Whats a good ping for gaming? A detailed guide from PRO gamers

You are an avid gamer who wants to be the best player in the world?

A fast internet connection is not just enough. You need a good ping as well. 

So what is ping speed and whats a good ping for gaming? 

Just keep reading!

What is gaming ping?

What is ping in games?

The ping game measures latency in milliseconds (milliseconds ms). 

In other words, ping measures the time taken to send data packets from your device to a server and how fast data is sent back to your device.

If you’re a real-time player, you probably know how important low ping is to most games where reaction time is vital (i.e. strategy games, fps games, and racing games).

What is a good latency for gaming?

Ping vs latency: What’s the difference?

You may have heard the terms "latency" and "ping" floating around and wondered what they meant and how they differed. 

To clarify, latency is the whole time (in milliseconds) it takes for the initial ping to return to your laptop. 

A ping, on the other hand, is fully one-way.

Whats a good ping for gaming?

A good ping is critical for successful online gaming as it improves the game experience and minimizes the likelihood of server problems. 

To determine a good ping for gaming, we should look at each type of game. 

For a multiplayer game with high-quality graphics, you need to upload your actions and download the actions of other players in the same game as you do in real-time. 

For a turn-based game, fast reaction time isn’t necessary.

No matter what you play, low latency is always preferable. 

Between 40 ms and 60 ms range is considered good to average. 

Everything above 100 ms may cause a delay.

The latency of below 10 ms is considered exceptional.

What ping is good for gaming?

What does “low ping” and “high ping” mean?

In the world of online gaming ping tests, ping rates of below 20 ms are considered exceptional low ping. 

The amount of 150 ms or above is regarded as ping.

Basically, a low ping is desirable as it allows faster data transfer and smoother gameplay. 

Low latency vs high latency

Whereas, a high ping causes lags while playing game increasing your chance of being a loser. 

In reality, at even greater sums, many FPS games' servers will instantly disconnect those players. Lag is actually the delay between a player’s action and the game server’s response as a result of high latency, which may crash games. 

How to test game ping?

Check ping in-game

Most games let you check your ping directly in-game by selecting an option in your settings. 

You can fine-tune frames per second and resolution settings. 

The crispest and clearest image requires more bandwidth and could lead to noticeable lag. 

Check ping in game

So, adjusting game settings can work when you play on game streaming services.

Using an online ping test tool

If you seek how to check league ping out of the game or how to test lol ping out of the game, you can run an online speed test to know the game latency. 

Just visit gospeedcheck.com and hit the “Go” button. 

The site allows you to choose server location, ping test, and display performance stats within a few seconds.

Ping test on MySpeed

• Note: Check game ping multiple times, over a few days, at more times of day, and avoid testing at peak times for the most accurate result.

Why is ping so high?

The latency might be high for a variety of reasons as follows:

• It could be because the quality of the internet connection provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is inferior to that of others. 

• Your internet connection's bandwidth is lower than what is required to play online games smoothly. 

• Your internet connection may be slower than what is required to perform the game fully. 

For example, your games require 0.5 Mbps to 1 Mbps of upload speeds, at least 3 Mbps for download speed and 50ms for latency, but your connection is not sufficient.

• Your system's firewall or antivirus program is causing your internet connection to take longer to send and receive signals.

• When gamers choose a remote gaming server over a local one, they experience high latency, which causes the game to slow or freeze.

• Your router is placed far away from your devices or other devices.

• Multiple devices or more devices running at the same time also can lead to high latency and long delays.

• Other programs or websites are running in the background or you’re downloading large files. These may hog the internet bandwidth.

• Your router or your device is outdated.

Aside from these, there are various other causes of high latency when playing games, such as a bad connection, unnecessary downloading, and so on. 

Now, we'll go over the best, smartest, and quickest solutions to resolve those issues on your system.

What affects ping

How to lower latency in game?

Is a poor latency frustrating your game time? 

Not to worry, there are a few ways to lower game ping. 

Next time your game is occasional lag or load times seem a bit excessive, try these quick hacks on how to lower game ping.

1. Use a wired connection

No doubt, ethernet cable connections will almost offer high speeds in general and improve your ping in particular. 

Connect your computer with a gaming console using an Ethernet cables cord and run game ping test for a smooth online gaming experience. 

Remember to reconfigure your internet settings if you want to use the wired home network rather than wireless connections (Wi-fi). 

Try wired connections and see the differences.

2. Invest in Wi-Fi extenders

Another way to reduce ping in game is using Wi-Fi extenders.

It can boost signal range, thus allowing you to game anywhere in your house. 

Also,  moving closer to the router is also a good way to get a better connection.

Use a Wi-Fi extender to fix high ping time in game

3. Reset your modem or router 

Apart from geographical location, your router also can cause high latency. 

Resting modems and routers will keep them running at optimal performance. 

Try doing this if your game starts lagging all of the sudden. 

If that doesn’t work, run tests after knowing whats an average ping for gaming is to make sure your connection speed is sufficient enough for a seamless gaming experience.

4. Close bandwidth-hogging apps

When gaming online on your devices over wireless connections, other apps could be running in the background. 

This may limit your available bandwidth for gaming. 

How to improve ping

Moreover, many online gaming consoles automatically download game and software updates, abruptly hindering your connection speeds. 

Thus, it’s best to check and close any bandwidth-hogging apps or programs to reduce the ping game online to the lowest.

5. Use a game ping reducer

One of the best ways to get faster speeds and lower ping is using a ping reducer. 

You may consider Outfox, which optimizes your traffic and routes it through our same network performance for the best possible performance. 

Outfox improves the stability of your connection speed by reducing jitter, latency, and getting a better ping rate. 

After jumping through hoops but you find that your high latency still persists, it’s time to call your internet service provider (ISP)

How can I ensure a low ping for professional gaming?

Ping is heavily influenced by ISP and connection type.

So the greatest thing a professional gamer can do to reduce ping is to switch to a different provider—specifically, to a dedicated internet plan. 

What is a good ping for gaming

A dedicated internet access (DIA) line ensures speed at the purchased rate regardless of the time of day or demand. 

Besides, a gamer should choose a symmetric connection speed, which means that download and upload rates are the same.

Fast download speeds help professional gamers to download games faster.

Higher upload rates are beneficial for streaming, in-game communication, sending graphics, video files, etc.