Guide · Updated October 8, 2026
Is Your Internet Good Enough for Gaming?
Online games need very little bandwidth, usually 3-10 Mbps, but they are sensitive to ping, jitter and lost data. A 1 Gbps plan with poor ping feels worse than a 25 Mbps plan with a steady, low ping.
Check my connection for gaming Test for lag under load
What ping do you need?
| Game type | Good ping | Still playable |
|---|---|---|
| Fast shooters and fighting games | Under 30-40 ms | Up to about 60 ms |
| Battle royale and MOBA | Under 50-60 ms | Up to about 100 ms |
| MMO and RPG | Under 100 ms | Up to about 150 ms |
| Turn-based and card games | Any | Even 150 ms or more |
Keep jitter under about 15-20 ms and lost data at zero. Spikes matter more than the average.
How long game downloads take
Speed matters most when installing or updating big games. For a 100 GB game, roughly:
| Your speed | Time for 100 GB |
|---|---|
| 25 Mbps | about 9 hours |
| 100 Mbps | about 2 hours 15 minutes |
| 500 Mbps | about 27 minutes |
| 1 Gbps | about 13 minutes |
Not sure how to convert speeds to file sizes? See Mbps vs MB/s explained.
Cloud gaming needs more
Cloud gaming services stream video of the game to you, so they ask for roughly 15-35 Mbps depending on resolution, plus low ping and steady jitter. A wired connection helps a lot.
Why you lag even with fast internet
- Bufferbloat. Your router queues data when the line is busy, so ping jumps when someone downloads. Test for it.
- Wi-Fi interference. Walls, distance and neighbours cause ping spikes. See Wi-Fi vs Ethernet.
- Distance to the game server. Pick the nearest region in the game settings.
- Background traffic. Cloud backups and updates on other devices.
How to lower your ping
- Plug in with an Ethernet cable.
- Turn on Smart Queue Management (SQM) or QoS in your router if it has it.
- Close downloads and streams on other devices while you play.
- Restart the router, and turn off any VPN unless the game needs it.
- Choose the closest server region.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good ping for gaming?
Under 50 ms is good for most games, and under 30 ms is excellent for fast shooters. Above 100 ms you will usually notice delay.
Is 100 Mbps good for gaming?
Yes. Bandwidth is rarely the limit for online play. Ping and stability matter more, and 100 Mbps is plenty for gaming and for fast game downloads.
Why do I lag even with fast internet?
Lag usually comes from high ping, jitter, lost data or bufferbloat, not from low speed. Weak Wi-Fi and other devices using the connection often cause it. Our bufferbloat test shows whether your connection slows down under load.
Is Ethernet better than Wi-Fi for gaming?
Yes. A cable gives lower and steadier ping and avoids the interference that causes spikes on Wi-Fi.
Related tools and guides
- Internet speed test: check your ping and jitter for gaming.
- Bufferbloat and packet loss test: see whether your connection lags under load.
- What is ping and jitter?: understand the numbers that matter for games.
- Wi-Fi vs Ethernet: which connection to use for gaming.