Discord has made a major update to its in-game overlay, significantly improving performance. Previously, the overlay caused input latency and frame rate drops. Now, with the new rendering method, enabling the overlay can actually improve performance in many games. This guide walks you through updating, enabling, and customizing the new Discord overlay.

Takeaways:

  1. Learn how to use the new way more efficient in-game overlay feature in Discord.
  2. Is the new Discord in-game overlay feature really as good as they say?

How to Enable and Use the New Discord Overlay

In order to start using the new Discord update feature you'll first need to make sure that it is fully up to date.

  • Open Discord.

  • If no update button appears, manually restart Discord:

    • Expand the hidden icons in your system tray.

    • Right-click on Discord and select Quit Discord.

    • Restart Discord from your Start Menu.

  • Discord should now update automatically.

Enable the New Overlay

  • Open User Settings in Discord.

  • Scroll down to Game Overlay.

  • Enable the Overlay toggle.

  • Disable the Legacy Overlay for better performance.

  • Ensure your game is set to Borderless Windowed Mode for the overlay to function correctly.

How to Enable and Use the New Discord Overlay

Customize the Overlay

Keybinds & Interaction

  • The default keybind to toggle the overlay is Shift + ` (tilde).

  • Enable Clickable Regions to interact with notifications.

  • Adjust the Voice Widget to show avatars and names based on activity.

Notifications

  • Customize which notifications appear in-game.

  • Click on notifications to respond instantly without tabbing out.

Voice & Video Settings

  • Join a voice call to see the Voice Widget.

  • Move and resize the widget for convenience.

  • Enable or disable name display.

  • Adjust camera opacity, layout, and size in video settings.

Streaming & Activity

  • Enable stream previews with adjustable opacity and layout.

  • View friends' activities and invite them to join your game.

  • Access quick actions like mute, deafen, and screen share directly from the overlay.

Testing the Overlay in a Game

  • Launch a game (e.g., Rust).

  • Press Shift + ` to open the overlay.

  • Move and customize UI elements as needed.

  • Send yourself a message to test in-game notifications.

  • Join a call or stream to explore voice and video options.

Performance Impact & Benchmarking

  • Compared to the old overlay, the new system has minimal FPS impact.

  • Tests show only a slight FPS drop (~3.4 FPS on average), a massive improvement over the previous 20-30% reduction.

  • If needed, disable the overlay for a small performance boost.

If you're just looking for an FPS tracker Steam's inbuilt one is better in my opinion and you don't even notice it if you configure it correctly.