Overlay Overview
Frameshift's overlay displays performance metrics directly on top of your games without requiring Alt+Tab. Monitor FPS, frame times, and system resource usage in real-time while playing.
Features
- Real-time FPS: Current, average, min, and max frame rates
- Frame Time: Milliseconds per frame with variance tracking
- CPU Usage: Overall percentage and temperature
- GPU Usage: Utilization percentage and temperature
- RAM Usage: Current memory consumption
- VRAM Usage: Video memory allocation
- 1% and 0.1% Lows: Stutter indicators
Enabling the Overlay
-
Verify Pro Status
Ensure your Frameshift Pro license is active. Check Settings → About to confirm Pro status.
-
Enable Overlay
Go to Settings → Overlay and toggle "Enable Overlay" to ON. Choose which metrics to display.
-
Launch Game
Start any game. The overlay will automatically appear in the corner you configured.
-
Toggle with Hotkey
Press Alt+Q (default) to show/hide overlay while gaming. Hotkey can be customized in settings.
Customization Options
Position and Size
| Option | Settings | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Top-left, Top-right, Bottom-left, Bottom-right | Which corner of screen to display overlay |
| Offset | X/Y pixels from corner | Fine-tune exact position |
| Size | Small, Medium, Large | Text size and overall overlay dimensions |
| Opacity | 0% (invisible) to 100% (solid) | Transparency level |
Metrics to Display
Choose which metrics appear in the overlay:
- FPS (current, avg, min, max)
- Frame Time (ms)
- 1% Low FPS
- 0.1% Low FPS
- CPU Usage & Temperature
- GPU Usage & Temperature
- RAM Usage (GB and %)
- VRAM Usage (GB and %)
Interactive Mode
By default, the overlay is click-through (you can't interact with it). Enable interactive mode to drag and resize the overlay.
Entering Interactive Mode
- Press Alt+Q twice quickly
- Or enable "Interactive Mode" in overlay settings
- Overlay becomes draggable and resizable
- Click and drag to reposition
- Drag corners to resize
- Press Alt+Q again to exit interactive mode
Performance Impact
The overlay is highly optimized to minimize performance impact:
| Aspect | Impact |
|---|---|
| FPS Cost | 0-1 FPS (negligible) |
| CPU Usage | <1% (separate thread) |
| RAM Usage | ~10MB |
| Update Frequency | 250ms (4 times per second) |
Overlay Console
In addition to metrics, the overlay can display diagnostic messages when optimizations are applied during gameplay.
Console Features
- Shows real-time optimization status
- Displays messages when game is detected
- Logs when automatic optimizations are applied
- Can be expanded/collapsed with button
- Message history (last 10 messages)
Game Compatibility
The overlay works with most games, but some anti-cheat systems may block it:
Fully Compatible
- Most single-player games
- Steam games
- Epic Games titles
- GOG games
- Most competitive games (Valorant, CS2, Apex)
May Not Work
- Games with kernel-level anti-cheat that block overlays
- Some DRM-protected games
- Fullscreen exclusive mode in older games (use borderless windowed)
Troubleshooting
Overlay Not Appearing
- Verify Pro status is active
- Check overlay is enabled in settings
- Try pressing Alt+Q to toggle visibility
- Ensure game is running in windowed or borderless windowed mode
- Restart Frameshift with admin privileges
Overlay Causing Game Crashes
- Disable overlay for that specific game
- Report the game to Frameshift support for compatibility fix
- Update your graphics drivers
FPS Reading Incorrect
If FPS reading seems wrong:
- Frameshift uses frame time calculation (most accurate method)
- Compare with in-game FPS counter if available
- Overlay FPS may differ from in-game counter due to measurement method
- Frameshift's measurement is typically more accurate
Hotkey Customization
Don't like Alt+Q? Change the overlay hotkey in settings:
- Go to Settings → Overlay → Hotkey
- Click "Change Hotkey" button
- Press your desired key combination
- Supported: Ctrl, Alt, Shift + any key
- Avoid common game hotkeys (WASD, Space, etc.)