For serious gamers, other important factors to consider include internet set up, how ping and latency affect real-time communication and data cap limitations. Low ping and latency rates are important for gaming online.
Ping is the time it takes for a signal to go from your computer to a server which is measured in milliseconds ms. Latency is the time it takes for a roundtrip from the computer to the server and back. High latency which can go above ms is usually the culprit of lag, which all gamers detest and can cause some devastating losses in competitive play. Be aware that latency and internet speeds are affected by your location relative to the server you are pinging to.
You can also try to change the server you are connecting to if you are experiencing high latency. This may be surprising for some but most popular games will only require a broadband connection with download speeds up to 3 Mbps and upload speeds up to 1 Mbps to be playable.
Depending on the platform however, there may be some higher requirements. For an individual living by oneself, internet speeds are not critical when it comes to online play and a smaller gaming library. However, if you enjoy playing many different games every month through a service like Xbox Game Pass, Playstation Now, Google Stadia, or GeForce Now, you will need internet speeds ranging between Mbps to download multiple games at a fairly fast pace with high-quality graphics and least amount of lag when cloud gaming.
If you are a streamer on twitch or a similar platform, you will want to have about upload speeds of at least 6 Mbps for a p, 60 fps broadcast, which is usually packaged on a higher tier in the Mbps download speed range. Keep in mind, that unless you are playing a gaming cloud service, your download speeds will only really matter when downloading and not actual gameplay.
A tip from the pros: if you are going to play a new game the next day, you can always download it the night before while you sleep instead of anxiously waiting as your friends are getting XP ahead of you in Call of Duty. Bandwidth is how much data can travel in a certain amount of time. If you can imagine a road with a single lane, this will represent a bandwidth of 1 Mbps and cars traveling on this road will represent 1 Mb Megabit of data. Given the speed of the cars is irrelevant, to get 10 cars or 10 Mb of data from one end of the road to the other will take 10 seconds.
These include the following: The physical distance between you and the server Games that support co-op and multiplayer use regional servers because geolocation does matter, even if a server is just a few states away. Your internet connection type Certain types of internet connections inherently have more latency than others.
The best internet connections for gaming online. How to reduce lag. Pro tip: For an expanded explanation, we pit wired connections against wireless in our Ethernet vs. Power cycle network devices. Update drivers and firmware. Turn off unnecessary applications and devices. Use the closest server. Use port forwarding. Use Quality of Service QoS controls. Avoid peak hours. Check your connections. Upgrade your internet. Want to see what providers are available in your area?
Enter your zip code below. See Your Providers. Downloads can also strain your connection. Game streaming. What about Steam Remote Play? Online games vs. The bottom line: keep your latency low. Accessed December 4, Accessed July 13, Author - Peter Christiansen Peter Christiansen writes about satellite internet, rural connectivity, livestreaming, and parental controls for HighSpeedInternet.
Editor - Cara Haynes Cara Haynes has been editing and writing in the digital space for seven years, and she's edited all things internet for HighSpeedInternet. Related Posts. HTC vs. Spectrum Jan 12, CenturyLink vs. Jan 12, Xfinity vs.
PlayStation 3 , 4. Google Fiber , Verizon ,. Xfinity , Cox , Spectrum. CenturyLink , Frontier , Verizon. Verizon , , T-Mobile. But it's worth paying an extra few pounds a month to get 50Mb or more. That covers you even if someone else on the connection is watching a 4K stream in the other room, say. Of course you might not have access to that in your area. In which case other services like satellite or phone network broadband could be good options. There's a recent trend for households turning to 4G home broadband and in some big cities even 5G home broadband , and it would be no surprise to see that perpetuate even further as 5G becomes more widely available.
While gaming, or most other tasks, won't ever take up all the bandwidth of a top-end broadband connection, it's good to have some buffer space for future upgrades and the ability to share the bandwidth with others.
Fibre broadband can now reach speeds of up to 1Gb in some areas. Yup, that's far more than you'll need for gaming. But we say you can never have too much bandwidth as a just-in-case cover-all. So a good idea might be to work out what you need steadily. Start at a 50Mb line and then upgrade to faster if needed. As a minimum for basic games, you should have at least 3Mbps of broadband speed, but the more the merrier.
Also, bear in mind that if others in your home are using the internet, your bandwidth will be even more limited. Another important factor in having the best broadband for gaming is having a reliable connection.
Certain types of broadband are better at this than others — fibre broadband, for example, is a lot more reliable than ADSL, due to the more modern infrastructure it uses. Gaming with a cheap ADSL connection will lead to excruciatingly slow load times, terrible lag and a latency that will make gameplay less than optimal.
More on those later. See our fibre broadband deals. The arrival of the Sony PlayStation 5 means that gamers will be exploring new online worlds, delighting in incredible graphics and fantastic action on their new PS5 consoles.
This also means that the demands on broadband in your household are likely to jump up. Curious about the real term cost today of the original PlayStation compared to the new PS5? Check out our legacy consoles vs modern gaming guide to find out which is better value. According to Sony's official stats, you technically need a download speed of 3Mbps for the PS5. This means that almost all broadband deals, including standard ADSL connections, will be enough to accommodate the new PS5.
However, this 3Mbps of broadband speed will need to be shared between all your other Wi-Fi-connected devices, including smartphones, streaming sticks, TVs, and smart hubs.
In this case, 3Mbps will not be enough to enjoy your shiny new PS5. Video game files are enormous, and will continue to get larger as graphics and features get more and more complex. Video games with high-res graphics or those that play in 4K will place the biggest demands on your home broadband, and an ADSL connection with 3Mbps will not be able to cope.
This means Call of Duty: Modern Warfare would take about
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