Is upload speed important for gaming? How fast should it be??

Wondering if your connection’s upload speed affects your online gaming experience? If so, this post is for you. Just keep scrolling down to learn lots of relevant information about internet connection speed and gaming.

So, how important is upload speed for your gaming activities? What is a good internet speed for playing games? How to have faster internet for better game performance? … 

The answers to all of these questions are all below here; let’s find out!

But first, it’s a good idea to take a look at some basic Internet terms, right? This way, you‘ll better understand why and how things like ping rate (latency), download and upload speed affect gaming.

Gaming devices

What is ping, download, and upload speed?

Ping time, download speed, and upload speed are among the most important specs used to measure how good an internet connection is. 

Download speed 

This term refers to the speed at which data is transferred from a server on the internet to your devices. 

The higher the download speed, the faster your devices can receive data from the internet.

Download speed is measured in Mbps - Megabits per second, so the higher Mbps download value, the better.

In actuality, the substantial majority of regular online activities that internet users do use download bandwidth. Streaming videos on Netflix, browsing websites, downloading games, playing games, and more all involve downloading data.

Without any doubt, a good download speed matters. That's the reason why when internet service providers (ISPs) advertise speeds, well, they often talk about download speeds, right? But that doesn’t mean upload speed is unimportant. 

Internet speed test

Upload speed 

Upload speed determines how fast your devices can send data to the internet. To be more specific, it refers to the rate at which digital data travels from your computer or any other device to the internet.

Similar to download speed, upload speed is also measured in Mbps. The faster the upload speed, the quicker you can send the data.

For activities involving uploading large amounts of data, a good upload speed is everything. If you broadcasted a live stream, or sent emails with large files attached, or made video calls in high definition, … well, you clearly know how important upload speed is. 

Even for gaming, upload speed also matters. And about “how important is upload speed for gaming,” we will discuss later on in this post.

Reliable connection

Ping rate (latency)

To put it simply, ping rate (or often known as latency) measures how long it takes for a data packet to move from your device to a destination (e.g., a game server) and then get back to its source (your device).

Unlike download and upload speeds, ping rate is measured in milliseconds (ms).

A higher ping rate or latency means a slower response time and vice versa. So, the lower the ping rate, the better. For example, a connection with 20 ms of ping rate is always a lot more responsive than one with 100 ms. 

Well, ping vs. upload vs. download speed, which one is the most important for your gaming experience? 

Is upload speed important for gaming?

Yep, upload speed matters for gaming online. Generally speaking, a good upload rate is more crucial for gamers than it is for internet users who mainly use their connection for browsing websites / social media or watching videos online.

So, why is upload speed important for online gaming?

When gaming, the players constantly send data and information (such as in-game actions or messages to other gamers) to the game server. This is where the connection’s upload speed comes into play.

Fast download speeds

Without an adequate upload speed, gamers can have their best gaming performance. However, it’s not necessary to have a high upload speed to enjoy the games. Details on what speed you need for online gaming will be listed later, so keep scrolling down.

It’s also worth emphasizing that for those who want to broadcast their gameplay on Twitch, for example, a good upload speed is even a must. 

As you can see, upload speeds matter. But, is upload or download speed more important for gaming? Right below here is the answer to this question.

Ping, download speed, and upload speed: What matters the most for gaming?

Without a doubt, ping (latency), download and upload speeds are all important for gaming. But, what factor does matter the most?

Download vs upload

In gaming, download speed determines how fast your computer or gaming console receives data or information from a game server.  

Of course, just receiving information is not enough for playing gaming online. As mentioned previously, gamers need to send information to the game servers constantly, too. That makes upload speed important for the gameplay.

Recommended internet speed for playing game

What’s about Ping?

Neither download speed nor upload speed matters the most when it comes to gaming. Instead, a low ping rate is more impactful than how fast the download and upload speeds are. 

In actuality, high latency or high ping rate is the main reason behind a variety of problems with online gaming, such as slow and stuttering gameplay. Gaming with a high ping rate can be a huge disadvantage for gamers, especially when playing games requiring quick responsiveness. 

Well, in fast-paced games like “Mortal Kombat X'' or “Street Fighter V,” players all want their ping as little as possible. In many cases, just a few milliseconds could mean the big difference between defeat and victory.

It’s also worth noting that high latency may make multiplayer in online games almost impossible.

Now, you get the full answer to “is download or upload speed more important” speaking of gaming, right? Both good download and upload speeds matter, but low ping is most important.

Next, it’s time to learn what is a good internet connection for gaming. 

Low latency connection

Internet connections for gaming: How much speed is required?

So, how fast should your internet connection be to enjoy the games seamlessly?

Seriously, it’s hard to provide a definite answer here since that depends on the game type as well as the type of console. Well, in general, a minimum upload speed of 0.5 Mbps and download speed of 3 Mbps upload is required for single gamers. 

Here are details on internet requirements for popular game genres and gaming consoles.

Internet connection requirements for different game genres

Different genres of games have different required ping rates and speeds for optimal performance.

First Person Shooter (FPS) Game 

Ping rate	Minimum download speed	Minimum upload speed
20 ms or less	30 Mbps	1 Mbps

Some popular FPS games are Call of Duty, DOOM, Destiny, Halo.

Battle Royale Game

Ping rate	Minimum download speed	Minimum upload speed
Less than 150ms	3 Mbps	1 Mbps

Apex Legends, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and Fortnite Battle Royale are among the most popular Battle Royale Game games these days.

Role-Playing Game (RPG)

Ping rate	Minimum download speed	Minimum upload speed
150 ms or less	2 Mbps	0.5 Mbps

Popular RPG games: Fallout, The Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, The Witcher

Real-Time Strategy Game

Ping rate	Minimum download speed	Minimum upload speed
150 ms or less	3 Mbps	1 Mbps

Popular Real-Time Strategy Games: Age of Empires 2, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth, John Wick Hex.

Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) Game 

Ping rate	Minimum download speed	Minimum upload speed
150 ms or less	3.5 Mbps	0.5 Mbps

Popular MMO games: World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy, Guild Wars, RuneScape.

Internet connection requirements for different gaming consoles

Similar to game genres, each gaming console also has its own specific internet requirements for the game.

Gaming system	Ping rate	Minimum download speed	Minimum upload speed
Xbox One	150 ms or less	3 Mbps	0.5 Mbps
PlayStation 4	N/A	2 Mbps	2 Mbps
Nintendo Switch	N/A	3 Mbps	1 Mbps

How to reduce latency and increase internet speed for your gaming?

What if you find out your current internet connection is not good enough for your gaming activity - the ping rate is high, and the speed is slower than what you are paying for? Will you call your internet service provider to report the problem right away? 

Well, wait a minute. You should know that there are various reasons behind high latency and slow internet speeds, not just technical problems with your internet provider. Why don’t you try a few simple solutions as follows to see if the issues get fixed before picking up your phone and calling ISP?

Make sure you’re playing on the right server

The shorter the physical distance between the server and the client, the faster the game works. In other words, the closer the server is to your location, the better. So, as long as you opt for the closest server to you to play on, the game is sure to work faster. 

Use a wired connection 

As you may already know, WiFi signals are transmitted via the air, making it more prone to factors like wireless interference, physical obstacles, and distance between the router and devices. 

So, if possible, switch from wireless connections to Ethernet (cable internet). Connecting your gaming device to the network via an Ethernet cable can help improve the speed and reduce lag. 

Get closer to the router

If you play via a Wi-Fi connection, try moving closer to the router so that you will shorten the physical distance between your gaming device and the router. The shorter the distance between you and the router, the stronger the internet. 

Best internet connections for game

Restart the router

If it’s been a while since the last time you restarted your router, it’s now time to do so. Try restarting it and notice if the internet performance gets boosted.

Reduce the number of devices using the connection

The more devices using a single internet network, the more bandwidth is required. Multiple devices connected to your network at the same time mean that it’s split, causing poor internet performance. 

So, if possible, consider removing other devices from your network before starting the game.

Close all the unnecessary background programs 

Too many programs and applications running on the background of your gaming device also lead to decreases in download and upload speeds. Background programs also affect the ping rate. That’s true, especially when it comes to bandwidth-heavy sites and apps like Netflix, YouTube. So, before gaming, close any not-in-use programs you might have running.

Gaming during non-peak hours

It’s a good idea to enjoy the game during non-peak hours. Avoiding gaming during peak hours of the day could help enhance stability as well as the quality of your gaming session. 

Competitive gaming

Some ending words

That’s everything MySpeed wants to share with you via this post. You now have the answer to the question: “Is upload speed important for playing games online,” right? Well, though you don’t need a high upload speed to play online games, you can’t have a smooth gaming experience without adequate upload speeds. Also in this post, internet speed requirements for popular game genres and game systems were listed detailedly. Well, for the best game performance, always make sure that your internet connection meets these requirements. And that’s all for this post, hope you found it helpful. In the upcoming post, MySpeed will let you know “is upload or download speed more important for streaming,” so keep an eye on MySpeed’s blog to not miss out on this interesting topic. 

Sources:

highspeedoptions.com/resources/insights/best-internet-speed-for-gaming

gigaclear.com/blog/how-reduce-lag-and-increase-internet-speed-gaming