Online gaming is the perfect pastime. It’s a group activity you can do home alone — provided that your internet connection is fast enough. In this article, you’ll find out what’s the best internet speed for gaming on PC, PS4, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
It depends on your console and the type of game you’re playing. Here are the general guidelines provided by many ISPs and tech experts.
The minimum internet speed for gaming:
The recommended internet speed:
The smoothness of your online gaming depends on your internet bandwidth, which indicates the maximum amount of data you can download and upload at a given time. Put simply — bandwidth measures how much data your internet connection can handle.
Bandwidth is calculated in Mbps (megabits per second). Mbps is self-explanatory — it shows how many megabits per second you can download or upload.
The ping rate, also known as latency, is measured in ms (milliseconds). It shows how long it takes a data packet to travel from its source (for example, your console) to the destination (game server) and back again (your console).
In other words, ping rate shows how quickly the action you take shows up on the screen. If your ping rate is 27 milliseconds, it takes 27 milliseconds for your character to shoot in-game after you press the left mouse button.
So if you’ve got an important match on League of Legends or need to be running smoothly for a battle royale in Fortnite or PUBG Lite, lower ping is desirable.
So bandwidth is the amount of data sent per second, while the ping rate is the amount of time that information travels.
When your ping is very high, most games will register other players’ moves first. That means you might suffer a headshot before getting a chance to react.
When it comes to ping rate, the rule of thumb is:
The minimum requirements are:
Playstation does not provide minimum requirements for internet speed, so these numbers are based on general guidelines.
The recommended requirements are:
Playstation’s support page provides only the recommended download and upload speeds. The recommended ping rate is based on general guidelines.
The minimum requirements according to Xbox’s support page:
The recommended requirements are:
Xbox does not provide a recommended internet speed for gaming, so these numbers are based on general guidelines.
The minimum requirements are:
Nintendo’s support page provides only the minimum download and upload speeds. The minimum ping rate is based on general guidelines.
The recommended requirements are:
Nintendo does not provide any recommended requirements for internet speed. These numbers are based on general guidelines.
The minimum requirements are:
The recommended requirements are:
These numbers are based on general guidelines. Your experience will vary depending on the computer you have and the game you’re playing.
Finding out how many Mbps you need for online gaming isn’t an exact science. It depends on internet usage in your household.
If 3 members of your household are avid gamers and often play at the same time, your bandwidth needs multiply by 3. If your family members stream videos or download huge files while you’re engaged in a digital battle royale, your ping will increase significantly.
Every device that’s continuously online (like your smart fridge or smart lock) and every online activity or service running in the background takes up your bandwidth. Too many shared connections can prevent you from achieving a good download speed for gaming.
Insufficient bandwidth isn’t the only thing that can impede your gaming. Gamers are alluring targets for cybercriminals because they seldom employ basic cybersecurity measures. Hackers take over gamer accounts, spy on private chats, reuse login details to break into other accounts, or sell their details on the dark web.
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