Internet speed is crucial nowadays when it comes to gaming. Playing games online can be insanely fun and addictive, especially during these pandemic times when you can’t go out anytime you’d like. The bad news is that not everybody has a good internet connection, and the good news is that there are plenty of ways to improve it. A slow internet speed will not only affect your gameplay, but it can also affect those who you’re playing against. Besides, lag in gaming is one of the most annoying things ever. Getting yourself better internet connectivity for gaming isn’t hard at all if you try these methods:
Close unnecessary programs
Having apps/programs running at the same time with your game or even in the background can surely slow down your gameplay. Browsers are well-known for squeezing a lot of RAM, and programs running without any apparent trace such as uTorrent, Skype, Steam, Sandboxie, or even an antivirus can put a serious unnecessary effort on your machine.
Closing programs running in the background is simple:
- Go to ‘Start’ and type ‘msconfig’ in the search bar.
- Once System Configuration opens, go to the ‘Startup’ tab.
- Uncheck the programs you don’t need to run in the background.
- You will be prompted to restart your PC, and you must do it for the changes to take effect.
It’s best to leave your antivirus running, but you can consider removing it if you know how to stay away from cyber threats. Your internet speed won’t run like Speedy Gonzales if you uninstall the antivirus, but a little change will still occur.
Aim for a low latency
Did you ever wonder what causes the lag in gaming? The explanation is pretty simple: high network latency, meaning that if the player tells his character to shoot with a gun, for instance, it will take several seconds for that character to perform the command. In some cases, it may take the character a few seconds to even aim his weapon. This means that you need low latency to maximize your internet performance when it comes to gaming. Network latency means how long it takes for data to travel from its source to the destination.
Therefore, high-speed internet is not everything when it comes to high-end gaming. Having low latency is also important.
Play on local servers
Yes, everyone wants to go global when trying multiplayer gaming. What could be better than making new friends while playing FIFA 21, Fortnite, PUBG, or any other games? All popular games have huge communities of fans from all over the world. But as it usually goes in life, sometimes you have to comply with less. Playing on local servers is one great way of significantly reducing your ping. Therefore, give it a try and play on a server from your country or even a side of your country. The server has to be as closest to you as possible.
Check your router
Many connection issues are happening because of the router. Moving its place, resetting it, or even restarting it after you’ve also unplugged it can surely get your internet speed a massive boost. It’s also a good idea to connect your device to the router through an Ethernet cable. If your problem still hasn’t gone away, move on to the next method. Periodically updating the firmware of your router is important not only to ensure seamless performance but also is an important security matter. To update your firmware, login to your router settings at 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, or a similar IP address and there you can update it.
If neither of the aforementioned methods doesn’t work, the only solutions remain to ask your ISP to upgrade your subscription or buy yourself a better router. These last methods will obviously cost you some money, but it will be worth it to achieve the optimum effect on internet performance for gaming.