What is ping? Ask any gamer and they might say it’s the main cause of performance-sapping lag. But there’s no need to rush out and buy expensive new hardware to fix the issue. We'll show you what affects ping, how to improve ping speeds, and give you tips to level up your gaming, like using a dedicated gaming optimization app to help give your games maximum power.
Get Norton 360 for Gamers
Ping is a measure of latency, or how quickly a signal is sent from and returned back to your computer. In a gaming context, ping is the amount of time a game takes to recognize your gameplay. For example, when playing Zelda, you want to know right away if Link slayed his enemies, not wait for your computer to register if they’ve even crossed paths.
And while pro gamers are able to avoid high pings atall costs, perhaps even by upgrading their equipment to the latest and greatesthardware, recreational online gamers generally are left to troubleshoot theirown devices. To that end, consider this your ultimate guide on how to lowerping and, ultimately, reduce lag in video games.
What affects ping?
Internet connection speed, above all else, affectsping. And foronline gamers, internet connectionspeed is everything. Speed can also be affected by how much data a network isjuggling and how many users are on that network at the same time.
To put ping in a non-gamer context, think of playingfetch with a dog. The farther we throw the stick and the rougher the terrainthe dog has to take to get to it, the longer it will take them to bring it back. The amount of milliseconds — ping is measured in ms — that we’retwiddling our thumbs waiting for the dog to return with our thrown stick iscalled latency or, in gamer terms, lag for short.
So, when gamers are scratching their head asking, “Why am I lagging?” The answer is often high ping. For this reason, to reduce lag,you need to reduce ping.
How to lower ping? You can do this by improving theroute your internet takes to connect to gaming servers. In other words, you canhelp establish a better connection between your computer and gaming servers.
Why is my ping so highand is lower ping better?
Lower ping is better than high ping, because low pingmeans less lag. And less lag means smoother gameplay. On the flip, high pingmeans a longer lag. It also means you probably have a poor internet connection speed.
Remember, ping is how long it takes a device to “gofetch” data from another server. So, the less time it takes — meaning the lowerthe ping — the quicker your game can be played.
There are a number of reasons why ping can be high,many of which you can correct yourself. Some reasons your ping might be highinclude:
- Routersand how updated theyare, where they’re placed, and whether their firmware is up to date
- Computersand whether they’re outdated, un-optimized for gaming, or need to be cleaned
- Cacheson your router or modems whether they’re full
- The number of devicesyour network is supporting
- A game’s settingsand whether they’re over-optimized
- Applications and programsrunning in the background on your device
- Auto-updatesthat go into effect during your gameplay
You might also be wondering “Well, what is a good ping?” Realistically, anything below 100 ms is playable, but everyday gamers could strive for a ping of 50 ms or lower. Professional gamers, on the other hand, might want a ping around 20 ms or lower.
You can run a ping test on most computers, though how to do so differs across manufacturers. Some online ping tests also exist. To simplify, an internet speed test can also provide context to your ping rate.
At the end of the day, if your game is performing just fine, you probably don’t need to worry about your ping. But if your game is lagging, lowering ping is crucial to level up your gaming performance. It’s also very doable, beginning with a few troubleshooting steps.
3 steps to improve ping and internet speed
How can you lower ping? It all begins with optimizingyour internet connection speed, because this is what most often affects pings.As tempting as it may be, you might want to wait to tinker with your gamesettings or gaming setups until you’ve taken the following steps to improveyour home’s network connection. This will help you troubleshoot whether it’sreally your network connection that’s the culprit of your high ping or if it’ssomething directly related to your gaming setup.
Step 1: Conduct computer maintenance
Running through acomputer maintenance checklistcan go a long way inspeeding up your device and how clearly it can communicate with a gamingrouter. Even dust that’s piled up over time can cause overheating, because ourcomputers are not receiving proper ventilation.
Another consideration: Are your ethernet cables up todate? Ethernet cables are available in categories ranging from 3 to 8, or Cat 3to Cat 8. The higher the category, the better your internet bandwidth andtransmission speed. Most households have a Cat 5 or greater ethernet cable,which suffices for gaming because it can handle internet speeds of 1,000 Mbpsor higher. Outdated cables, however, might not even be able to handle speedshigher than 100 Mbps.
Step 2: Revisit your router setup
Our routers are the mainframe of our internet connectivity and they too deserve a little TLC. Consider the following router maintenancetips:
- Clear your router’scache:A full internet cache bogs down our devices. Do a hard reset on yourrouter toclear cookiesentirely and give yourdevice a clean slate.
- Place your router in an open space:Objects and even walls can obstruct our wireless internet connections. Evaluate whether your router is in an open space and maybe reposition it to a higher spot, because signals angle downward. Also readjust the antennas.
- Update your router’s firmware:Think of how our devices slow down when software or security updates are necessary. The same can be true for routers, so make sure your router’sfirmwareis up to date.
Step 3: Run an internet speed test
Now that your devices are up to snuff, it’s time to do an internet speed test to determine whether it’s really your internet connection that is affecting yourdownload speed.
You can conduct an internet speed test by inputting “internet speed test” into Google. Click the “run speed test” button for a gauge on what your current download speed is. If your speed score is low — below 100 Mbps — this could be an indication that the internet may be the problem.
Keep in mind that internet speeds vary depending on the number of users that are on your network at the same time. For this reason, consider doing a few internet speed tests throughout the day to determine if your bandwidth is overwhelmed. You might also want to plug your computer directly into an ethernet cable to see how the numbers change.
9 more tips to reduce lag and fix ping
An unfortunate truth is we sometimes have to makesacrifices to improve our gameplay, including ditching Wi-Fi altogether,disconnecting other devices from your network, and even lowering the visualquality of games.
But one thing you should never sacrifice to lower pingis yourvideo game security— even though it can betempting, don’t disable your gaming security software orVPNto achieve a faster connection. Instead,consider the following pointers to reduce ping, listed from the least to morepainstaking sacrifices.
1. Close background programs and applications
There are a lot of things fighting for our computer’sattention, programs and applications running being one of them.
By force closing these, you’re directing your device’s attention entirely toward what’s important: your game. You’re also minimizing your internet bandwidth because there are fewer programs and applications nursing its connection. Some common programs to consider closing include Spotify, Zoom, Netflix, and even Twitch, if you’re not live-streaming yourself.
But manually keeping track of all your open applications can be a hassle. That’s one reason why our gaming and performance experts built a dedicated gaming optimization app. Norton 360 for Gamers will automatically detect games you're playing, freeing up resources from power-hungry apps and ensuring your games have the power they need.
Get Norton 360 for Gamers
2. Temporarily disable updates
Enablingautomatic updatesfor software andapplications is a great way to stay on top of your cybersecurity and ensureyour devices are running optimally. Still, these updates can require a lot ofyour computer’s attention. For this reason, if you’re experiencing lag in videogames, you might want to considertemporarily disabling your updates so that they don’t hinder your gameplay.Just be sure to enable them once you push pause for the day.
3. Use an ethernet cord
Think of an ethernet cord like an IV. It’s providing direct nourishment to your device —in the form of an internet connection— because it’s plugged directly into your device. While it’s not the mostconvenient of ways to lower ping, because your ethernet cord might not be nearyour gaming setup, you can invest in a powerline adapter to connect to anethernet cable away from your router.
Still, using an ethernet cord most often provides amore stable internet connection versus Wi-Fi, which is being tugged and pulledby many users and devices. In the event Wi-Fi is your only option, be sureyou’re on a 5GHz network versus 2.4 GHz.
4. Remove other devices from your network
Just like those programs and applications that fightfor our device’s attention, our connected devices, too, are competing for ourWi-Fi. And when you consider the rise ofIoT, our routers have to juggle a lot. There’ssmart TVs, computers, cellphones,smart watches, even our wirelessgaming headsets. Then, multiply that by how many people live under one roof andyour internet connection might simply be overwhelmed. If you’re experiencinglag in your video game, consider disconnecting these other devices or evenusers from your network — looking at you, roommate who’s always onTikTok.
5. Check the game server’s ping
It can sometimes be the case that it’s not you or yourinternet connection’s fault for a high ping —it might be the server ofthe game you’re playing that has a low ping. If you know the game server’sIP address, you can check this oryou can visit sites such asGame Server Pingthat list popular video games. If the game server’s ping is high, that could be a clear indication ofwhy your ping is also high while gaming.
6. Select a gamer server closest to you
Another thing to consider is how close a game serveris to your device, physically. The farther apart you are, the longer it takesfor the two to communicate, so the higher your ping will be. Just think of howfast you can communicate with someone sitting beside you versus someone inanother country. Good news is some games allow you to choose which game serversyour device communicates with. If this is the case for your game, always pickthe gamer server closest to your physical location.
7. Adjust your frame rate
Nowadays, gaming visuals are downright impressive. Butthe better the visuals — consider HD quality versus standard —the moreenergy it takes for your device to compute them. If you’re experiencing highping, you may need to optimize your game’s settings, beginning with your framerate. Worth noting is the higher your frame rate, the better quality yourgame’s animation will be. In your game’s settings panel, try lowering the frame rate on your game and see if it improves your gameplay.
8. Upgrade your router
The fact isequipment deterioratesover time, including the router that supports our internet connection and, in turn, affects lag invideo games. Consider how old your router is and also consider upgrading it ifthe rest of these troubleshooting steps and tips haven’t been a success.
A newer device should give you the latest andgreatestrange and strongest signalfor your wireless connection. Avid gamers might evenwant to consider springing for a gaming router that, as the name alludes, isoptimized for gaming. Some include a Quality of Service feature that means therouter will prioritize gaming traffic above other internet traffic.
9. Contact your internet service provider
If you can’t seem to find a solution for the lag inyour video game, it might be time to call in the professionals. Contact yourinternet service provider for advanced troubleshooting tips to lower your pingand, finally, reduce lag in video games.
The bottom line:Lowering ping improves your online gaming performance
While people turn to video games for differentreasons, with some consideringgaming a form of relaxationand others determinedto beat their competition, no gamer wants to experience lag — and every gamerwants to reduce lag. Thankfully, just maintaining your devices can make a bigdifference in your gaming experience. So, go forth, lower your ping, and higherthose leaderboard rankings!
Get Norton 360 for Gamers
