How to Make a Computer Game Play in Slow Motion

There are several situations where it may be useful to force a computer game to play in slow motion. This can include an older game that plays too quickly on a new computer, or to enable a child (or even an adult) to play a game that is too challenging at normal speed. The techniques in this article apply to Windows only.

The speed at which your computer will run a game is affected by several factors, including the processor speed, the available memory, and the game’s complexity. The only one of these that can be dynamically adjusted is the processor speed. If you have a laptop you may find that you already have a utility pre-installed that will extend battery life by slowing down the processor. This may be all you need to slow your computer enough to play a game at the desired speed. Failing that, or if you have a desktop computer, you will need another technique. One effective option is the free CPU Speed Adjuster program (slow.exe), which can be downloaded from Adrianboeing.com.

Slow.exe is not an installation file, it is a standalone utility, so after downloading, put the file in a convenient location where you can find it when it’s needed.

Start slow.exe by double-clicking the icon.

The program panel is very small and simple, featuring only a window with the current CPU usage, another with the desired CPU usage, a slider to select the latter, and an "Activate/Deactivate" button. Set the slider so the desired CPU usage is at 50 percent and select the "Activate" button. The program works by occupying your CPU with other tasks so it has less time to devote to running your game, effectively slowing it down.

Launch your game and test out the playing speed. If it is still running too fast hold down the ALT key and tap the TAB key to switch the focus to the CPU Speed Adjuster, or “Speed,” program. Move the slider slightly to the right to increase the desired CPU usage, and then use the Alt/Tab combination to go back to your game. Move back and forth between your game and the “Speed” program until you have found the right setting to slow down the game sufficiently.

When you have finished playing, close the game, press the "Deactivate" button on the “Speed” program, and then close it. The “Speed” program will not stay in memory, but is ready if you ever need it again.