Frame rate (FPS)
Also known as: FPS, frames per second, framerate
Frame rate is how many separate images, or frames, a video or game displays each second, measured in frames per second (FPS).
Films typically use 24 FPS, many console games target 30 or 60, and competitive PC players often push past 144. While a higher number generally means smoother motion and quicker response, consistency matters as much as the average: a game that swings between 40 and 90 FPS can feel worse than one locked at 60.
Frame rate (FPS), explained at three levels
At home
Flip through a flipbook and the drawings seem to move. Video and games work the same way: they're a fast series of still pictures called frames. Frame rate is how many frames appear each second. At 24 per second, motion looks like film. At 60 or more, it looks fluid. In a game, every frame also has to be calculated on the spot, so a weaker computer produces fewer frames.
At work
Frame rate, measured in frames per second (FPS), is how many complete images a screen shows each second. In games and interactive apps, each frame is computed live, so the rate depends on the hardware and the work in each frame. Businesses care because frame rate shapes how polished and responsive a product feels, so teams set targets such as 30 or 60 FPS per device.
At home
Two numbers interact here. Your graphics card's frame rate is how fast it finishes new images, and your screen's refresh rate, in hertz, is how often it can show one. A 60 Hz TV can't display more than 60 FPS, however fast your console is. When the two drift out of step, you get tearing or stutter. Variable refresh rate technologies, such as G-Sync, FreeSync, and HDMI VRR, let the screen wait for each new frame instead.
At work
Frame rate is really frame time turned upside down. At 60 FPS, each frame has 16.7 milliseconds; at 120, only 8.3. An average FPS figure hides spikes, so testers chart frame times and report '1% lows', the slowest frames, which players feel as stutter. Each frame passes through the CPU, which runs game logic and prepares draw calls, then the GPU, which renders. Whichever takes longer sets the frame rate.
At home
A higher frame rate doesn't just look smoother; it shortens the delay between pressing a button and seeing the result. At 30 FPS, a new frame arrives every 33 milliseconds, and your input can wait most of that before it shows. At 144 FPS, the wait drops below 7. Frame pacing matters too: uneven gaps feel jerky even at high averages. In my view, that's why competitive players care so much: it's reaction time, not just looks.
At work
A frame budget is split between CPU work, such as game logic, physics, and draw call submission, and GPU work, such as rendering and post-processing. They run in a pipeline, so the slower side sets the pace. Tools such as PIX, Nsight, and PresentMon show which side is the bottleneck and how evenly frames are paced. With frame generation, displayed and rendered frame rates differ, so report both, along with input latency.
Real-world examples
At home
Nadia switched her console game from 'quality mode' at 30 FPS to 'performance mode' at 60 FPS. The graphics looked slightly softer, but aiming felt much more responsive.
At work
Jerome is a QA lead at a Montreal studio. His team tracks 1% low frame times on a baseline laptop, because players notice stutter far more than a lower average FPS.
How it compares
| feature | 24 FPS | 30 FPS | 60 FPS | 144+ FPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical use | Film | Some console games | Smooth gaming | Competitive PC gaming |
| Frame time | 41.7 ms | 33.3 ms | 16.7 ms | 6.9 ms or less |
| Feel | Cinematic | Acceptable | Smooth | Very responsive |
| Hardware demand | Low | Moderate | Higher | Highest |
Higher frame rates feel smoother and more responsive, at higher hardware cost.
For analysts
For any interactive product, set a frame-rate target on the weakest supported device before launch. I'd measure frame-time consistency, not just averages, because stutter is what users complain about.
History & origin
Early silent films ran at roughly 16 to 24 frames per second, and 24 FPS became the sound-film standard in the late 1920s. Television in North America used about 30 frames (60 interlaced fields) per second, while Europe used 25. Video games long targeted 30 or 60 FPS to match TVs. As PC monitors with 120 Hz, 144 Hz, and later 240 Hz and higher refresh rates arrived in the 2010s, competitive players demanded matching frame rates. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X made 60 FPS 'performance modes' common on consoles in 2020. In my opinion, frame pacing, how evenly frames are spaced, is the most underrated factor in how smooth a game feels.