Online gaming – on PC as well as via consoles – has exploded in the past 20 years. Thankfully, the days of relying on dial-up to stay connected to servers is behind us, and the vast majority of gamers have access to broadband to keep themselves online. That said, while you may have a broadband connection that’s fast on paper, you’re going to need a good amount of bandwidth to keep a stable and speedy session running.
Online gamers always face this one dilemma – how much bandwidth do you need for intensive online multiplayer games? When playing games at an NJ online casino, you likely won’t need too much power behind you (5G is more than stable). However, if you’re in the middle of a team battle or a co-op mission and your connection drops out, you’ll wish that you’d considered the amount of bandwidth you actually need.
So, how much bandwidth should you need to play games online?
It’s a broad question, and it does really depend on what you’re playing, as well as how you’re playing it. You’re going to need to look at maximum download speeds, upload speeds and latency. What’s more, consider your PC or console’s capabilities. It’s safe to say that a top-end console such as the PS5 is going to hold out better than, say, a PS4 when connecting to online play.
Ideally, you should be considering a download speed of around 6 Mbps to play games online without serious interruption. That said, it’s always worth going higher, and many internet service providers (ISPs) do so. Also consider upload speeds– you won’t just be downloading. Ideal upload rates are rarely as high as downloads, and again, the higher you go, the better. 5 Mbps is a good starting point – especially if you’re streaming to Twitch or recording alongside.
Latency, meanwhile, is how we measure a delay between two routers or connected devices communicating. We measure this using ping, which lets us know how much of a delay there might be in communication between us and online servers. If, during a speed test, you find that your ping is exceeding 100 ms, it may be time to check your hardware capabilities (specifically your router).
How can I improve my gaming connection?
The answer’s pretty obvious: upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. This is likely to cost you a fair investment upfront, but if you’re trying to get into matchmaking with only 1-2 Mbps on your download, you’re going to need to speak with your ISP.
Gaming has evolved massively in a very short space of time. While many of us enjoy online casino games without having to worry too much about speeds or dropouts, online social gaming relies on a lot of high-end technology. However, this doesn’t have to give you too much of a headache. Consider switching up your hardware and testing your speeds. Otherwise, you never know what you may be in the middle of when your connection goes south!
Comments are closed.