Intel APO Windows 11 gaming app gets new update, supports 15 more game titles

Intel has pushed a new update to Application Optimization (APO), adding support for over two dozen new gaming titles to improve frame rates and overall gaming experience. The company also shared some test results showcasing the performance gains for some of these titles.

"We’re rolling out a new wave of Intel APO game profiles. In our testing, games like Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition showed up to 14% higher FPS and up to 21% better 1% lows on games like Dyson Sphere Program when gaming on the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090," Intel said in a community blog post.

Here's a list of the 15 new Intel APO games added to its list of supported titles:

• 7 Days to Die
• Assetto Corsa
• Cities: Skylines
• Delta Force: Black Hawk Down
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
• Dyson Sphere Program
• EA Sports FC 24
• God of War
• Kerbal Space Program 2
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition
• The Callisto Protocol
• Wolfenstein Youngblood
• World of Warships
• 蜀山初章 (pronounced Shǔ Shān Chū Zhāng)

Intel APO works in the background to manage how a game uses the different cores of a modern Intel processor (Performance-cores and Efficient-cores). Its primary job is to boost performance by assigning threads based on the game's real-time demands.

This could lead to better thread scheduling, reduced thread contention, and lower latency, according to Intel, adding that APO also helps achieve better 1% lows in games like Dyson Sphere Program. However, configuration differences and factors such as CPU/GPU model could affect APO performance gains.

The chipmaker has shared APO's FPS and 1% lows improvement scores for several titles from the list, tested on Intel Core Ultra 9 285K coupled with NVIDIA GeForce TTX 5090:

Intel APO currently supports 20 different processors across desktop and mobile. It supports a broader range of CPUs through Advanced Mode, including 12th, 13th, and 14th Intel Core processors (with 6 P-cores or more) that are not on the list of officially verified processors.

Intel APO updates are applied automatically if you're running a supported processor with the latest versions of DTT (Dynamic Tuning Technology), BIOS, and chipset drivers. You can install its optional app to manage game-specific settings.