How to Improve Online Gaming Experience using VPNs
What could be worse than at a crucial moment in a game, wherein just one good shot would give you the lead, your device freezes and you lose?
If you are an avid gamer, this scenario might be too familiar. A noticeable delay between your action and the server’s reaction could make the entire gaming experience go down the drain. So, what’s the solution here?
Well, here are a few simple tips that can help you reduce the disastrous lag. Let’s start.
Close all running apps that are connected to the internet
From your Facebook to WhatsApp, Dropbox, Gmail, etc. Just close all the apps that are open on your device currently, whether you’re on mobile or desktop.
Since such apps (even if they’re running in the background) take a toll on your device’s performance and also consume your bandwidth, closing them might reduce the possibility of a freeze out.
Use a VPN to avoid bandwidth throttling
This might sound weird at first, mainly because VPNs are more designed for keeping your traffic dada encrypted and inaccessible to third parties, rather than increasing internet speed. However, in reality, a VPN can actually help you out in gaming.
The internet speed provided by your VPN is dependent on a range of factors like the distance between your location and the server, server load, encryption quality, and so on.
Usually, if you choose a server tailored for gaming and streaming, there’s a high chance that your connection speed will improve.
A VPN is also handy because ISPs tend to throttle bandwidth when it comes to gaming or streaming online. However, when you are using a VPN, the traffic is encrypted, and your ISP can’t throttle your connection based on your online activities.
Connect to a LAN cable
While that’s not a popular choice, it’s advised to use a LAN cable for your Internet connection especially while gaming. We know, Wi-Fi sounds great, but in some instances, it can be the culprit of slow internet connectivity.
By hooking up your console or desktop to a LAN capable, you will up your connection speed and won’t have to worry about massive lags. Additionally, you can use the most advanced type of LAN cable which is the Cat-6a. Here’s a nice resource on different types of LAN cables and their capabilities.
Connect to a game server that is close to your location
As discussed, the distance between your location and the game server might be one of the primary reasons for a laggy connection.
It’s not rocket science, folks. Suppose you’re in Australia while connected to a UK server, well that’s a significant distance for a data packet to travel. Thus, the closer in proximity-wise you are to the game server, the faster your connection is.
Keep your video drivers updated
If you are a PC gamer, updating your video drivers could make all the difference! That’s so because when AMD and NVIDIA update their drivers, they fix bugs and add extra features, which directly translates to your online gaming experience.
Optimize your game settings
It’s that simple – tweaking your graphics settings, in most cases, will improve your overall gaming experience. Optimizing those settings in accordance with your hardware goes a long way. Just adjusting the image quality alone will you help you avoid severe lag issues. That’s a promise.
Run a PING test
A PING test could help you determine the quality of your broadband connection. There are tons of speed testing apps and services, which you can use to assess your connection speed. However, the important part is to read those results correctly.
A ping number between 1ms and 30ms is amazing and preferred for gaming.
A latency number between 31ms and 60ms is almost good. However, you will experience a bit of lag while playing.
A ping number between 61ms and 100ms is average which means that you are going to experience lag.
A latency number beyond 100ms is terrible. Online gaming will be troublesome at best.
Check who else is connected to your Wi-Fi network
As we mentioned before, connecting to a Wi-Fi isn’t the best option while gaming on a PC. However, if you there’s no other way, the least you should look for is the number of other users who are connected to your network.
With fewer devices connected to your Wi-Fi network, you can expect for a pleasant gaming experience.
Make sure to test your ISPs capabilities
As a rule of thumb, it’s advised to check your ISPs capabilities speed-wise. You should consider a speed test to investigate the pros and cons.
Keep in mind that the upload speed plays a little role in online gaming and you shouldn’t worry about it too much. On the other hand, if you see that your download speed is not top-notch (at least 10Mbps recommend for online gaming), you might have a problem.
Bottom Line
These were a few ways that you can enhance your online gaming experience immensely. We hope, you’ll find them helpful. What are your views on this? How do you reduce the gaming lag? Do let us know in the comments below!
