You’ve just landed a perfect headshot… or so you thought. But no, the enemy’s still moving. Worse, you’re the one who’s eliminated half a second later. What’s that to blame? That damned latency that turns every game into a test of patience. Between pinging and micro-freezes in the middle of a game, it’s hard to keep your cool. But don’t panic, there are solutions to reduce lag and finally play in conditions worthy of a gamer. In this article, find out what causes this latency and how to improve it.
What is latency?
Latency is the time it takes for a data packet to travel back and forth between your device (PC, console, smartphone) and a remote server. This delay is measured in milliseconds (ms) and has a direct influence on the display speed and responsiveness of online applications and games. The lower the latency, the faster the data exchanges.
High latency can cause noticeable delays: in a game, your actions may be executed with a slight lag, making it difficult to adapt to the real-time environment.
In video, we often see this phenomenon during a voice or video call, the discrepancy between reality and virtual reality.
What’s the difference between latency and ping?
Ping is often used as a synonym for latency, although it actually refers to a method of measuring latency. In practical terms, a ping test sends a small packet of data to a server to time the round-trip time.
- A low ping (5 to 30 ms) is ideal for near-instantaneous responsiveness.
- An average ping (30 to 100 ms) is still playable, but may introduce a slight perceptible delay.
- A high ping (+100 ms) leads to noticeable lags, making certain applications difficult to use, especially competitive games.
To give you an idea, a blink lasts between 100 and 150 ms, much longer than a good game ping.
During online gaming sessions, publishers and developers set up matchmaking systems that take into account players’ ping. The aim is to ensure a balanced experience by grouping players with similar latencies on the same servers.
Discover our selection of the best controllers for PC gaming.
How can you improve your ping and reduce in-game latency?
Good ping and minimal latency are essential for a responsive experience. Whether you’re a casual gamer or a performance-oriented competitor, optimizing your connection can mean the difference between victory and growing frustration. Here are a few ways to improve your ping and reduce in-game latency.
Reduce the number of network intermediaries
Every device between your box and your computer can introduce additional latency. Here are the solutions to avoid these slowdowns:
Disable unnecessary devices on the network: Smart TVs, tablets and other connected devices can generate unnecessary network traffic.
Avoid PLC sockets and unsuitable switches: if you must use a switch, opt for a manageable model with good throughput.
Connect directly to the box: a PC connected directly to the box via an Ethernet cable will have better latency than a PC connected via a secondary router.
Selecting an optimized game server
Many online games allow you to choose a server. Choose the one closest to your geographical area to reduce the distance traveled by the data.
Using a Gaming VPN to optimize the data path
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a tool that redirects your Internet traffic through a remote server while encrypting the data. Normally, VPNs are used for online security or anonymity. But a Gaming VPN has a slightly different function: optimizing the route of data packets between your PC (or console) and the game’s servers.
Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) adopt long routes to carry network traffic. A VPN Gaming allows you to choose a more direct path and reduce the number of intermediaries between you and the gaming server, which can improve your ping and connection stability. Here are the best VPN Gaming :
| VPN Gaming | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| WTFast | Automatic route optimization for gaming | Chargeable, no full encryption |
| ExitLag | Multiple optimized routes, traffic management | Subscription required |
| NoPing | Compatible with many games, reduces packet loss | Less intuitive interface |
| Mudfish | Low-bandwidth VPN, usage-based pricing | More technical configuration |
| NordVPN/ExpressVPN | Secure connection, suitable for cloud gaming | Less powerful than specialized VPNs |
A VPN Gaming is not always a miracle solution. It is ineffective if :
- Your ISP already has good routing to the game servers: in this case, adding a VPN may add an unnecessary detour and increase latency.
- The VPN server is overloaded: the wrong choice of VPN server can cause even higher ping than with a direct connection.
- Your Internet bandwidth is limited: VPN data encryption may consume slightly more bandwidth.
Replace your router with a Gaming router
If you’re looking to reduce latency, avoid ping spikes and stabilize your connection, a gaming router can be an excellent solution. It doesn’t replace a good Internet connection, but it does significantly improve gaming responsiveness, especially in a household where several devices are connected simultaneously.
Routers supplied by ISPs are designed for general use: browsing, streaming, telecommuting, but not necessarily for gaming. They lack optimization and can lead to increased latency and packet loss.
Several factors make a standard router unsuitable for online gaming:
- Basic traffic management: all connection types are treated in the same way, which can penalize games requiring stable ping.
- Network saturation: if several devices use the connection simultaneously (streaming, downloading), in-game latency increases.
- Unstable Wi-Fi: conventional routers have limited range and stability, leading to interruptions or a fluctuating connection.
- Limited optimization options: most ISP-supplied routers don’t let you fine-tune network settings to prioritize games.
A gaming router can’t directly reduce your ping if your Internet connection is poor or if the game server is far away. But it can stabilize your connection, reduce latency fluctuations and optimize network traffic management.
It is useful if :
✔️ Several devices are consuming bandwidth at the same time.
✔️ You play on Wi-Fi and want a more stable connection.
✔️ You want better traffic management to avoid sudden ping spikes.
See also our guide to Ethernet and Wi-Fi cards.
Change your ISP as a last resort
When all network optimizations have been applied (wired connection, router settings, traffic prioritization) but latency is still too high, the problem may lie directly with the Internet Service Provider (ISP). In this case, changing operator may be the only solution to improve ping and obtain a more stable in-game connection.
A change of Internet service provider should be considered if :
- The ping is constantly high despite an Ethernet connection and optimized network configuration.
- Packet losses are frequent, leading to micro-interruptions.
- Routing to game servers is inefficient, with long routes that increase latency.
- Your ISP applies unfavorable traffic management (prioritizing streaming and consumer services to the detriment of online games).
A test with tools such as WinMTR or PingPlotter can check whether your ISP is adding unnecessary jumps in the path of data packets.
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