Online gaming unites thousands of gamers around the world. But for this experience to be enjoyable, you need to have a network that is robust enough-one that guarantees you speed and stability throughout the time you’re playing.

To help you achieve this goal we have created this post where you’ll find some strategies focused on network optimization, as well as tips on how to reduce latency and make it work in your favor to improve your online gaming performance.

What is latency or ping?

This is the name given to the time it takes for data to travel the distance between your PC and the game server. The lower the time it takes for data to travel from one end to the other, the better and smoother your online gaming experience will be.

Latency is usually expressed in milliseconds (ms). So, for most online games getting a ping below 50 ms is considered excellent. But if one day the ping decides to go above 150ms, then this is bad news for you as it’ll cause game interruptions and poor performance.

How can I reduce latency in online games?

Lags are the nightmare that no gamer wants to experience when in the middle of an online game. Therefore, here are some methods that could help you reduce latency and keep it to an ideal number:

Optimize game options.

If your mission is to lower latency, one way to do it’s to optimize the game settings. Try reducing the resolution so that you lighten the processing load on the GPU. This will not only contribute to speeding up the response speed of the game but will also have a favorable impact on latency.

Keep the network configuration up to date

Updating the firmware, game clients and network drivers will make these elements work better and consequently keep the latency level low.

Choose a wired internet connection

While Wi-Fi represents the most widely used type of connection today, when it comes to playing online games, wired connections provide greater stability. Wired connections not only speed up the speed of data as it travels, but it’s also more reliable for gaming, minimizing the risk of interference. You’ll have a robust connection that will give you the stability you need while playing your favorite online games.

Stay as close as possible to the router

In case you do not have a network cable to connect directly to the router, then we recommend that you stay as close to the router as possible. This will make the wifi connection power more powerful and reduce the risk of latency.

Connect to the nearest game server

Another way to reduce latency is by choosing a game server that is located as close as possible to your region. That way you’ll be making the communication between your PC and the server faster and you’ll get more fluidity in your online gaming experience.

Optimize your internet plan

Having a poor internet connection can make even the best Wi-Fi and Ethernet technologies unusable. If your current plan is around 150 Mbps then your network will not have much room to handle the high volume of data that online games produce.

So, depending on the internet plan you have, the latency generated may vary. In the case of satellite internet connections, the latency is usually much higher, because here the data makes its way bouncing off satellites in space until it finds its destination. This makes it a bad option for online gaming, so it’s best to avoid it.

Therefore, we recommend that you preferably purchase an internet plan from a ISP with a dedicated fiber optic line.

Get a more advanced router

It’s not enough just to have a high-speed internet plan of several gigabytes. It must also be accompanied by an advanced router that makes it possible to offer the promised speeds to all the devices that are connected to your network. It’ll be useless to purchase a 1 Gbps internet plan if your router is not capable of allowing this connection speed.

There are high-end router models on the market that come included with a dedicated 10 Gbps LAN port and integrated Game Boost function, thus helping to boost the performance of your games.

What are the factors that increase latency?

When you play online you don’t want to concentrate on anything but what you’re doing in the game. However, you should know that there are several factors that can hurt your network performance. Here we bring you the most important ones:

Internet speed

Having a stable connection while playing online games is essential. That is why the Federal Communications Commission recommends that you have a minimum download speed of 4 Mbps to support the data transfer involved in this activity.

Connection type

If you want to achieve low latency numbers, nothing better than wired (Ethernet) connections, which in comparison to Wi-Fi connections provide greater network stability.

Network congestion

Do you share your network connection with other devices while playing online games? Let us tell you that if the network is not robust enough, it’s likely to become congested and unstable, potentially increasing latency.

Distance to game servers

This is a factor that can lead to high latency, as data must travel long distances, making the chances of encountering network hops and possible congestion higher.

The future of network optimization for gaming

Just as online gaming continues to evolve, so do technologies focused on improving network performance. Let’s take a closer look at what they are:

5G and Cloud Gaming

Thanks to its specifications, 5G technology can provide you with faster upload and download speeds, as well as lower latency. This makes it suitable for allowing you to play on cloud gaming platforms, which represent a way to play video games on a remote server and not from a local device.

However, cloud gaming requires that the server quality is optimal and the connection is as stable as possible.

AI-based network optimization

With the help of AI it’s possible to improve the performance of an internet network, as well as make it more efficient and reliable. This also gives the network the ability to predict and address problems that may arise before they affect your game.

Edge computing

Considering that edge computing is responsible for processing data closer to the end user, it means that this technology not only improves network performance, but also reduces the high level of latency that can occur when playing online games.

Another favorable aspect of edge computing is that it promotes scalability by being able to identify players by their location and connect them to nearby servers.

Final take on network optimization for online gaming

High latency can turn your online gaming experience into a nightmare. Factors such as internet speed, connection type, a congested network and long distances between your PC and the servers can cause it.

Fortunately, there are different strategies that you can implement to deal with it and give it a solution. Among them are optimizing the game options, keeping the network updated, using an ethernet connection or keeping your PC as close to the router as possible in case you don’t have this option.

You can also opt to upgrade your internet plan and get a more advanced router. Make sure you also choose a server close to your location.

All these measures together with the advances achieved in technologies such as 5G, AI, cloud gaming and edge computing will make all those problems that impair the performance of your network and your online games a thing of the past.

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