We hope that we’ve answered all of your questions about internet speed, gaming, lag, latency, and the meaning of life (or at least those first four).Gaming PC Builder is reader-supported. If you can’t upgrade your rig, try lowering the graphics settings to see if your lag dissipates. Even many newer computers can have a tough time with AAA games if they lack a nice graphics card (which are in short supply these days). Graphics cards and other hardware: If you’re trying to run Overwatch 2 or Elden Ring on an old 2010 Dell laptop, then you may be totally out of luck.Make sure that your games are marked as “safe” by your firewall. Firewalls: Computer firewalls are important for keeping you and your data safe, but they can interrupt or even block a game completely.

Router settings: Make sure you’re using the less congested band on your Wi-Fi router (maybe put your TV on the 2.4GHz band and your console on the 5GHz band).

In most cases, gaming doesn’t actually use that much data and shouldn’t contribute a ton to reaching your limit, but if you're downloading huge PS5 updates or a bunch of games on Steam, then that could do it.

Internet data caps: Some high-speed internet plans come with a data cap that you can’t exceed.

Be sure that you’re running the latest version of your device’s operating system and that you look for updates to your drivers and other software. Essentially, data that’s transmitted from the server to your device gets lost along the way, often due to outdated software.

Packet loss: If you’ve ever had a package disappear after you mailed it, then you understand what packet loss is.

We’ll go over a few of the more common ones here. There’s a handful of other issues that may be causing your multiplayer games to lag. Your speeds can be made even lower by a slow modem, a faulty Wi-Fi connection, or outdated software. Someone on a 100 Mbps internet plan will often see actual speeds around 50-75 Mbps. It’s also important to understand that you won’t always get the exact internet speeds that you pay for. If you’re trying to grind with some friends in Destiny 2 while your partner is on a Zoom call and your kids are streaming Bluey, things might get a bit laggy even with 50 Mbps speeds. Most people will want much higher speeds of at least 25 Mbps to account for slowdowns and for the other devices in your house that are invariably connected to the web. But there’s more to the 4 Mbps number than you may realize.įirst of all, 4 Mbps is the minimum recommended requirement for online gaming.

That might sound laughably slow, especially if you’re paying for 50 Mbps internet and still experiencing lag in your Fortnite matches.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommends that you have a minimum download speed of 4 Mbps for multiplayer online gaming.

How to download fortnite faster on pc