Why Is My Upload Faster Then My Download Speed Ps4

How Much Speed Do I Need for Online Gaming?

Mar 18, 2022 Share
Make Guides, Gaming, Internet Speed Guides

You don't need a lot of speed to play games online. It's not a bandwidth-intensive activity, and so all y'all need is a 5 Mbps connexion or faster.

Just keep in mind that no amount of speed is going to stop your game from lagging if your latency ranges into hundreds of milliseconds. At that place'southward a lot more to having a skillful gaming experience online than signing up for the fastest internet plan on the planet.

We've boiled down the well-nigh important points of internet speed for gaming online, so you know exactly what kind of connectedness you need to get the most out of your online gameplay.

Looking for the best internet provider for gaming?

Verizon Fios has the everyman latency in our tests. If it's not in your surface area, meet if one of our other best internet providers for gaming is.

Download speed and upload speed

Playing games similar Halo Infinite and Fortnite online doesn't require a lot of bandwidth. Unlike an online video—which is streamed over the cyberspace to your device—the graphics chip in your computer, game panel, or mobile device renders (draws) the virtual world locally and displays it on your screen. In fact, very little information passes between the gaming server and the gamer. Both sides exchange the post-obit data:

Keyboard input
Mouse input
Controller input
Player location (yous and everyone else)
The electric current earth state
Player communication
Server notifications (like in-game announcements)

Out of the items on the above list, histrion location tin can introduce slowdowns, especially in massively multiplayer online (MMO) games. These games can have more existent on-screen players than the typical online gaming scenario, causing frame rate drops and "teleporting" players.

Overall, many modern games with high-definition graphics need a download speed of at least iii Mbps to play online.^1,2,3

Upload speed plays an important part too

Since games are interactive, you also have to consider the speed at which information from your computer or panel travels to a remote server. Even a poor connection tin ordinarily come across the necessary speeds, which is why upload speed often takes a backseat to more important factors.

The typical game with loftier-definition graphics needs an upload speed of at least 1–2 Mbps.^1,ii,iii

Do y'all need a connection with better upload speeds?

We prefer fiber over other internet connections because it has symmetrical speeds. Enter your zip code to detect out which options are available to yous.

Minimum speed requirements across game platforms

* Based on suggestions made past Bungie for Destiny 2 on PC. ¹⁰

Every bit long as your cyberspace connection meets these requirements, you tin can play games online. However, if you lot want to have a consequent online experience, nosotros suggest having a slightly better connection.

Our speed recommendations for playing games online

Since the bodily speed requirements are so low, games and game systems often don't give specific recommendations. Instead, they simply require a "broadband internet connection."

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) defines a broadband connection as having a download speed of 25 Mbps and an upload speed of 3 Mbps—more than enough for y'all to accept several consoles playing online simultaneously.^five

If you're not sure y'all have a broadband connexion, you can take a speed test to brand certain. Unfortunately, speed requirements don't affect the disquisitional question for playing games online: latency.

High latency is your worst enemy

Latency is the amount of time a data bundle uses to make its trip to a remote server and back. Motion-picture show a racquetball billowy off a wall—how long does that ball have to come back to you?

The ping utility answers this question by throwing a ball of data at a specific destination and recording the entire trip's duration—in other words, information technology pings the server. Latency is also referred to equally "ping charge per unit."

Then, if your latency gets too loftier when you're playing a game online, yous start to experience lag.

For example, yous move a mouse and your game reports that movement to a remote server. The server acknowledges the movement and sends a response showing your movements along with all the other player movements. Your game renders the response, but because your latency is high, your motion appears delayed compared to the other players.

Factors that impact latency

There are a number of factors that touch on latency. These include the post-obit:

The concrete distance between y'all and the server

Games that support co-op and multiplayer utilize regional servers because geolocation does matter, even if a server is just a few states away.

Why? Because y our signal moves through multiple "hops" as it travels betwixt you and the server. The more hops your signal must traverse, the longer its journey takes—which translates to a college latency. Traffic congestion between you and the remote server can also cause a slowdown, as well, delaying your controller input.

Your net connection blazon

Certain types of cyberspace connections inherently have more than latency than others.

For case, satellite internet has the highest latency because it's a wireless transmission that travels int o space and dorsum to accomplish a remote server. Insulated cable connections have lower latency than uninsulated phone lines, while cobweb optic cables have lower latency than both.

Keep in mind that the speed at which your signals travel back and along is different from your download speed or bandwidth. A movie will download at a slower rate over a 5 Mbps DSL connectedness than it will over a fifty Mbps satellite connectedness.

When playing games online, yet, the DSL connection would exist much more responsive than satellite because the gaming data doesn't launch into space and dorsum. The loftier latency of the satellite connection would cause and so much lag that most fast-paced games wouldn't even be playable online.

The all-time internet connections for gaming online

A fiber-to-the-home (or building) cyberspace plan from a provider like AT&T, Google Fiber, or Verizon Fios is the best connection for playing games online. Cable internet comes in at a close second, with some 5G networks also providing stable connections with low latency. Other wired connections generally introduce more latency simply are nevertheless better for gaming than wireless connections.

Consistent and reliable latency data is difficult to get together. The FCC was a source for some of the most comprehensive studies of cyberspace latency. However, the agency has since stopped including latency in its almanac broadband reports, so newer technologies like 5G and home 4G LTE are non included.

Although 5G is however an emerging wireless technology —especially its gigabit millimeter-wave connections— it promises to accept lower latency than any other wireless connectedness . 4G and 4G LTE connections generally accept much more lag than wired connections but are capable of reaching our recommended latency of below 100 ms.

How to reduce lag

If your latency is high plenty that you're starting to experience lag when playing games online , you tin can take a few steps to help reduce your latency and keep your game running smoothly.

Don't use Wi-Fi if you can

Wireless connections, even fast ones, will add together a bit more filibuster to your connexion. Wi-Fi is convenient, only it adds an additional translation step betwixt your gaming devices and your internet connection. Plus, you'll run into a delay if in that location are more wireless devices connected to your router than it can handle at once.

To bypass this delay, connect your gaming device to your router using an Ethernet cable. You won't meet the latencies associated with Wi-Fi or the dramatic speed fluctuations, making your connection that much more responsive.

If you lot must use Wi-Fi, connect your wireless device to the 5 GHz band. It has a shorter range than a 2.four GHz connexion just is faster and less congested, resulting in reduced latency. Stay close to your Wi-Fi router, also—inside 50 feet or so, depending on the router—and keep a clear line of sight to the router with as few obstructions as possible for a better connection.

With the Nintendo Switch, we recommend playing it docked and using a USB-based Ethernet adapter to connect it to your network. The Nintendo-approved Dual USB Playstand works with the Switch and Switch Lite.

Yous tin use a similar adapter on a notebook or desktop that doesn't have an Ethernet port.

Ability cycle network devices

Power cycling your router and modem tin can sometimes improve their performance. Since very small differences in latency tin make a big touch on the amount of lag you experience in a game, it's worth restarting your equipment.

To power cycle, unplug your modem or wireless gateway, wait 30 seconds, and plug it dorsum in. Exercise the same with a standalone router when your modem comes back online.

Update drivers and firmware

Hardware manufacturers release updates to meliorate device performance. Updates typically include security fixes, code optimizations, improved device compatibility, and increased stability. Y'all should e'er keep your firmware and drivers electric current to prevent bug that can slam the brakes on your cyberspace connectedness. Be sure to practice the following:

Update your computer'southward drivers and operating organisation, especially the graphics drivers
Update your console'south operating organization
Update the firmware for all controllers and peripherals
Update your router'south firmware

Plow off unnecessary applications and devices

If your connection still struggles while playing games online, endeavour to reduce the amount of traffic on your dwelling house network. Make sure that someone isn't streaming 4K video in another room when yous're about to offset a new match.

You lot can also prevent other devices from bogging downward the network by turning off smart devices and pausing software and Bone updates while you play—merely call back to reactivate everything when yous're done.

Use the closest server

Altitude is i of the biggest factors in latency. Even if every device on your connection is running at acme efficiency, information technology notwithstanding takes time for a signal to travel to a remote location and back.

Games near always connect you lot to the nearest server, but if you're experiencing unexplained latency issues, double-bank check that you're non connecting to the European server when you're playing in Due north America. You may demand to switch servers if the current one is experiencing issues.

Use port forwarding

Online gaming networks like Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network advise that gamers assign "static" IP addresses to their consoles and route incoming and outgoing traffic to those addresses. While routers typically assign dynamic addresses to your devices which alter over fourth dimension, a static address never changes.

When you assign a static IP address, yous can tell the router to forward data to that address through specific ports. A port is just a "dock" that handles a specific type of "ship" (data) arriving to and leaving from your router. Gaming networks typically ship and receive internet data through specific ports.

To create a static IP address and open ports to that accost, you must make the changes in your router or wireless gateway. Port forwarding works with any device—non but gaming consoles.

Use Quality of Service (QoS) controls if available

You may be able to allocate more bandwidth to your gaming devices by making a few adjustments in your router or wireless gateway. The router will consider this traffic as "critical" and will prioritize your gaming data over other applications, like Netflix and YouTube.

On some routers, you can only establish one specific bandwidth amount and list the devices that tin can apply that bandwidth. In that location are no means to prioritize specific traffic, like gaming or streaming.

Avoid peak hours

You may encounter a slowdown during peak hours when everyone in your home accesses the net at the aforementioned time. Plus, a router is limited to how many wireless devices it tin handle simultaneously before slowdowns occur. This heavy load is why nosotros always advise using a router with four or more than streams to better handle busy homes.

Elevation hours are also associated with cable internet, just it's no longer the case at present that providers like Spectrum and Xfinity apply fiber as their network backbone. Rural areas that are withal 100% cable may all the same experience superlative hour slowdowns, however.

We suggest that y'all play games later in the evening, or upgrade your router if it has less than iv streams.

Bank check your connections

A bad Ethernet cable can lead to gaming lag woes, whether it's the cable connecting your router to your modem or cobweb ONT, or the one tethering your computer to the network. Also, check your modem'southward cyberspace connection, as a loose cable volition crusade lag-inducing instability.

Upgrade your internet

If you've tried all these steps and are still experiencing more than lag than you tin tolerate, you may need to upgrade to a better internet connection.

Desire to encounter what providers are available in your area? Enter your zip code below.

Downloads can also strain your connectedness

Playing your games online will button the limits of your net connectedness more than whatever other online activeness, simply information technology'south not the but style that games can put a strain on your connection.

Many modern games take up a lot of storage infinite on your calculator or console . This means that downloading games from an online distributor similar Steam or the Microsoft Shop can accept a long time. It can also eat through monthly data caps in no time apartment.

Updates tin can be data hogs as well. For instance, Bethesda'due south Steel Reign update for Fallout 76 weighs a hefty 15.nine GB when downloaded from the Microsoft Store, and 7.ane GB when downloaded from Steam. ^viii Bethesda's long-awaited Doom Eternal Update 6 patch adding ray tracing to the visuals is around 4 GB on Steam.

Latency should all the same exist your number-1 priority in choosing an internet plan for playing games online , but choosing a plan with unlimited data will save y'all a lot of headaches. Fast download speeds too help out with those large new games. After all, having extremely long download times on 24-hour interval I isn't much fun.

Livestreaming

Your internet needs become a flake more complicated if you lot stream your games on Twitch or YouTube. Streaming has all the normal requirements for a low-latency connection for playing games online, plus the additional upload speed you demand to keep a steady bitrate on your livestream.

For more data on what to expect for in an net connection for livestreaming, check out our guide to internet speed for alive video game streaming. We also provide a guide on how to stream on Twitch that offers all the information you need.

Game streaming

Cloud gaming services like Stadia and PlayStation Now store and run their games in a virtual auto you stream from their servers. Rather than download and run these games locally on your computer, panel, or mobile device, you lot stream them from the cloud. This eliminates any hardware bottlenecks that could forbid a game from running at its highest quality on your device.

That said, you don't need a $4,000 desktop or the latest panel to play these games. Instead, yous merely need a browser or an app, depending on the platform. For example, you can stream Stadia on a low-stop Chromebook or a Chromecast—Google'southward servers do all the heavy rendering, not your devices.

The downside to game streaming is that games are rendered on the server and so streamed across the cyberspace in Full Hard disk drive or 4K resolutions. And considering these experiences are interactive and non passive (like Netflix and Hulu), input latency tin can be an upshot.

To play these services without any major issues, you demand a good internet connection to support game streaming. Here are the net speed requirements for the four major gaming streaming services:

Note that Microsoft suggests an upload speed of at least 4.5 Mbps for Xbox Remote Play. An upload speed of 9 Mbps or more is ideal.⁹

What about Steam Remote Play?

Valve Software suggests speeds merely in regards to Steam Remote Play Together. This service allows 1 Steam gamer to run a purchased multiplayer game locally on a PC and then invite four or more than Steam friends to play remotely. It's optimized to stream games to four other players at 1080p and sixty frames per second, and so Valve suggests using a connection of 10–30 Mbps at the least.

This speed suggestion probably also applies to Remote Play Together+Anywhere, which still streams the multiplayer game from a PC, merely at present the game owner is streaming remotely too. Meanwhile, Remote Play Anywhere streams to 1 client only, so the necessary net speeds shouldn't need to go across 10 Mbps.

Online games vs. playing games online

We spend a lot of time discussing games you lot can play online, which are games that target the single-player experience first and include multiplayer components. Games that fall nether the "play games online" umbrella would include Doom Eternal , Pokemon Sword and Shield , Destiny ii , and Halo Infinite . They tin can feel latency when played in co-op and multiplayer modes, especially when more than a few players are moving on the screen.

Online games, even so, tin can be highly susceptible to latency. These include The Elder Scrolls Online , Earth of Warcraft , and similar MMOs. The histrion count is typically high, which ways both the server and the client (your game) must keep runway of every histrion. This tin can be a huge processing load even if you have the best connection available. Your frame rate may drop and your input may feel irksome.

The lesser line: keep your latency low

If gaming online is your primary concern when choosing an cyberspace plan, selection the one that gives you lot the lowest latency, similar Verizon Fios. Just keep in listen that other online activities similar downloading games, livestreaming, or cloud gaming (not to mention things similar watching video, working online, or doing schoolwork) have their own requirements that you lot should consider.

Sources

Nintendo Customer Support, "Troubleshooting Boring Download and Upload Speeds," Accessed December 3, 2020.
Xbox Back up, "Troubleshoot your network connection speed," Accessed December 4, 2020.
PlayStation Help & Support, "PS4 Error Code NP-37667-9," Accessed December 4, 2020.
PlayStation Help & Support, "PS4 Fault Code NP-38497-1," Accessed December iv, 2020.
Federal Communications Commission, "2015 Broadband Progress Report," February 4, 2015. Accessed Dec 4, 2020.
Stadia Help, "Bandwidth, data usage, and stream quality," Accessed December 5, 2020.
Federal Communications Commission, "Seventh Measuring Broadband America Stock-still Broadband Report: Appendix F-1," May xx, 2011, Accessed Dec xvi, 2020.
Bethesda, " Fallout 76 Update Notes ," July vii, 2021. Accessed July 13, 2021.
Microsoft, "Understanding Your Remote Play Setup Test Results," Accessed December 22, 2021.
Bungie, "Network Setup: Wifi vs. Wired Connections," Accessed December 22, 2021.

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Author - Peter Christiansen

Peter Christiansen writes about satellite cyberspace, rural connectivity, livestreaming, and parental controls for HighSpeedInternet.com. Peter holds a PhD in communication from the University of Utah and has been working in tech for over fifteen years equally a calculator programmer, game developer, filmmaker, and writer. His writing has been praised by outlets like Wired, Digital Humanities Now, and the New Statesman.

Editor - Cara Haynes

Cara Haynes has been editing and writing in the digital space for 7 years, and she's edited all things internet for HighSpeedInternet.com for five years. She graduated with a BA in English and a minor in editing from Brigham Immature Academy. When she'due south not editing, she makes tech accessible through her freelance writing for brands like Pluralsight. She believes no one should feel lost in internet state and that a good cyberspace connection significantly extends your life span.

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