What Is Frame Pacing and Why It Matters in Smooth Gameplay

Frame pacing measures the time between frames displayed during gameplay. Even at 60 FPS, uneven frame times cause stutters that break immersion. Smooth pacing keeps frame delivery intervals consistent, preventing micro-stutters and motion discomfort, especially in competitive games.

Technologies like NVIDIA Reflex, AMD Anti-Lag, and Unity’s Optimized Frame Pacing align frames with refresh cycles, ensuring fluid motion without increasing FPS.

As one Reddit user put it:

“Frame pacing essentially describes the time it takes between displaying frames… 60 FPS but all shown in the first half‑second, then nothing in the second half.”