two golden rules:

• never try more than one thing at a time
  
• remember what you have done and how it was before

as stupid as it sounds, but it may actually work - who knows what developers were thinking when they came up with the game code?

maybe the issue is caused by Steam itself and will be resolved on its own?

yes, shutdown it, not just restart

if you have Windows 10 then you need few extra steps to truely shutdown it

• ▷ run cmd
  
• in Command Line execute:
  
  shutdown /s /f /t 0

PCGamingWiki[www.pcgamingwiki.com] it is a huge wiki-project that helps to deal with various PC games' issues. it might be that your problem for a specific game is already covered here

before downloading anything check the folder:

...Steam\steamapps\common\Steamworks Shared\_CommonRedist\

- you may find some installers for software below in that folder

it is highly recommended to uninstall all previously installed Microsoft Visual C++, reload PC and install them fresh

variant #1: download all-in-one installer (non-official)

variant #2: ...or download and install them one by one. all Microsoft distros are mirrored on my Gdrive[drive.google.com]

in order to check what Windows Updates you have installed and uninstall them:

• ▷ run appwiz.cpl
  
• click "View installed updates" on the left
  
• use the search bar to filter through installed updates
  

32-bit Windows doesn't allow a single program to utilize more than 2GB RAM (commonly crashing them with "Out of memory" error); the fix below removes that restriction

• ▷ run cmd

• restart

if you are unsure about whether to disable/uninstall a certain software, then consult Should I Remove It[shouldiremoveit.com] or PC Decrapifier[pcdecrapifier.com] services

those software are the common culprits in causing various issues in the games. try to disable them, or if you don't need them then uninstall. or better yet, disable every single software during troubleshooting just to be sure

• when disabling software, ensure that it is completely gone, not just minimised in tray (or whatever). various overlays are known to do that, like MSI Afterburner
  
• some software, like Citrix, are known to cause troubles even if they are not launched

all those security software not only use your PC's resources and throttle a gameplay, but also mess with games themselves with the false positive detections. nothing will happen with your PC while you are playing the game

yes.
instead of relying on a non-perfect piece of software, which is hogging your PC resources, adds another layer of vulnerabilities, has either hit-or-miss or overprotective detection ratio, yields the stream of TLS errors, installs bloatwares, and plain spies on you and phones home - just delete all that junk and learn more about alternative solutions and advocate yourself a reasonable and skeptical approach for managing your PC

• use open-source software
  
• consider every single e-mail (or message) as a spam and don't click any link, open any attachments and be cautious
  
• use VirusTotal[www.virustotal.com] to check a single file for viruses
  
• use Sandboxie[www.sandboxie.com] or VirtualBox[www.virtualbox.org] to open suspicious file in the secured environment without being compromised
  
• use simplewall[github.com] to monitor your incoming/outcoming network traffic and manage apps' access to internet
  
• use Dr.Web's CureIt[free.drweb.com], or AVZ[z-oleg.com], or ComboFix[www.bleepingcomputer.com] for ad-hoc scanning

Games for Windows LIVE (GFWL) was shutdown by its developers long time ago, however some games are still need it to run properly and, usually, throw errors like "res = 1, err = 0x0000007e" ("res = 1, err = 0x00000012") or "Error WS10" if there is an issue with GFWL

it may happen that game has a community-made patch that removes GFWL dependency; for example Resident Evil 5, by default, requires GFWL, but with the patch below no longer needs it:
https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1533171339
download a generic[drive.google.com] (fake) "xlive.dll" file and put it near <<game-exe>. if one didn't work, try another one

if you absolutely must install GFWL, then do it in a proper way:

• uninstall "Microsoft Games for Windows Live" & "Microsoft Games for Windows Marketplace"
  
• restart
  
• download GFWL setup files[drive.google.com]
  
• right-click on "gfwlivesetup.exe" ➞ "Properties" ➞ "Compatibility" tab ➞ select "Windows 7" & "Run this program as an administrator"
  
• install "gfwlivesetup.exe"
  
• restart

if Steam is down, your multiplayer (and some singleplayer) games might be too. check steamstat service[steamstat.us] to see is Steam is doing well

remember, Steam is down for maintenance every Tuesday (19:00 in UTC-5 , 00:00 in UTC-0, 03:00 in UTC+3, 09:00 in UTC+9)

desktop shortcuts might be bugged, always launch the game from Steam-Client's Library

some game just cannot stand various non-ASCII symbols (like 漢字, ℈ℊℌ, ⼰⼱⼲, 🌷🥥🍙 etc ). try to use only english letters and numbers

it will ensure that game's files are alright and not-broken

• open "Library" in Steam-Client
  
• right-click on the game ➞ "Properties..." ➞ "Local Files" ➞ "Verify integrity of game files..."
  

while being convenient, Steam Overlay does mess with some games, videocard drivers and software (any overlays mess with your games, no excuses)

some games have tremendous issues with Steam Cloud (for instance, Titan Quest: Anniversary Edition, Spyro Reignited Trilogy). you can use Steam RemoteStorage link to check what games have been using Steam Cloud and to manually download save-files. for manually managing your save-files you can use GameSave Manager[www.gamesave-manager.com]

Launch Options allows to run a game with the specific parameters, some of which are useful, while other may mess with a game. if you unaware what those parameters are, then remove all of them

• open "Library" in Steam-Client
  
• right-click on the game ➞ "Properties..." ➞ "General" ➞ remove everything from "Launch Options"
  

if you cannot start the game, and you believe in might be because of wrong resolution or an issue with fullscreen mode, then try Steam launch options. maybe game supports one?

• open "Library" in Steam-Client
  
• right-click on the game ➞ "Properties..." ➞ "General"
  
• use the following Launch Options:
  
  -windowed -window -borderless

some games may have the issues when being switched to other language but English, mostly on trying to enable Workshop items

• open "Library" in Steam-Client
  
• right-click on the game ➞ "Properties..." ➞ "Language" ➞ "English"
  

game may have beta versions available for opt-in; in such betas various issues might be resolved or fixed (sometimes in trade off stability). some betas, tho, may downgrade your game, for example "public_beta" for Titan Quest Anniversary Edition will downgrade your game to "non-Anniversary Edition"

• open "Library" in Steam-Client
  
• right-click on the game ➞ "Properties..." ➞ "Betas" (if there is no such tab, then game has no betas)
  
• either select the beta from a dropdown list, or first type-in an unlock code for this beta and select it then
  

don't confuse: there is your account's offline/online status and Steam-Client offline/online status - they are separate things

• in Steam-Client click on "Steam" link in upper-left corner ➞ "Go offline..." (or "Go online...")
  

it may happen to normalize various games' online features

• in Steam-Client click on "Steam" link in upper-left corner ➞ "Settings" ➞ "Downloads"
  
• set "Download Region" to whatever location is close to you
  

running Steam itself as an administrator may fix various permission-based issues (all games will be launched as an administrator); as for compatibility modes - you don't need them at all, they only mess with your games

• close Steam
  
• open <<Steam-path>> ➞ right-click on Steam.exe ➞ "Properties" ➞ "Compatibility" tab
  
• select "Run this program as an administrator" compatibility option
  
• ensure that not a single compatibility mode is enabled
  

it may happen that some Workshop items mess with the game; in that case unsubscribe from the items for that game

• in Steam-Client go to your profile ➞ "Workshop Items" ➞ "Subscribed Items"
  
• unsubscribe from the items that may cause issues (or, better, unsubscribe from all items)
  

it will clean-up your Steam installment and ensure that there is no issues here. and, yes, Steam doesn't use "ClientRegistry.blob" files for at least 6+ years, but they still may cause issues here and there

• close Steam
  
• open <<Steam-path>> ➞ delete "appcache" folder
  
• search inside <<Steam-path>> for "ClientRegistry.blob" files ➞ delete them all
  
• ▷ run steam://flushconfig
  
• launch Steam ➞ re-login into your Steam account

game stores its settings and saves in userdata folder. it may happen that this folder became corrupted or broken and maybe manual deleting of it will fix the things

• close Steam
  
• find APPID of game-in-question, use steamdb[steamdb.info]
  
• open <<Steam-path>> ➞ "userdata" ➞ your ID ➞ APPID
  
• delete that folder (make backup first)

launching a game as an administrator can fix various ownership/permission issues that could have interfere with your games (usually with error messages: "Unhandled exception has occured", "Access to path is denied" or "StackHash")

• right-click on <<game-exe>> ➞ "Properties" ➞ "Compatibility" tab
  
• select "Run this program as an administrator" compatibility option
  

old games, that were released in times when Windows 7 was a brand new thing, have an issue running in a modern Windows. in that case try to launch them in compatibility mode

• right-click on <<game-exe>> ➞ "Properties" ➞ "Compatibility" tab ➞ "Run this program in compatibility mode for"
  
• change between various OS, try to launch game with "Windows 7" and "Windows XP" first, then try with others
  

other compatibility modes are not useful as thing above, but still, might give a shot with a certain game's issue

• "Run in 640x480 screen resolution", "Run in 256 colors", "Reduced color mode" - those options are, mostly, useful for the games released in DOS/Windows 95 -era. in modern games they could be useful, for example if you managed to set a wrong resolution and has no way to turn it back. in that case you can launch the game in 640x480 resolution, change the resolution to whatever you need, and then toggle that compatibility mode off. that works, for example, with Hacknet or Syberia
  
• "Disable fullscreen optimizations" - those optimizations allow overlays to easily inject themselves into the games (and collect/display needed info). Windows 10 is using that for Xbox GameBar
  
• "Disable display scaling on high DPI settings", "Change high DPI settings" - those options change how games react to high DPI being set in your OS. mostly, games are trying to scale their viewport and fonts appropriately, but in some cases it leads to issues. for Windows 10-1703 use the options "Override high DPI scaling behavior" and "Scaling performed by Application"
  
• "Disable visual themes", "Disable desktop composition" - those options allow to disable Aero (Windows 7) or MetroUI (Windows 8.1 and Windows 10) whenever you play that game
  

by default, user cannot disable visual themes and desktop composition in Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 (because Microsoft thinks for us); in order to actually disable them for a specific game:

• ▷ run regedit
  
• open
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers
• create a new string with the full path to <<game-exe>>
  
• set its valuedata to
  
  ~ DISABLETHEMES DISABLEDWM
  

try to launch the game in various screen modes: "fullscreen", "windowed", "borderless windowed fullscreen". with the help of DxWnd[sourceforge.net] you launch the game in windowed mode even if the game doesn't natively support it

try to launch the game in various resolution options; definitely try the lower ones first

maybe the in-game render is temporary halted and you need to manually refresh

if the game does support that, then try out to change between: "DirectX 12", "DirectX 11", "DirectX 10", "DirectX 9", "OpenGL" or "Vulkan"

if the game does support that, then try out to change between: "OpenAL" or "DirectSound"

revert all graphical options to the lowest or disable them. your main priorities are: "anti-aliasing", "shadows", "shaders", "level of details (LOD)", "texture quality" and "texture filtering"

lots of games store a log-file with the details about the last game launch, and maybe reading that log-file could help you to understand the issue better. look inside <<game-path>> for any files with the name "log" or ".log" extension

• try to load the previous savefile, maybe the current savefile is busted?
  
• try to delete the latest or all savefiles, maybe that is culprit?

• open <<game-config>>
  
• find a config-file (it usually has *.cfg, *.ini or *.txt extension, and has a name "config", "settings", "display" or is named after the game)
  
• open a config-file with any text-editor (Notepad++[notepad-plus-plus.org] is great)
  
• try to manually edit in god-knows-what way: reduce the graphics, resolution, switch to windowed mode...
  
• if nothing helped, then try to delete a config-file
  
• config-file's format varies from game to game:
  

if the game allows to set a profile name or password, then ensure that use are using only English letters and numbers; also ensure those entries are not long

there is a chance that after doing that, Steam will not recognize the game (no achievements and no friend invites) or will not launch it all; rename the file back to revert all negative changes

32-bit applications cannot access more than 4GB RAM on 64-bit OS. the fix below lifts that limitation

• download Large Address Aware software[www.techpowerup.com]
  
• select <<game-exe>> you want to modify (or drag and drop) ➞ toggle on checkbox
  
• click "commit changes" button
  

it may happen that game is using DLLs that either no longer work right in current Windows or require some specific APIs that are not available

• look inside <<game-path>> for the following DLLs:
  
  • d3d8.dll
    
  • d3d9.dll
    
  • d3d10.dll
    
  • d3d10_1.dll
    
  • d3d10core.dll

  • d3d11.dll
    
  • dinput8.dll
    
  • ddraw.dll
    
  • dxgi.dll
    
  • eax.dll

  • binkW32.dll
    
  • openGLDrv.dll
    
  • rlmfc.dll
    
  • winmm.dll
• if there any, then replace with fixed one from this repository[drive.google.com]

• look inside <<game-path>> and delete the following DLLs:
  
  • d3d8.dll
    
  • d3d9.dll
    
  • d3d10.dll
    
  • d3d10_1.dll
    
  • d3d10core.dll

  • d3d11.dll
    
  • dinput8.dll
    
  • ddraw.dll
    
  • dxgi.dll
    
  • eax.dll

  • binkW32.dll
    
  • openGLDrv.dll
    
  • rlmfc.dll
    
  • winmm.dll

  • atigktxx.dll
    
  • atiags.dll
    
  • msvcp120.dll
    
  • msvcp120d.dll
    
  • msvcr120.dll

  • opengl32.dll
    
  • openAL32.dll
    
  • wrap_oal.dll
    
  • VSFilter.dll
    
  • xinput1_1.dll

• install DisplayLink driver[www.displaylink.com]

• <<Steam-path>> ➞ copy "Steam.dll" file
  
• paste that file next to <<game-exe>>
  
• if there is a "system" folder in <<game-path>>, then copy "Steam.dll" here also

• download DirectX 8 to DirectX 9 wrapper[github.com]
  
• place "d3d8.dll" next to <<game-exe>>

PunkBuster is anti-cheat software that is being used in various games; its old version has lots of issues so update to the latest one

• uninstall PunkBuster
  
• download and install the current one from the official site[www.punkbuster.com]

• open "Documents" ➞ "My Mods" ➞ "SpecialK" ➞ "Global" ➞ "achievements.ini"
  
• add "FetchFriendStats=false" line at the end of the file

some games are constantly connect to the servers, which were shutdown a time ago, which cause freezing and stutter

• ▷ run %WINDIR%\System32\drivers\etc
  
• open "hosts" file with any text editor
  
• for Saints Row III / IV, add the following lines at the end
  
  127.0.0.1 sr3.hydra.agoragames.com
• for Assassin's Creed, add the following lines at the end
  
  216.98.48.18 127.0.0.1 216.98.48.53 127.0.0.1 216.98.48.57 127.0.0.1 216.98.48.133 127.0.0.1 216.98.48.134 127.0.0.1
• for Battlefield 1942, add the following lines at the end
  
  109.71.69.254 master.gamespy.com
• for Battlefield Vietnam, add the following lines at the end
  
  65.112.87.186 bfvietnam.available.gamespy.com 65.112.87.186 bfvietnam.master.gamespy.com 65.112.87.186 bfvietnam.ms0.gamespy.com
• for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, add the following lines at the end
  
  127.0.0.1 greconawf.available.gamespy.com 127.0.0.1 key.gamespy.com 127.0.0.1 greconawf.ms0.gamespy.com
• for Star Wars Republic Commando, add the following lines at the end
  
  65.112.87.186 swrcommando.ms1.gamespy.com 65.112.87.186 swrcommando.ms2.gamespy.com 65.112.87.186 swrcommando.ms3.gamespy.com 65.112.87.186 swrcommando.available.gamespy.com 65.112.87.186 swrcommando.master.gamespy.com
• for Anno 2070, add the following lines at the end
  
  208.111.149.181 static3.cdn.ubi.com 69.28.187.16 static11.cdn.ubi.com
• if you cannot edit "hosts" file, then copy it to the desktop, edit here, and copy back into the original folder

standby memory is RAM section, where applications store their data until the next call; that buffer tends to overflow with the certain games

• download Intelligent Standby List Cleaner[www.wagnardsoft.com]
  
• click "Start"
  

you can manually change game CPU priority to make PC spend more resources on it, or assign a different number of CPU cores to process that game because some games work better with a single-core or dual-core CPU

• launch the game
  
• press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC
  
• open "Processes" tab

Ordenador compresses and optimizes in-game textures, which helps both space-wise and vram-wise may. it may or may not help you. it may make game more responsive and stable, or fully broke it, or do absolutely nothing

according to author, it works with The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Grand Theft Auto IV, Mount & Blade, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat. according to users, it also works with Fallout 4, Kerbal Space Program, Chivalry: Medieval Warfare

• download Ordenador[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• launch it, select your game folder, start "optimizing"
  

if you have an integrated videocard, but don't have an external one, then don't expect a good performance in most of the games. integrated videocard resides inside CPU (GPU chip):

• in case of Intel CPU, then integrated videocard will be called Intel HD Graphics, Intel UHD Graphics or Intel Iris Graphics
  
• in case of AMD CPU, then integrated videocard will be called Radeon Vega, Radeon RX Vega, AMD Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) or being named after CPU's name

games may mistakenly utilize an integrated videocard instead of external one - and that will lead to big performance issues

3D-Analyze is a software that mimics various videocard's features, and effectively tricks game into believing you have a certain videocard with a support of a certain feature (which is useful fo low-leveled integrated videocards)

• download 3D-Analyze[www.tommti-systems.de]
  
• click "Select" button and choose <<game-exe>>
  
• in the "Vendor ID" field type "4318"
  
• click "Run" button to start the game
  
• if it didn't work, then toggle on "emulate HW TnL caps" feature
  

if you have Intel HD Graphics integrated videocard, then use "Balanced" 3D setting (not "Performance"). it may help to fix "red dots on shadows" issue that plagued Intel HD Graphics videocards

• open Intel Graphics Control Panel
  
• General Settings ➞ 3D Setting ➞ "Balanced"

OpenGL is a video/render API for producing graphics. some games require a specific minimum version of OpenGL and refuse to launch on anything lower. for example Haydee requires at least OpenGL 3.3. and will not work at all on Intel HD Graphics 2000/3000 (which supports only 3.1)

find more information about supported OpenGL here[www.intel.com]

• open Nvidia Control Panel
  
• click "Manage 3D settings" ➞ "Global Settings" tab
  
• configure the options in the following way:

sidenotes:

• #1. today, "Anisotropic Filtering" is extremely easy on PC resources and even with 16x option you barely will see an impact on performance
  
• #2. "Multi-Frame Sampled AA (MFAA)" looks cool, yes, but causes flickering on textures and on geometric edges of 3D models
  
• #3. "Maximum performance" causes more noise, heat and power consumption, but has better performance than "Optimal Power"
  
• #4. "Shader Cache" allows games to store the cached assets on HHD with 1GB+ VRAm you barely need that option
  
• #5. "Threaded optimization" increases performance in some games (Grand Theft Auto V, PUBG, Inversion), but decreases in others (Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, Starbound)
  
• #6. "Vertical Sync: Fast" is known of being able to break lots of games

in case of issues, edit Nvidia Control Panel settings accordingly. try a one change at the time and see how it works out

• download Nvidia Profile Inspector[github.com]
  
• change value of "Maximum pre-rendered frames" to "1" (in "Sync and Refresh" group)
  

• open AMD Radeon Software
  
• open "Gaming" Tab ➞ "Global Graphics" tab
  
• configure all options in the following way:

sidenotes:

• #1. "Radeon Boost" degrades in-game graphics but greatly increases FPS (a tradeoff between quality and performance)
  
• #2. "Anti-Aliasing Transparency" and "Anti-Aliasing Samples" are very known culprits of various in-games issues
  
• #3. today, "Anisotropic Filtering" is extremely easy on PC resources and even with 16x option you barely will see an impact on performance
  
• #4. "Texture Filtering Quality: Standard" has issues with some games
  
• #5. "Surface Format Optimization: Off" makes some games to work better, while other games will work worse; it is really hit-or-miss
  
• #6. "HBCC Memory Segment" relocates part of RAM to VRAM, which causes various performance effects. consider that option only if you have 8GB+ RAM

in case of issues, edit AMD Radeon Software settings accordingly. try a one change at the time and see how it works out

some games just can't stand multi-monitor setups, especially if the monitors are connected to the different videocards or have some complicated cable connections

a monitor could be connected to a videocard (or to a motherboard) via VGA, HDMI or DVI cable. some games do have the issues with one of those ports; for example, Resident Evil 5 is notoriously known for not-working correctly when videocard-monitor are connected via DVI cable

some games just cannot handle high refresh rate and it leads to the issues. you probably may also need to cap in-game FPS (see below)

capped FPS may improve a performance in a lot of titles, for example, Spyro: Reignited Trilogy, is infamously known for being broken on 60+ FPS
try the following FPS: 30, 48, 60, 75, 90, 120, 144 and 165

• check the in-game graphics settings, it might be an option to limit FPS here:
  
• if there is no such option, then
  
  AMD videocard:

  Nvidia videocard:

  Special K wrapper:

  • open AMD Radeon Software
    
  • open "Gaming" Tab
    
  • open "Global Graphics" tab
    
  • find "Radeon Chill"
    
  • change its value with desired FPS
    

  • download Nvidia Profile Inspector[github.com]
    
  • find "Frame Rate Limiter" (in "Sync and Refresh" group)
    
  • change its value with desired FPS
    
  • click "apply changes"
    

  
  

  • copy "SpecialK32.dll" to the <<game-path>>
    
  • rename "SpecialK32.dll" to "d3d9.dll"
    
  • start the game and exit
    
  • open d3d9.ini in the <<game-path>>
    
  • replace "TargetFPS=0.0" with "TargetFPS=<<desired_fps>>"
    
  • replace "RefreshRate=-1" with "RefreshRate=0"
    

if you have 2+ videocards paired in SLI/Crossfire, then try to disable that feature and leave a single videocard only

maybe your current videocard drivers are broken, flopped or were installed wrong?

• AMD official site[amd.com]
  
• Nvidia official site[nvidia.com]
  
• for AMD integrated videocards[amd.com] (see "Processors with Graphics")
  
• for Intel integrated videocards[downloadcenter.intel.com] (see "Graphics for Intel Processors")

in that case you have OEM/vendor-locked videocard (mostly true for the notebooks/laptops)

• get the drivers from your PC developer's site (for example, Lenovo G700 notebook's videocard drivers can be downloaded from the Lenovo official site[pcsupport.lenovo.com]);
  
• get the drivers from the DVD/CD that came together with your PC (with other motherboards's drivers and utilities)

after reinstalling (or updating) videocard drivers there might be some leftovers that lead to issues

• download your videocard drivers. but don't install them
  
• download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU)[www.wagnardsoft.com]
  
• launch DDU ➞ "Options" ➞ set everything as on picture below (recommended values)
  
• select videocard vendor at the right ➞ "clean and restart mode"
  
• wait until DDU finished its job ➞ restart
  
• install downloaded videocard drivers

in may happen that something wrong with installation itself, but maybe reinstalling will fix that issue

• open "Library" in Steam-Client
  
• right-click on the game ➞ "Properties..." ➞ "Local Files" tab ➞ "Uninstall Game"
  
• open <<Steam-path>> ➞ "steamapps" ➞ "common" ➞ delete a folder with the game (if any left)
  
• reinstall the game
  

external USB HDDs have worse performance than internal HDDs and it may be a culprit of the issues

SSDs have way better performance than HDDs and reinstalling game on it may gradually mitigate various issues. no, your SSD will not die off faster because of it, don't believe various myths

some games don't like being installed on partition like "H://" , "S://" or anything like that: reinstall them on partition "C://" (right into the root) to ensure that everything is okay

<<game-path>> is where you have installed the game - double-check that this file-path:

• ...is on the partition with < 3TB of total space
  
• ...is short as possible (preferably < 150 symbols)
  
• ...contains only english letters and numbers (no punctuation or spaces), for example
  
  C:\Games\Steam\ <-- GOOD C:\My Games\Steam\ <-- BAD (space may lead to issues) C:\!games\Steam\ <-- BAD (punctuations may lead to issues) C:\Игры\Steam\ <-- BAD (cyrillic symbols may lead to issues) C:\ビッグ\Steam\ <-- BAD (any non-ASCII symbols may lead to issues)

some symbols in <<game-path>> may lead to issues on some OS/setups; in that case you have to rename it. I use game F.E.A.R. 3 as an example,

• close Steam
  
• find APPID of game-in-question, use steamdb[steamdb.info]
  
• open <<Steam-path>> ➞ "steamapps" ➞ "common"
  
• rename the game folder in something more safe ("F.E.A.R. 3" ➞ "FEAR3")
  
• open <<Steam-path>> ➞ "steamapps"
  
• find "appmanifest" file with APPID in it (for F.E.A.R. 3 ➞ "appmanifest_21100.acf")
  
• go to the line where it says: "installdir" and change it to whatever folder your renamed to

usually Windows prevents this, because historically labels "A://" and "B://" are reserved for diskette devices (yeah, remember those?)

• ▷ run diskmgmt.msc
  
• right-click on a drive with "A://" or "B://" label ➞ "Change drive letter and paths" ➞ "Change"
  
• select another letter from a dropdown list
  

some games cannot run correctly if there is no "C://" partition in OS. you don't need to actually have system files on that partition, just ensure that "C://" does exist on your PC


"read-only" means that software (and games) cannot modify those files (or a whole folder), which, obviously, may lead to issues

• right click on a folder-in-question ➞ "Properties"
  
• toggle off "Read Only"
  
• it is completely okay if immediately after toggling off "Read Only" it will return back; don't mind it at all. your task is to switch off "Read Only" once for each folder and move on
  
• folders to check out:
  
  Steam C:\Users\<<Username>>\Documents C:\Users\<<Username>>\AppData <<game-config>> <<game-path>>

a huge chance is that you never ever heard of Environment Variables - and that's good. in case if you did heard of them and use some non-standard ones, then revert them back (or use hardlinks), because they may mess with the games. you can change them in:

• ▷ run systempropertiesadvanced
  
• click "Environment Variables" below
  
• some Environment Variables to check out:
  
  %PROFILESDIRECTORY% C:\Users %PUBLIC% C:\Users\Public %HOMEPATH% C:\Users\<Username> %USERPROFILE% C:\Users\<Username %LOCALAPPDATA% C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local %APPDATA% C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Roaming %TEMP% ( %TMP% ) C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\Temp %ALLUSERSPROFILE% C:\ProgramData %PROGRAMDATA% C:\ProgramData %PROGRAMFILES% C:\Program Files %PROGRAMFILES(X86)% C:\Program Files (x86) %COMSPEC% C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe

placing that folder on other partitions breaks some games

defragmentation (defrag) is a process of rebulding and reallocation of files on a given drive, to make them be responded faster. SSDs don't need to be defraged, but they could be optimized (works only in Windows 8.1 and Windows 10)

• ▷ run dfrgui
  
• click "Optimize" for the System partition and where the games are located
  

partitions may have errors that prevent games from being worked correctly

• ▷ run cmd
  
• type chkdsk <<partition's letter>>: /f /r, for example
  
  chkdsk C: /f /r chkdsk D: /f /r
  
• check ALL partitions, not only those where games are installed
  
• some partitions may require to be dismounted first; be sure you don't use it right now and type Y
  
• some partitions may be scanned only after restart (during OS boot)

a pagefile (paging file) is a special file on a drive, that enhances your RAM capacity (when it is out of room) and a storage where applications hold their assets for future requests

you MUST have pagefile regardless of how much RAM you have - no exception.
Windows was designed with pagefile in mind: any recommendation to disable it when you have 8/16/32 GB RAM are placebo

• ▷ run sysdm.cpl
  
• "Advanced" tab ➞ "Performance" group ➞ "Settings"
  
• "Advanced" tab ➞ "Change"
  
• uncheck "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives" (if enabled)
  
• set "No Paging file" for every disk/partition first
  
• for one specific disk select pagefile of "Custom Size" and type the same size in both fields
  

by default, Windows is trying to optimize between a performance and a heat/noise/battery-life/energy-usage; such optimizations may cause stuttering and lags

• ▷ run powercfg.cpl
  
• select "High Performance" power plan
  

• ▷ run cmd
  
  unlock "Minimum processor state" option

  type reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00\893dee8e-2bef-41e0-89c6-b55d0929964c" /v Attributes /t REG_DWORD /d 2

  unlock "Maximum processor state" option

  type reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00\bc5038f7-23e0-4960-96da-33abaf5935ec" /v Attributes /t REG_DWORD /d 2
• ▷ run powercfg.cpl
  
• "Change plan settings" ➞ "Change advanced power settings"
  
• set options as following:
  
  Hard disk ➞ Turn off hard disk after:

  Never

  Wireless adapter settings ➞ Power Saving Mode:

  Maximum Performance

  USB settings ➞ USB selective suspend setting:

  Disable

  Processor power management ➞ Minimum processor state:

  99% (increases neat/noise/energy-usage)
  0% (decreases neat/noise/energy-usage)
  

  Processor power management ➞ Maximum processor state:

  99% (increases neat/noise/energy-usage)
  90% (decreases neat/noise/energy-usage)
  

Core-parking temporarily suspends CPU cores to reduce heat/noise which may mess with the games. if you don't have an option to change it, then a Core-parking feature is not available for your CPU

• ▷ run cmd
  
  unlock "Core-parking control" option

  type reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00\0cc5b647-c1df-4637-891a-dec35c318583" /v Attributes /t REG_DWORD /d 0
• ▷ run powercfg.cpl
  
• "Change plan settings" ➞ "Change advanced power settings"
  
• set options as following:
  
  Processor power management ➞ Processor Performance core parking min cores:

  100% (increases neat/noise/energy-usage)
  

there are tools that allow more advanced and deep control over a Core-parking

• download coderbag's Quick CPU[www.coderbag.com]
  
• or download bitsum's ParkControl[bitsum.com]

sound options DO matter. wrong ones may affect the games and cause them to not work properly

• start the game ➞ ALT+TAB back
  
• double-click on speakers icon in the tray ➞ "mixer"
  
• scroll left/right until you find the game's icon
  
• ensure the volume is not set to minimum and is not mute
  

• ▷ run mmsys.cpl
  
• if Windows report about interfering/conflicting settings and offer to disable them ➞ press OK
  
• double-click "Default device" ➞ "Advanced" tab
  
• change "default format" to:
  
  setting

  best works with:

  16bit, 48000 Hz

  universally the best option
  Grand Theft Auto V, Fallout 4, Doom, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, F1 2016

  16bit, 44100 Hz

  for various games released in 2004-2005
  Unreal Tournament 2004, Metal Gear Solid 2, Tales of Zestiria, Star Ocean: The Last Hope

  24bit, 48000 Hz

  some tricky games
  Prototype, Team Sonic Racing, Sonic Generations, Q.U.B.E., Arcania: Gothic 4, Dead Rising 2, Call of Duty: World at War, Lego Harry Potter, Phantom Dust

  %%%%%%%%%

  

HDMI audio conducts an audio signal via monitor's speakers (if any); it is helpful, for example, if you have plugged a TV to videocard and would like to use TV's speakers. for most people that is not necessary and may cause the issues

• ▷ run mmsys.cpl
  
• find the output device with the name "Digital HDMI Audio" (or something like that)
  
• right-click on it ➞ "disable"
  
• do the same thing with other output device that you don't need
  

ensure that your output device is configured properly and, for example, headphones are not accidentally recognized as 7.1 audio system

• ▷ run mmsys.cpl
  
• double-click "Default device" ➞ "Configure"
  
• from the dropdown select an appropriate sound system
  
• click "Test" button to ensure everything works fine
  

• ▷ run mmsys.cpl
  
• double-click "Default device" ➞ "Enhancements" tab
  
• disable "Loudness Equalization"
  

it doesn't matter whether you have a mic or not - proceed with that instruction

• ▷ run mmsys.cpl
  
• open "Recording" tab
  
• right-click on the list and enable "Show Disabled Devices"
  
• "Stereo Mix" ➞ "Enable"
  
• right-click on other unneeded devices (other but a microphone) ➞ "Disable"
  

• ▷ run mmsys.cpl
  
• open "Recording" tab ➞ double-click on a mic ➞ "Advanced" tab
  
• disable "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device"
  

• ▷ run mmsys.cpl
  
• open "Communications" tab ➞ "Do nothing"
  

those two services are the inner OS sub-processors for audio output; it may happen that they are stuck and you need to manually clean/restart them

• ▷ run cmd
  
• ▷ type net stop audiosrv
  
• ▷ type net stop AudioEndpointBuilder
  
• ▷ type net start audiosrv
  
• ▷ type net start AudioEndpointBuilder

there is no reasons to keep your default Windows Firewall on, when lots of free and open-source alternatives are around, I do recommend simplewall. in Windows 10, Windows Firewall has a bad behavior to restart itself from time to time, especially after major Windows Update

• ▷ run cmd
  
• type netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off
  
• ▷ run services.msc
  
• "Windows Firewall" ➞ "Startup type: disabled" ➞ click "Stop" button
  
• restart

Windows Defender is a Microsoft' antivirus solution which bundles with any Windows. Windows Security is rebranded Windows Defender released on Windows 10-1709+. as with any other security-related software, consider to completely disable it

in case you didn't want to completely disable them, then at least add game into the exceptions

Control Flow Guard and Mandatory ASLR are routine protection mechanisms that limit and track the behavior of applications. add the game-in-question into their exceptions to counter any interference

• ▷ run control /name Microsoft.WindowsDefender
  
• "App & browser control" ➞ "Exploit protection settings"
  
• "Program settings" ➞ "Add program to customize"
  
• set the exclusion to be a <<game-path>>
  
• in the dropdown disable "Control Flow Guard" and "Force randomization for images (Mandatory ASLR)"
  

Ransomware Protection is another protection mechanism that causes issues with the games

• ▷ run control /name Microsoft.WindowsDefender
  
• "Virus & thread protection" ➞ "Manage ransomware protection"
  
• disable "Controlled folder access"
  

• ▷ run systempropertiesadvanced
  
• "Advanced" tab ➞ "Performance" group ➞ "Settings"
  
• "Data Execution Prevention" tab ➞ "Turn on DEP for essential Windows programs and services only"
  

Windows Media Player, by default, is bundled with every Windows version, but is omitted in Windows N/KN editions and must be downloaded separately

• use that support page[support.microsoft.com] to learn about installing Windows Media Player on Windows N/KN editions

Windows Media Player is a Windows's default video/audio player, and some game use it for a playback. in other words without it in-game audio/video may not work correctly

• ▷ run optionalfeatures
  
• "Media Features" ➞ enable the "Windows Media Player"
  
• restart
  

• ▷ run control /name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms
  
• "set your default programs" ➞ "Windows Media Player" ➞ "choose defaults for this program"
  
• enable support for WMV extenstion
  

• start Windows Media Player
  
• "Organize" ➞ "Options" ➞ "Performance" tab
  
• disable "Turn on DirectX Video Acceleration for WMV files"
  

one or more system files (for example *.dll) might be broken and game doesn't work correctly; use Windows utilities to ensure that system files are fine and restore them in case of issues. you can find more info[support.microsoft.com] here

• ▷ run cmd
  
• type sfc /scannow
  
• type DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth (it will use Windows Update to verify your files)

• ▷ run intl.cpl
  
• "administrative" tab ➞ "current language for non-Unicode programs" ("change system locale...") ➞ "English"
  

that Windows feature is well-known for being a huge culprit in lots of game issues

for some reasons that process messes with a lot of games. if you don't have touch-screen devices connected to your PC, then you may permanently disable that service

for some reasons WmiPrvSE start using too much CPU, causing stuttering and a low performance in OS

• ▷ run cmd
  
• type winmgmt.exe /resetrepository
  
• type winmgmt.exe /resetrepository (yes, the second time, not a typo)
  
• type net stop "Windows Management Instrumentation"
  
• type lodctr /r
  
• type net start "Windows Management Instrumentation"
  
• press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC
  
• "Processes" tab ➞ "WmiPrvSE.exe" process ➞ right-click ➞ "End Process"
  
• ▷ run WmiPrvSE.exe
  
• restart

whenever you install a new game, Windows adds it into Games Explorer application (if <<game-exe>>'s hash is in a database). each time you launch that game, Windows tries to download news and updates for it.

in early 2019 Microsoft shutdown all related servers and that feature was broken. disabling gameux.dll removes all communications with dead servers, which fixes various issues with 2000-2008 games (for example for Postal 2)

some games, however, DO rely on gameux.dll and will not work if it was disabled, for example Just Cause 2

• close Steam
  
• ▷ run cmd
  
• type reg add "HKCR\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\GameUX\ServiceLocation" /v Games /t REG_SZ /d localhost
  
  for 32-bit (x86) OS

  for 64-bit (x64) OS

  disabling gameux.dll:

  disabling gameux.dll:

  • type takeown /f %windir%\syswow64\gameux.dll
    
  • type cacls %windir%\syswow64\gameux.dll /E /P %username%:F
    
  • type ren %windir%\syswow64\gameux.dll gameux.dll.backup
    

  • type takeown /f %windir%\system32\gameux.dll
    
  • type cacls %windir%\system32\gameux.dll /E /P %username%:F
    
  • type ren %windir%\system32\gameux.dll gameux.dll.backup
    

  enabling gameux.dll:

  enabling gameux.dll:

  • type ren %windir%\syswow64\gameux.dll.backup gameux.dll
    

  • type ren %windir%\system32\gameux.dll.backup gameux.dll
    

is might be that game issues are caused by an interfering device (for example, plugged gamepad can mess with an in-game camera)

• physically unplug all devices from your PC
  
• ▷ run joy.cpl, and ensure there is no devices connected to PC
  
• ▷ run bthprops.cpl ...ditto
  
• ▷ run control /name Microsoft.BiometricDevices ...ditto
  
• ▷ run control /name Microsoft.DevicesAndPrinters ...ditto

if you have the issues with a gamepad, try to do that first

VR software postpones game's detection of actual gamepad and can mess with controllers enumeration. disable such software if game doesn't support VR mode

there are two formats (APIs) of how gamepad can communicate with PC:

• DirectInput: mostly SonyPlaystation -like controllers
  
• XInput: mostly Xbox 360 -like controllers

game may support one API over the other. (for example, if you have DirectInput-gamepad and XInput-only-game, then the game will not recognize your gamepad correctly). some third-party gamepads have the button that toggles between those APIs (but not every gamepad has it)

the wrapper is a software that converts DirectInput-signal into XInput-signal and vice-versa, so they game could recognize the appropriate format. Steam-Client has in-built wrapper, called Steam Input, so ideally you should not use any other software; however for the sake of it, there are alternatives that may have way more options and control then Steam-Client:

"Steam Input" is a wrapper that converts DirectInput/XInput signal to ensure that the game will recognize gamepad right. it is a great feature, but it may not work right with some specific game. consider to enable/disable it ad hoc

• open "Library" in Steam-Client
  
• right-click on the game ➞ "Controller" ➞ "Enable Steam Input"/"Disable Steam Input"
  

Steam Big Picture is a special mode that was to designed to play the games with a controller, while PC is connected to TV (coach mode). you don't need a TV to play the game in Steam Big Picture. try to launch the game in that mode and see if gamepad will work correctly

• open Steam Big Picture Mode
  
• "Settings" ➞ "Controller Settings"
  
• check/uncheck the appropriate entries for your gamepad
  

some developers and games didn't think than much about non-QWERTY keyboard that may lead to issues with the games, because default binding is assigned according to QWERTY keyboard

ghosting[en.wikipedia.org] is a keyboard feature to handle 3+ simultaneously pressed buttons. if your keyboard doesn't support it, then you may have the issues with controlling your character or whatever

use any online tools[drakeirving.github.io] to check keyboard inputs; press and hold "W", "A", "SHIFT" and "SPACE" at the same time and see if they are detected correctly

all three of them are Windows accessibility features to help people with motor disabilities to type easier on keyboard. it limits and changes the behavior of pressing the keyboard buttons and may mess with various games

• ▷ run control access.cpl
  
• "Make the Keyboard Easier to use"
  
• disable "Turn on Filter Keys"
  
• disable "Turn on Toggle Keys"
  
• disable "Turn on Filter Keys"
  

it might be useful for you, but it messes with in-game cursors

• ▷ run main.cpl
  
• "Pointer options" tab ➞ toggle "Display pointer trails" off
  

it may happen that bad USB entries mess with your gamepad (or other device). cleaning them may fix all the issues
USBOblivion and USBDeview are the software that can do that job. USBOblivion is more user-friendly and USBDeview is much more advanced

some games have the issues if extra devices are enabled (not connected!) on PC

• ▷ run devmgmt.msc
  
• open "Human Interface Devices" group
  
• right-click on each "HID-compliant device" ➞ "Disable" (check that keyboard / mouse / gamepad work right)
  
• if it didn't help, do the same with "HID-compliant consumer control device"
  

you can increase CPU performance by disabling its protection mechanisms against Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities; it gives a small performance boost by trading off a vulnerability

• download InSpectre[www.grc.com]
  
• disable Spectre and Meltdown routines
  
• restart
  

HPET is an inner CPU routine that provides stable, more accurate timing (making software more stable). you can disable it and make CPU to work more erratic - and *IN SOME CASES* it may increase performance

an excellent example of PC-shamanism or even, maybe, a placebo. some people claim it greatly helped them, some call it pointless; whatever - try that if you will

• ▷ run cmd
  
• to disable: type bcdedit /set useplatformclock true
  
• to enable: type bcdedit /deletevalue useplatformclock
  
• restart

• start the game with +fps_max <<value>> launch option, for example +fps_max 60

• start the game with -d3d9ex launch option

sidenote: on AMD GPU/CPU it *may* make things worse

• start the game with -refresh <<value>> launch option, for example -refresh 60

• start the game with -windowed -noborder launch options

• start the game with -autoconfig launch option

• start the game with -threads 2 launch option

• start the game with +mat_hdr_level 0 launch option

• start the game with -width <<value>> -height <<value>> launch option, for example -width 1280 -height 1024
  
• open settings and change the resolution here
  
• remove said launch option

• start the game with with one of the following launch option: -console, -dxlevel 95, -dxlevel 90, -dxlevel 80

• launch the game
  
• find "Keyboard/Controls" control in "Settings"
  
• check "Enabled developer console"
  
• open the console with ~ button (to the left of "1")
  
• alternatively, you can start the game with -console launch option

• start the game with -console launch option
  
• console should appear
  
• type the following command in console
  
  bind <<button>> toggleconsole
  for example
  
  bind ` toggleconsole

• verify the integrity of game files
  

• save
  
• restart the current map or chapter
  
• type in console sv_cheats 1 then ai_norebuildgraph 1 then ai_disable 1
  
• load
  
• type in console ai_resume
  
• save one more time
  
• either continue from the save or restart current level/map

• type in console mat_tonemapping_occlusion_use_stencil 1
  
  • if console reports such command does not exist, then open the file
    
    ...STEAM\userdata\<<SteamUserID>>\<<SteamGameID>>\local\cfg\video.txt
  • add "setting.mat_tonemapping_occlusion_use_stencil" "1" right at the end of the file, before the last brackets
    
  • save and set the file to read-only

• type in console cc_lang english (or whatever language you need)

• download that custom videocard driver[forum.teknogods.com]

• open <<game-config>>
  
• find the following line(s)
  
  ReduceMouseLag=True
• replace with
  
  ReduceMouseLag=False

• open <<game-config>>
  
• find the following line(s)
  
  StartupFullscreen=True FullscreenWindowed=False
• replace with
  
  StartupFullscreen=False FullscreenWindowed=True

• open <<game-config>>
  
• find the following line(s)
  
  WindowedViewportX=<<number>> WindowedViewportY=<<number>> MenuViewportX=<<number>> MenuViewportY=<<number>> FullscreenViewportX=<<number>> FullscreenViewportY=<<number>>
• replace with
  
  WindowedViewportX=<<your_width>> WindowedViewportY=<<your_height>> MenuViewportX=<<your_width>> MenuViewportY=<<your_height>> FullscreenViewportX=<<your_width>> FullscreenViewportY=<<your_height>>
  • for example,
    
    WindowedViewportX=1920 WindowedViewportY=1080 MenuViewportX=1920 MenuViewportY=1080 FullscreenViewportX=1920 FullscreenViewportY=1080

• open <<game-config>>
  
• find the following line(s)
  
  HavokNumThreads=<<number>>
• change <<number>> to the number of your CPU cores, for example
  
  HavokNumThreads=4

• open <<game-config>>
  
• find the following line(s)
  
  CacheSizeMegs=<<number>>
• increase number to no more than 1/2 of RAM

sidenote: very unpredictable, can make performance worse in some cases

• open <<game-config>>
  
• add the line into the section [D3DDrv.D3DRenderDevice]
  
  HasNVidiaTexM32Tex=1

fix #1
• open <<game-config>>
  
• find the following line(s)
  
  RenderDevice=D3DDrv.D3DRenderDevice RenderDevice=PixoDrv.PixoRenderDevice
• replace with
  
  RenderDevice=OpenGLDrv.OpenGLRenderDevice

fix #2

• open <<game-config>>
  
• find the following line(s)
  
  UseDirectSound=True
• replace with
  
  UseDirectSound=False

• open <<game-config>>
  
• find the following line(s)
  
  UsePrecache=True
• replace with
  
  UsePrecache=False

• open <<game-config>>
  
• find the following line(s)
  
  UseAlternateTimer=False
• replace with
  
  UseAlternateTimer=True

• open <<game-config>>
  
• find the following line(s)
  
  UseJoystick=False UseXboxJoystick=False
• replace with
  
  UseJoystick=True UseXboxJoystick=True
• (optionally) also, find the following line(s)
  
  DeadZoneRUV=False
• replace with
  
  DeadZoneRUV=True

fix #1
• open <<game-config>>
  
• find the following line(s)
  
  EAX=False EAX_Capable=False Sound3DAcc=False
• replace with
  
  EAX=True EAX_Capable=True Sound3DAcc=True

fix #2

• download DSOAL[www.nexusmods.com] here
  
• place "dsound.dll", "dsoal-aldrv.dll" and "alsoft.ini" in <<game-path>>/system/
  
• open <<game-config>>
  
• find the following line(s)
  
  Sound3DAcc=False
• replace with
  
  Sound3DAcc=True

would you like to thank me?

> say 'thank you' in comments. it will melt my heart <3
> send me some lewd MLP art in PM (my fav ships are: Fluttershy + Discord, Rarity + Applejack, Sunset-EG + Twilight-EG, Starlight + Trixie, Izzy + Sunny, and anything with adorgeeky Moondancer). double-proc if such art is made by you and wasn't uploded on dozens imageboards already
> just give that sh1tty guide a thumbs-up

first group - those methods analyze the position of 3D and 2D elements and blur their edges based on various instructions

• Super-Sampling Anti-Aliasing (SSAA) - the default anti-aliasing method. uses a lot of resources
  
  • Full Scene Anti-Aliasing (FSAA) - the similar to SSAA, applies anti-aliasing to the whole picture, may make text blurred. speed => SSAA, quality < SSAA
    
  • Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing (MSAA) - the better version of SSAA. speed > SSAA, quality <= SSAA
    
    • Coverage Sampling Anti-Aliasing (CSAA) - Nvidia technology, successor to MSAA. speed => MSAA, quality => MSAA
      
      • Quality Coverage Sampling Anti-Aliasing (QCSAA) - Nvidia technology, successor to CSAA, didn't receive a widespread adoption yet. speed => CSAA, quality > CSAA
        
    • Quincunx Super Anti-Aliasing (QSAA) - experimental Nvidia's technology, successor to MSAA. less stable and known than CSAA. mostly experimental technology and proof-of-concept. speed < MSAA, quality => MSAA
      
    • Enhanced Quality Anti-Aliasing (EQAA) - AMD technology, successor to MSAA. speed > MSAA, quality => MSAA
      
    • Multi-Frame Anti-Aliasing (MFAA) Nvidia technology, that used together with other anti-aliasing methods to increase the quality of end-result
      
  • Sparse Grid Super-Sampling Anti-Aliasing (SGSSAA) - the new version of SSAA, didn't receive a widespread usage yet. speed > SSAA, quality = SSAA
    
    • Full Scene Sparse Grid Supersampling Anti-Aliasing (FSSGSSAA)
      
    • Transparency Sparse Grid Supersampling Anti-Aliasing (TRSGSSAA) - those two are different modes of SGSSAA: FSSGSSAA applies on the whole screen, while TRSGSSAA tries to selectively not smooth some 2D objects (like fonts) are about the same
      

compatibility table

AMD Catalyst Control Center | SSAA MSAA EQAA RadeonPro | Nvidia Control Panel | MSAA CSAA QCSAA MFAA Nvidia Profile Inspector | SSAA MSAA CSAA QCSAA QSAA MFAA SGSSAA Intel Graphics Control Center | MSAA ReShade |

second group - those methods do not analyze the position of 3D and 2D elements, but instead consider the location of pixels in the screen

• Morphological Anti-Aliasing (MLAA) - AMD technology, the default one
  
  • Subpixel Morphological Anti-Aliasing (SMAA) - AMD technology, successor to MLAA. speed = MLAA, quality => MLAA
• Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing (FXAA) - Nvidia technology. speed > MLAA, quality <= MLAA
  
• Conservative Morphological Anti-Aliasing (CMAA) - Intel technology. speed <= MLAA, quality = MLAA

compatibility table

AMD Catalyst Control Center | MLAA RadeonPro | SMAA FXAA Nvidia Control Panel | FXAA Nvidia Profile Inspector | FXAA Intel Graphics Control Center | CMAA ReShade | SMAA FXAA

PS, words cannot explain how I hate all those acronyms...

• download DxWnd - https://sourceforge.net/projects/dxwnd/
  
• launch it
  
• click on "Edit", then "Add"
  
• set the "Path" to <<game-exe>>
  
• enable "Do not notify on task switch" option
  
• if you want to launch the game in windowed mode
  
  • enable "run in Window" option
    
  • in "Window initial position and size" change "W" and "H" values for "width" and "height" of game windows accordingly
    
• if you want to launch the game in borderless fullscreen windowed
  
  • enable "run in Window" option
    
  • select "desktop" in "position" group
    
• (optional, may help with some games) click on "DirectX" tab, set "DirectX 9"
  
• click "OK" to save your preset