DirectX 12 has been around for a few years, but some games still use DirectX 11. We break down differences between the graphics APIs so you know which to use.
DirectX 12 is the latest graphics API that powers Windows 11, but many of the best PC games still either run on DirectX 11 or include an option to switch. Which should you choose?
Although most updates to DirectX are iterative, DirectX 12 represents a massive shift for the API Microsoft has been developing for several decades. It can massively improve performance in your games, and it has a few unique features that DirectX 11 doesn’t have access to.
We have a full explainer breaking down what DirectX is, but it’s important to quickly cover what a graphics Application Programming Interface (API) is. A graphics API handles translating instructions from software (your game) into standardized instructions for your hardware (your graphics card and processor).
Not all graphics APIs are built equally, however. As you can see in our breakdown of the Vulkan API, it provides better performance than DirectX in most games. API overhead can represent a significant difference in performance while playing games, so while it may seem fine to use whatever version of DirectX you want, it can be one of the most important settings to tweak.
Between DirectX 11 and DirectX 12, the most important difference is that DirectX 11 is a high-level API, while DirectX 12 is a low-level API. There are various layers between your game and your hardware. Low-level APIs are closer to the hardware, while high-level APIs are further away and more generalized.
It’s an important distinction between DirectX 11 and DirectX 12. In short, DirectX 12 allows game developers to target optimizations closer to the hardware, reducing the overhead incurred from the API and graphics driver.
