Lower your ping for online gaming: 10 effective methods
Contents
In competitive games, a few tens of milliseconds decide who lands the hit. Here are the methods that really reduce ping, ranked by effectiveness.
Understand what you measure
The ping shown in a game is the round trip to the game server, often in Europe. Our ping test measures latency to the measurement server closest to you: a good indicator of your connection quality, but in-game ping also depends on where the publisher's servers are. The basics are in ping, latency and jitter.
10 methods, from most effective to finest
- Ethernet cable: it removes the latency and jitter Wi-Fi adds. For a distant console, a long flat cable or good powerline adapters beat Wi-Fi.
- Stop competing usage: updates, 4K Netflix in another room, photo backups. Saturated upload sends ping soaring.
- Pick the right server: manually choose the closest region when the game allows it.
- Enable gaming priority (QoS): some routers can prioritise a console or PC.
- Fight bufferbloat: when the connection is loaded, router queues swell. A router with smart queue management (SQM) keeps ping steady even during downloads.
- Switch to 5 GHz if cable is impossible: less interference than 2.4 GHz. See 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.
- Move the console closer to the router or put a wired Mesh point next to it.
- Close heavy background apps on PC: download clients, cloud sync, launchers updating games.
- Avoid VPNs unless needed: they add a detour.
- Play outside peak hours if your ping always rises in the evening, and report it if it is systematic. See why speed drops in the evening.
Measure your connection now. Start the test
Fibre, ADSL or 4G for gaming?
| Connection | Ping | Stability | For gaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fibre over cable | Very low | Excellent | Ideal |
| Fibre over 5 GHz Wi-Fi | Low | Good | Very good |
| ADSL | Medium | Good | Acceptable |
| 4G / 4G router | Medium to high | Variable | Back-up |
Mobile gaming
On a phone, prefer 5 GHz Wi-Fi near the router over 4G at busy times, turn off automatic updates during matches and close other apps.
Sources and further reading
Frequently asked questions
Does a faster connection lower ping?
Not directly. Going from 100 to 500 Mbps barely changes ping. Cable, stability and distance to the server matter more.
What is bufferbloat?
The rise in latency when the connection is loaded, caused by oversized queues in the router.
Is powerline good for gaming?
Good powerline is generally more stable than Wi-Fi, but adds a little latency compared with a direct cable.
The SpeedFibre team Guides written and reviewed by a telecom engineer specialised in fibre optics (FTTH), with more than 8 years of hands-on network maintenance and measurement. Editorial policy.
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