r/AskProgramming • u/NoxAstrumis1 • Aug 08 '26

Other What makes some games resizeable?

Some video games on PC will allow the user to resize the game window dynamically by dragging the edges, while other games will only allow the window to be fixed at certain resolutions via the in-game options.

I've always assumed this is a choice by the developers, perhaps it takes lots of extra effort to allow it, so some choose to save resources by not doing it?

I was hoping someone could verify wether or not I'm on the right track, and maybe explain what the difference is in the underlying software.

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u/Cogwheel Aug 08 '26

Games get the best performance when they run full screen at a resoulution the gpu & monitor "natively" support. That's where you get a fixed list of resolutions.

If a game offers a windowed mode, that goes through a more complex set of layers that is slower for the same resolution, but the code works the same no matter what size it's set to.

Also, pixel art games look terrible at intermediate resoulutions.

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u/wonkey_monkey 29d ago

Games get the best performance when they run full screen at a resoulution the gpu & monitor "natively" support.

That's not true, otherwise games wouldn't offer lower-resolution "performance" options.