Discord is one of the most popular communication apps among PC gamers, but its system resource usage in the background has long been criticized, especially when those resources could otherwise be focused on your game. This is particularly noticeable on lower-end PCs, where having several applications running at once can have a bigger impact on performance.

It now appears that Discord is working on a feature specifically designed to address the issue. Called Game Mode, the upcoming setting is intended to automatically reduce Discord’s CPU and GPU usage whenever the app detects a game is running.

Discord Game Mode could be coming soon

The feature hasn’t been officially announced yet, but it was spotted by Discord Previews, which tracks experimental and upcoming additions to the platform. A screenshot of the setting shows an “Enable Game Mode” toggle, with Discord describing its purpose as reducing CPU and GPU usage while gaming.

Instead of requiring users to manually change Discord settings before launching a game, Game Mode will reportedly handle things automatically. Once a game is detected, Discord will reduce animations and disable certain visual effects that normally consume CPU and GPU resources.

Discord already provides some settings that can help reduce its impact on a PC. Reduced Motion, for example, limits animations and hover effects throughout the application. Users can also disable hardware acceleration, which prevents Discord from using the GPU to improve the application’s own performance.

Game Mode appears to take a more convenient approach by applying resource-saving changes only when they’re needed. This could be particularly useful for players with older processors or GPUs, as well as those trying to get as much performance as possible from their hardware while keeping Discord open for voice chat.

There are still some unanswered questions, however. It’s unclear exactly which effects Game Mode will disable or how much of a difference it will make to gaming performance. There is also currently no indication that the feature will reduce Discord’s RAM usage, which can also be significant when the desktop app is left running.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.