What Is a Good Internet Speed for Gaming?

What Is a Good Internet Speed for Gaming?

Then’s the short answer is You can enjoy online gaming without a high internet speed. A connection with a minimum speed of 5Mbps is sufficient, but speed alone doesn't guarantee a good gaming experience. Low latency is equally important. Even with high speed, if your latency exceeds hundreds of milliseconds, you'll experience laggy gameplay.

To enhance your online gaming experience, we have summarized key points about internet speed for you to consider.

For optimal online gaming, we recommend fiber connections from AT&T, Google Fiber, and Verizon Home Internet. These connections offer symmetrical speeds and boast extremely low latency, making them ideal for livestreaming.

If fiber connections aren't available, cable internet from providers like Spectrum and Xfinity is a close second. Opt for cable if fiber is inaccessible.

DSL internet is the next best alternative if neither fiber nor cable is an option. Though DSL may introduce more latency due to telephone lines, it tends to perform better for gaming compared to wireless connections.

In the absence of wired connections, 5G Home Internet is a viable choice. This innovative fixed wireless service offers lower latency compared to other wireless options and has the potential for higher speeds.

If 5G Home Internet isn't available, your carrier's 5G mobile service can serve as a backup. It also provides speeds of up to 1,000Mbps, although the average speed may be around 200Mbps.

Lastly, 4G and 4G LTE connections (both mobile and fixed wireless) generally experience more lag than wired connections. However, they can still meet our recommended latency of below 100ms.

Most games and game systems don't have specific speed requirements. Only a small amount of data is exchanged during gameplay. Typical exchanged items include keyboard, mouse, and controller inputs, player location, current world state, player communication, and server notifications.

Player location can sometimes cause slowdowns, especially in massively multiplayer online (MMO) games with many on-screen players, resulting in frame rate drops and instances of "teleporting" players.

Communication between you and the remote server is a two-way process. Games require some upload speed for smooth gameplay. Upload speed is less crucial compared to other factors, but a poor connection can still fulfill your gaming requirements.

As long as your internet connection meets these requirements, you can enjoy online gaming. However, for consistently smooth gameplay, an improved connection is recommended.

Let's now explore the concept of latency in gaming. Latency greatly impacts your gaming performance and can make even skilled gamers feel sluggish.

Latency refers to the time it takes for data to travel from your device to a server and back. A low duration is favorable, while high latency causes delays in gameplay.

For example, when you move your mouse, the game relays that movement to a remote server. Due to high latency, your movements appear delayed compared to other players.

Latency is often referred to as ping rate. A low ping rate is desirable, while a high ping rate hampers your gaming experience.

Several factors affect latency, including physical distance. Games utilize regional servers, and the more hops your data must traverse, the longer the journey, resulting in higher latency.

Geolocation matters because your gaming data undergoes multiple hops between you and the server. Proximity to the server reduces latency and ensures smoother gameplay. Additionally, traffic congestion between you and the remote server can cause a slowdown, thereby delaying your controller input.

Connection type

Certain types of internet connections inherently experience more latency than others.

For instance, satellite internet has the highest latency because wireless transmissions have to travel up into space and back to reach a remote server. Insulated cable connections have lower latency compared to uninsulated phone lines, while fiber optic cables have lower latency than both.

It is important to note that the speed at which your game and the remote server exchange data is different from your download speed. A movie downloads at a slower rate over a 5Mbps DSL connection than it does over a 50Mbps satellite connection.

However, when playing games online, the DSL connection is much more responsive than satellite because the gaming data doesn't have to travel into space and back. The high latency of the satellite connection causes significant lag, rendering most fast-paced games unplayable online.

How to decrease latency

If high latency is causing lag during your online gaming sessions, you can take several steps to reduce latency and maintain responsive and successful gameplay.

Avoid using Wi-Fi if possible

While Wi-Fi is convenient, it introduces an additional translation step in your connection between your gaming devices and the internet. Consequently, there is a slight delay in your connection. Moreover, there are various other factors that can make Wi-Fi less than ideal for gaming, such as radio noise, fluctuating speeds, network congestion, and your distance from the router. At times, it may feel like Wi-Fi is conspiring against your victory.

To circumvent the wireless chaos, utilize an Ethernet cable to connect your gaming device directly to your router. This eliminates the latency associated with Wi-Fi and the dramatic speed fluctuations, resulting in a more responsive connection.

For Nintendo Switch users, it is recommended to dock the console and use a USB-based Ethernet adapter to connect to the network. The Nintendo-approved Dual USB Playstand is compatible with the Switch and Switch Lite. Users without an Ethernet port on their notebook or desktop can also use a similar adapter.

If Wi-Fi is absolutely necessary

Connect your wireless device to the 5 GHz band. Ideally, utilize the higher, less crowded channels (149–161) as opposed to the lower ones (36–48) which are likely saturated by other users in your vicinity. Additionally, use an 80 MHz channel width if possible, unless you reside far away from radar and can opt for a 160 MHz wide channel.

If available and supported by your gaming device, consider utilizing the 6 GHz band.

In both cases, it is crucial to stay in close proximity to your Wi-Fi router, preferably within a 30-foot range depending on the router model. Maintaining a clear line of sight to the router and minimizing obstructions will result in a better connection.

Power cycle your network devices

Restarting your router and modem can enhance their performance. Even small differences in latency can have a significant impact on your gameplay, making it worthwhile to reset your equipment.

To power cycle, press the Power button or unplug your modem or wireless gateway. Wait for 30 seconds, then plug it back in. Repeat the same process for standalone routers once your modem is back online.

Update drivers and firmware

Hardware manufacturers regularly release updates to improve device performance. These updates often include security fixes, code optimizations, improved compatibility, and increased stability. Keeping your firmware and drivers up to date is vital to prevent issues that may impede your internet connection. Be sure to perform the following updates:

Update your computer's drivers and operating system, particularly the graphics drivers.

Update your console's operating system.

Update the firmware for all controllers and peripherals.

Update your router's firmware.

Turn off unnecessary applications and devices

If your connection continues to struggle during online gaming, try reducing the amount of traffic on your home network. Ensure that no one is streaming 4K video in another room just when you're about to start a new match.

You can also turn off smart devices and pause software and operating system updates to prevent them from consuming your network resources while you play. Just remember to reactivate everything once you're done.

Use the nearest server

Distance plays a significant role in latency. Despite having efficient devices on your connection, there is still a time delay for signals to travel to remote locations and back.

In most cases, games automatically connect you to the closest server. However, if you encounter unexplained latency issues, double-check that you are not connected to a European server while playing in North America. If necessary, switch servers to avoid lag caused by server issues.

Certain gaming routers provide tools that can filter out servers with high ping. For example, routers like NETGEAR'S Nighthawk XR1000 and Nighthawk XR500 have the Geo-Filter utility, which filters game servers based on location and ping.

Utilize port forwarding

Game networks such as Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network recommend assigning "static" IP addresses to your gaming devices and routing incoming and outgoing traffic to those addresses. While routers typically assign dynamic addresses to devices that change over time, a static address remains constant.

By assigning a static IP address, you can instruct the router to forward data to that address through specific ports. A port acts as a dock handling specific types of incoming and outgoing data on the router. Gaming networks typically utilize specific ports for sending and receiving internet data.

To create a static IP address and open ports to that address, you must modify your router or wireless gateway settings. Port forwarding is not limited to gaming consoles and can be used with any device.

Utilize Quality of Service (QoS) controls if available

If available, adjust the QoS settings in your router or wireless gateway to allocate more bandwidth to your gaming devices. This prioritizes gaming data over other applications like Netflix and YouTube, with the router categorizing this traffic as "critical." Many routers include a gaming-specific QoS mode that allows you to assign it to particular devices on your network.

However, some routers only allow you to establish a specific bandwidth amount and list the devices that can utilize that bandwidth. Prioritizing specific traffic, such as gaming or streaming, is not possible in such cases.

Avoid peak hours

During peak hours when all members of your household are accessing the internet simultaneously, you might experience slowdowns. Additionally, routers have limits on the number of wireless devices they can handle simultaneously before slowdowns occur. To handle the heavy load in busy homes, we recommend using a router with four or more streams.

Peak hour slowdowns used to be associated with cable internet; however, with providers like Spectrum and Xfinity now using fiber as their network backbone, this is no longer the case. Nevertheless, rural areas that rely solely on cable might still experience peak hour slowdowns.

To mitigate these issues, we suggest playing games later in the evening or upgrading your router if it has fewer than four streams.

Check your connections

If you experience gaming lag, it could be due to a slow or faulty Ethernet cable. This applies to both the cable connecting your router to your modem or fiber ONT, as well as the one connecting your wired gaming device to the network. Ensure that you are using the appropriate Ethernet cable for your internet plan—for instance, a CAT 5 cable is unsuitable if your connection is faster than 100Mbps.

Additionally, check the internet connection on your modem, as a loose cable can cause instability and lag.

Upgrade your internet

If you have tried all the aforementioned steps and still experience more lag than you can tolerate, upgrading to a better internet connection may be necessary.

Other factors to consider for online gaming

Online gameplay places a significant strain on your internet connection, but it's not the only way games impact your connection. Let's discuss other aspects you should consider, such as downloads and livestreaming.

Downloads

Many modern games require substantial storage space on your computer or console. Game downloads from online distributors like Steam or the Microsoft Store can take a considerable amount of time and quickly consume monthly data caps.

Game updates can also be data-intensive. For example, Bethesda's The Pitt update for Fallout 76 weighs a hefty 80.8GB when downloaded on Xbox consoles and 73.5GB for Windows 10 and Windows 11 users.

While prioritizing latency is crucial when choosing an internet plan, opting for one with unlimited data can save you from several headaches. Additionally, faster download speeds come in handy when dealing with large new game files, as excessively long download times on release day can be quite frustrating.

Livestreaming

If you stream games to platforms like Twitch or YouTube, your internet requirements become more complex. Livestreaming not only necessitates a low-latency connection for online gameplay but also requires additional upload speed to maintain a stable bitrate for your livestream.

For more information on what to look for in an internet connection for livestreaming, please refer to our comprehensive guide on internet speed for live video game streaming. Additionally, we offer a detailed guide on how to stream on Twitch that provides all the necessary information.

Cloud gaming services, such as PlayStation Plus, operate by storing and running games on virtual machines hosted on their servers. Instead of downloading and running these games locally on your computer, console, or mobile device, you can stream them directly from the cloud. This approach eliminates hardware limitations that could hinder the game's performance on your device, allowing you to experience optimal quality.

Therefore, you no longer require an expensive $4,000 desktop or the latest gaming console to enjoy these games. All you need is a browser or an app, depending on the platform you prefer.

However, there is a downside to cloud gaming. These games are rendered on remote servers and streamed across the internet in HD to 4K resolution. Since they are interactive experiences rather than passive ones like Netflix or Hulu, input latency can be problematic.

To ensure smooth gameplay without any significant issues, it is crucial to have a reliable and robust internet connection.

Now, let's discuss Steam Remote Play. Valve Software provides speed recommendations specifically for Steam Remote Play Together, a service that enables one Steam gamer to locally run a purchased multiplayer game on a PC and invite four or more Steam friends to play remotely. This service is optimized to stream games at 1080p and 60 frames per second to four additional players. Valve suggests a minimum connection speed of 10–30Mbps for the optimal experience.

These speed recommendations likely apply to Remote Play Together+Anywhere as well, which still utilizes a PC to stream the multiplayer game, but now the game owner can also stream remotely. As for Remote Play Anywhere, which streams to a single client only, internet speeds exceeding 10Mbps should not be necessary.

It is worth noting the distinction between online games and playing games online. We often focus on games that prioritize the single-player experience but include secondary multiplayer components. Examples of such games are Doom Eternal, Pokemon Sapphire and Violet, Far Cry 6, and Halo Infinite. These games may encounter latency issues, particularly in co-op and multiplayer modes, especially when multiple players are actively moving across the screen.

On the other hand, online games are highly susceptible to latency problems. This category includes games like The Elder Scrolls Online, World of Warcraft, Destiny 2, and similar MMOs. Due to the high player count in these games, both the server and the client (your game) must continually track every player's actions. This can create a significant processing load, even with a high-quality internet connection, resulting in potential frame rate drops and delayed inputs.

To ensure a smooth online gaming experience, it is crucial to keep latency low. While a high internet speed is not essential, having a decent upload speed is necessary for livestreaming gameplay on platforms like Twitch or YouTube.

Ultimately, latency is the key concern. Even with the fastest internet plan available, high latency can severely impact your gameplay, making it practically unplayable. Nobody wants to find themselves at the bottom of the scoresheet because their mouse clicks and button presses go unresponsive.

To help you make an informed decision regarding your online gameplay needs, we have compiled a list of the best internet providers for gaming based on latency. However, it's essential to consider all your other non-gaming devices and online activities before selecting a plan. Take into account factors like downloads, streaming services, at-home office work, schoolwork, etc.

In conclusion, we highly recommend pairing one of the best gaming routers with a reliable internet provider to balance the load and ensure lag-free online gameplay.