Your shots register late. Your character teleports. The game freezes for a second, then catches up. That is high ping, and it ruins competitive play. The good news is that most ping problems are fixable with simple changes to your setup. This guide explains what ping actually is, what causes it to rise, and 11 proven ways to lower it on PC and console.
What Is Ping in Online Gaming?
Ping is the time it takes for your device to send a signal to the game server and get a reply. It is measured in milliseconds (ms). A ping of 20 ms means your inputs reach the server almost instantly. A ping of 200 ms means a fifth of a second passes before the server reacts.
As a rough guide, under 50 ms is excellent for most games. Between 50 and 100 ms is fine for casual play. Above 150 ms, you will notice delays in fast shooters and fighting games. Anything over 300 ms becomes hard to play.
Ping vs jitter vs packet loss. Ping is the average delay. Jitter is how much that delay varies from moment to moment, and it causes stuttering. Packet loss means some data never arrives at all, which causes teleporting and rubber banding. Fixing ping often improves jitter and packet loss too, because they share the same causes.
What Causes High Ping?
High ping usually comes from distance, congestion, or a weak link in your home network. The further the game server is from your home, the longer each signal takes. If your family is streaming video while you play, your connection gets crowded. Old routers, Wi-Fi interference, and background downloads on your own PC add delay as well.
Your internet plan matters less than people think. A basic fibre plan with a stable 30 Mbps line can beat a 500 Mbps plan on an unstable connection. For gaming, consistency beats raw speed.
11 Proven Ways to Lower Ping
1. Plug In With an Ethernet Cable
This is the single biggest upgrade most players can make. A wired connection removes Wi-Fi interference, cuts jitter, and usually drops ping by 10 to 30 ms. If your PC or console is far from the router, a long Ethernet cable is cheap and worth every penny.
2. Play on Servers Close to You
Always choose the server region nearest your location. In games like Valorant, Fortnite, and Call of Duty, you can pick your region in the settings or matchmaking menu. A UK player on a Frankfurt server will see far lower ping than on a US East server.
3. Close Background Downloads and Streams
Pause game updates, cloud backups, and large downloads while you play. Ask others in the house to pause 4K streams and big downloads during your session. One background download can add hundreds of milliseconds of ping.
4. Restart Your Router
A quick restart clears stale connections and memory issues on the router. Unplug it for 30 seconds, then plug it back in. Do this weekly, or before an important gaming session if your ping looks higher than usual.
5. Move Closer to the Router or Boost Your Wi-Fi
If you must use Wi-Fi, reduce the distance and remove obstacles between your device and the router. Thick walls and floors weaken the signal. A Wi-Fi extender or a mesh system can help in larger homes, but Ethernet is still better.
6. Switch to the 5 GHz Band
Most modern routers broadcast two networks: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The 5 GHz band is faster and less crowded, which means lower ping. It has a shorter range, so it works best when you are in the same room as the router. Note that some household members or neighbours may be eating your bandwidth without you knowing; learn how to tell if someone is using your Wi-Fi without permission.
7. Turn On QoS (Quality of Service)
QoS is a router setting that gives gaming traffic priority over other traffic. Log in to your router’s admin page, find the QoS or traffic prioritisation section, and set your PC or console as high priority. Not all routers have this feature, but most routers made in the last five years do.
8. Update Your Network Drivers and Firmware
Outdated network drivers on PC can cause poor performance. Check your motherboard or network adapter manufacturer’s site for the latest drivers. Also update your router’s firmware through its admin page, since updates often fix bugs and improve stability.
9. Avoid Peak Hours When Possible
Internet congestion peaks in the evening, roughly 7 pm to 11 pm in the UK, when everyone is streaming. If your ping is fine in the afternoon but spikes at night, peak hour congestion is the cause. You cannot fix your ISP’s network, but gaming earlier or later can help.
10. Consider a Gaming VPN (With Caution)
A gaming VPN can lower ping if your ISP routes traffic badly, because it can take a shorter path to the server. But it can also add delay if the VPN server is far away. Only use this if you have tested it and it genuinely helps. Free VPNs are rarely fast enough for gaming.
11. Call Your ISP About Line Issues
If nothing helps and your ping is always high, the problem may be your line or your ISP’s routing. Run a speed test at different times of day and note the results. Then contact your ISP with those numbers. Ask them to check for line faults and whether interleaving is enabled on your connection, which adds latency.
A Quick Note: Ping Is Not the Same as FPS
Not all stuttering comes from your connection. If your game drops frames in busy scenes, your graphics card may be the bottleneck, not your ping. Learn how much VRAM you actually need to check whether your GPU is holding you back.
Quick Checklist Before You Play
Run through this list before a competitive session. Plug in Ethernet if you can. Close downloads and streams. Pick the nearest server region. Restart the router if ping looks high. Set your game to the lowest graphics preset that still looks good, since smooth frames help you react even when ping is imperfect.
FAQs
What is a good ping for online gaming?
Under 50 ms is excellent. Between 50 and 100 ms is fine for most games. Shooters and fighting games feel best under 60 ms, while strategy and turn based games stay playable well above 150 ms.
Why is my ping high but my internet speed fast?
Speed and ping measure different things. Speed is how much data you can move per second. Ping is how fast a single signal travels. A fast but unstable connection, a distant server, or Wi-Fi interference can give you high ping even with 500 Mbps downloads.
Does a better router lower ping?
Sometimes. A modern router with good QoS and stable firmware can reduce jitter and keep ping steady. But a new router will not fix a bad line, a distant server, or peak hour congestion from your ISP.
Can I lower ping on console?
Yes. Use a wired Ethernet connection to your PS5, Xbox, or Switch dock. Close background apps and downloads. Choose the nearest server region in the game settings. These steps work on console exactly as they do on PC.
Will a VPN lower my ping?
It can, but only in specific cases. If your ISP takes a slow route to the game server, a well chosen VPN server can shorten the path. In most cases it adds a small amount of delay instead. Test with and without the VPN and keep whichever gives the lower number.
Conclusion
High ping is frustrating, but it is rarely a mystery. Start with an Ethernet cable, pick the nearest server, and clear background traffic from your network. Work through the 11 steps above and test your ping after each change. Most players can cut their ping in half with the first three fixes alone. Your aim will thank you.