:
- Value of 0 = Of
- Value of 1 = Sure
Restart your PC.
If you're running the regular version of Windows 10, you can try upgrading to the latest version / build of Windows 10 to see if that helps or you can do a repair upgrade on the spot.
I hope this helps you!