A lot of players run into the same issue.
You launch a game.
Everything feels fine at first.
Then you start noticing stutters, input delay, or random frame drops.
Most of the time, it’s not your hardware.
It’s background apps using your CPU and memory while you're playing.
Things like browsers, Discord, launchers, and background services all compete with your game for resources. Even small things running in the background can affect performance, especially in competitive or CPU-heavy games.
That's why we built Game Mode.
What is Game Mode?
Game Mode is a one-click optimizer that automatically improves performance while you're gaming. When you launch a game, Game Mode activates and starts freeing up system resources. When you close your game, everything goes back to normal.
There are no permanent changes, and you don’t need to manually undo anything.
If anything ever goes wrong, restarting your PC restores everything automatically.
While you're playing, Game Mode can:
- Lower background app priority
- Suspend non-essential apps
- Free CPU and memory resources
- Improve overall system responsiveness
The goal isn’t always higher FPS, it’s smoother, more consistent gameplay.
You might notice:
- Less stuttering
- Better frame consistency
- Lower input delay
- Faster load times
- Better responsiveness
Some users may also see improvements in 0.1% and 1% lows, or small FPS gains.
Results vary depending on your system and what’s running in the background.
If your PC is already very clean, improvements may be smaller.
If you have a lot running, improvements are usually more noticeable.
Which Preset Is Right For You?
Game Mode includes three presets depending on how aggressive you want to be.
Balanced is recommended for most users.
It improves performance while keeping most apps running. This is ideal for casual gamers, streamers, or anyone multitasking.
Performance is more aggressive and frees more resources for your game.
This preset is best for competitive players or CPU-heavy games. Performance mode is available with Premium.
Custom gives you full control.
You can choose which apps to manage and create your own profiles. This is best for advanced users. Ending unknown processes may close apps or cause you to lose unsaved work, so Custom mode should be used carefully.
How Do You Activate Game Mode?
Game Mode works automatically with most games and launchers.
This includes Steam, Epic Games, Riot, Battle.net, Xbox, Ubisoft, Rockstar, and many standalone games.
You don’t need to configure anything.
Just launch your game and Game Mode activates.
Game Mode is also designed to be safe and non-invasive.
It doesn’t make permanent changes, and it won’t interfere with antivirus, anti-cheat, or recording software like OBS, webcams, or capture cards.
It’s built to know what not to touch, and everything is restored when you're done.
To use Game Mode:
- Open Hone
- Go to the games page & select your game
- Click on Game Mode
- Choose a preset
- Launch your game
That’s it.
Game Mode runs automatically while you're gaming and turns off when you're done.
It tends to help the most in competitive and CPU-heavy games like Fortnite, CS2, Valorant, and Rust, where smoother frame times and lower input delay can make a real difference.
The goal of Game Mode is simple.
Your PC should focus on your game when you're playing - and go back to normal when you're done.
Activate Game Mode, launch your game, and Hone handles the rest!