Gaming Speed Test Guide: How to Get the Lowest Ping Possible
In competitive gaming, every millisecond counts. You can have the best aim in the world, but if your connection is unstable, you'll lose to a "laggy" server every time. This is the ultimate guide to mastering your gaming network.
⚡ The Golden Rule of Gaming
Latency (Ping) and Stability (Jitter) are more important than Speed (Mbps). For gaming, a stable 20 Mbps fiber connection will outperform a 1,000 Mbps cable connection that suffers from interference or bufferbloat.
Why Your Download Speed Doesn't Matter (Much)
Most modern games use surprisingly little bandwidth. Whether you are playing *Valorant* or *World of Warcraft*, you are likely using less than **5 Mbps** of data.
The problem happens when that 5 Mbps has to wait in line because someone else is downloading a 4K movie. This is why we focus on Quality of Service (QoS) and Loaded Latency.
The 3 Best Ping Tiers for Gamers
| Ping Range | Gaming Experience |
|---|---|
| 0 - 25ms | Superior. No delay. Perfect for pros. |
| 26 - 55ms | Great. Competitive and very smooth. |
| 56 - 100ms | Average. Slight delay, but playable. |
| 100ms+ | Poor. Expect "Rubberbanding" and lag. |
How to Lower Your Ping Immediately
1. Ethernet is Non-Negotiable
WiFi is prone to "packet collisions" and signal interference. If you are serious about gaming, run a long Ethernet cable (Cat5e or Cat6) to your setup. If that's not possible, consider **Powerline Adapters** or **MoCA** as a second-best alternative.
2. Fix Your Router's "Bufferbloat"
If your ping jumps while your browser is open, your router is struggling. Enabling **SQM (Smart Queue Management)** in your router settings can prioritize gaming packets over everything else. Look for specialized "Gaming" routers with **DUMAOS** or **OpenWrt**.
Recommended Server Selection
Always use the "Auto" server selection in games unless you are playing with friends in another region. If you are in Europe, playing on US-West servers will add ~150ms of physical travel time that no amount of optimization can fix.
3. Network Card (NIC) Tuning
On Windows, go to "Device Manager" → "Network Adapters" → "Advanced". Disable **"Energy Efficient Ethernet"** and **"Green Ethernet"**. These power-saving features can introduce microscopic delays (micro-stutter) in your data flow.
Is Your Connection Tournament Ready?
Our gaming speed test measures your real-time Jitter and Loaded Latency—the two metrics that actually matter for low-ping gaming.
Run Gaming Test →Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good ping for gaming?
For competitive games (Valorant, CS:GO, Apex Legends), anything under 50ms is considered "Good". Under 20ms is "Excellent" (Pro-level). 50ms-100ms is "Playable", while 100ms+ will cause noticeable disadvantages.
Does higher download speed reduce ping?
No. Download speed (Mbps) is like the width of a pipe, while Ping (Latency) is the speed of the water. You only need about 5-10 Mbps for stable gaming. Having 1,000 Mbps fiber won't lower your ping if you are on a crowded WiFi network.
Why does my ping spike in the middle of a game?
Ping spikes (Jitter) are usually caused by WiFi interference, background downloads (Bufferbloat), or ISP routing issues. Background updates (Windows, Steam) are common culprits.
Can DNS settings lower my ping?
Rarely. DNS only helps with how fast a website initial load speed. Once you are in a game session, you are connected directly to the server IP, so DNS typically has 0% impact on in-game latency.