Antivirus in games: Turn it off or not? Real-life impact on FPS. See! 🛡️🔥

There are certain unwritten rules in the world of PC gaming that go something like this: "Unless your right leg is cut off, you should do everything possible to maximize your PC's gaming performance." 🎮

Because of this, most gamers prefer to avoid any background programs that could affect their framerates, including their antivirus. But does antivirus software really affect performance? Should you turn it off?

Is your antivirus really slowing down your game?

There's no doubt that antivirus software running in the background while you're gaming can slow down your PC. However, the degree of that slowdown, and whether it impacts your gameplay, depends on what the software is doing. 🤔

Our antivirus tests show that your security software has minimal to no impact on your PC when it's just performing routine monitoring. In this case, slowness can range from 0% to 20%. From these results, we can conclude that the effect on your game will be very small, if any.

On the other hand, tests have also shown that when antivirus software performs a full or partial virus scan, the slowdown can be much higher, up to 57% in some cases! 😱 In this scenario, your game will most likely stutter or experience lag due to your CPU struggling to keep up with the workload.

What does this mean for your game? In graphics-intensive titles, you're likely to experience decreased frame rates and longer loading times. Temporarily disabling your antivirus might fix these issues, but is it the best decision?

Is it advisable to turn it off?

Despite the risk of slowdowns, security professionals don't recommend disabling your antivirus while gaming. The reason is clear: you have antivirus to protect you from viruses, malware, and ransomware; gaming doesn't automatically protect you from these threats. ⚠️

Online games often require you to connect to servers and download files such as maps, skins, and special items, which may be infected. These malicious files can even be hidden within the game files themselves. In fact, we recently reported on two cases of games available for download on Valve's Steam platform that presented these types of risks.

Gaming communities are also exposed to phishing scams, against which many programs Antiviruses offer protectionSo, if you can play with your antivirus running, you really should. 🛡️

What else can you do?

If you want the best of both worlds—minimal PC slowdown and the protection of your antivirus—the best option is to use an antivirus program designed for gamers. These antivirus programs have a dedicated gaming mode that you can turn on or off, or they are full-featured editions created especially for gamers, such as Kaspersky™ either ESET.

These antivirus programs have minimal impact on your PC's hardware, as they work lightly on your operating system. They typically suspend background scans and notifications, allowing you to play at peak performance while still providing sufficient monitoring to block viruses and malware.

If you're determined to complete your current antivirus program, you should at least schedule your scans to occur during off-peak hours, when you're not playing. Creating an exclusion list for games and files that aren't at risk is also a great way to ensure your antivirus program isn't performing unnecessary checks on critical game files.

Always remember to download your games and game files from trusted and respected sources. You may not be able to guarantee file security, but you can reduce the likelihood of receiving malicious files. 📥

In summaryWhile gamers understandably want to maximize their PC's performance by avoiding any resource-hungry programs, disabling antivirus while gaming isn't the best option due to the security risks involved. The impact of antivirus on performance is typically minimal during routine monitoring, but it can increase significantly during deep scans, impacting the gaming experience.

The best strategy is to opt for security solutions designed specifically for gamers 🛡️, which balance protection and performance, as well as scheduling scans at appropriate times ⏰ and managing exclusions to avoid interfering with game files 🎯.

This way, you can enjoy your games without sacrificing your device's security 💻. Play safely and optimize your PC! 🚀🔥