Both sides exchange the following data :. Out of the items on the above list, player location can introduce slowdowns, especially in massively multiplayer online MMO games. Overall, many modern games with high-definition graphics need a download speed of at least 3 Mbps to play online. Since games are interactive, you also have to consider upload speed or the speed at which information from your computer or console travels to a remote server. Even a poor connection can usually meet the necessary speeds, which is why upload speed often takes a backseat to more important factors.
The typical game with high-definition graphics needs an upload speed of at least 1—2 Mbps. We prefer fiber over other internet connections because it has symmetrical speeds. Enter your zip code to find out which options are available to you. As long as your internet connection meets these requirements, you can play games online. However, if you want to have a consistent online experience, we suggest having a slightly better 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 you to have several consoles playing online simultaneously. Latency is the amount of time a data packet uses to make its trip to a remote server and back. Picture a racquetball bouncing off a wall—how long does that ball take to come back to you?
For example, you 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 movement appears delayed compared to the other players.
There are a number of factors that impact latency. These include the following:. Games that support co-op and multiplayer use regional servers because geolocation does matter, even if a server is just a few states away. The more hops your signal must traverse, the longer its journey will take—which translates to a higher latency. Traffic congestion between you and the remote server can also cause a slowdown, too, delaying your controller input.
Certain types of internet connections inherently have more latency than others. Insulated cable connections have lower latency than uninsulated phone lines, while fiber optic cables have lower latency than both. Keep in mind that the speed at which your signals travel back and forth is different from your download speed or bandwidth. A movie will download at a slower rate over a 5 Mbps DSL connection than it will over a 50 Mbps satellite connection. A fiber-to-the-home or building internet plan from a provider like 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 but are still better for gaming than wireless connections. Consistent and reliable latency data is difficult to come by. The FCC was a source for some of the most comprehensive studies of internet latency. However, the agency has since stopped including latency in its annual broadband reports, so newer technologies like 5G and home 4G LTE are not included.
Although 5G is still an emerging wireless technology —especially its gigabit millimeter-wave connections— it promises to have lower latency than any other wireless connection. Wireless connections, even fast wireless connections, will add a bit more delay to your connection.
Physically plugging into your router with an ethernet cable will bypass this delay, making your connection that much more responsive. If you must use Wi-Fi, make sure that your computer or gaming device is as close to your Wi-Fi router as possible and that you have a clear line of sight with as few obstructions as possible. Also, be sure to connect your wireless device to the 5 GHz band. Just keep close to the router, as the 5 GHz band has a shorter reach than the 2.
With the Nintendo Switch, we recommend playing it docked and using a USB-based Ethernet adapter to connect it to your network. Figure 3 Shows a ten-minute snapshot of the bandwidth used by the PS4 during a game of Battlefield 4. The game type was Conquest on Zavod and contained between players during the time the data was collected. The game type was player death match on The Slums.
The game contained 24 active players during the time the data was collected. An opponent was found online using the Seasons online game mode. Figure 6 Shows the bandwidth used while streaming live gameplay to Twitch. The broadcast quality was set to Best.
The stream did not include video from the PS Camera or audio from a microphone. The stream was of a Battlefield 4 game of Conquest with 64 players on the map Operation Locker. Killzone: Shadow Fall consumed the most amount of data during a ten-minute interval Battlefield 4 came in second Streaming to Twitch consumed about This was calculated by subtracting the total upload bandwidth from Figure 3 from Figure 6 in order to estimate the data usage by streaming alone.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Check My Coverage. By Stephen Kota March 17, Choosing Game Settings To reduce the bandwidth gaming consumes choose low-resolution graphics settings. Downloading Games, Updates, and Patches Far more than actually playing the game, downloading the game uses a huge amount of data.
About Stephen Kota. Stephen enjoys photography, boating and gardening. He cares for pet Kois in his water garden.
Join , subscribers and get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature articles. By submitting your email, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Online gaming is definitely bigger than ever. Steam is hitting its all-time high numbers of gamers, for example. Many other online services are experiencing record-high usage.
How much data do online games use? The exact amount depends on the game. For example, Fortnite and Minecraft both reportedly use about MB of data per hour. Expect something between 40MB and MB. In other words, streaming from Netflix might use about thirty times the amount of data as online gaming. Netflix in 4K will use even more. In other words, online gaming is one of the least data-intensive things you can do online.
It is worth noting that many digital game downloads are huge in size. Modern games often include lots of high-resolution graphics and high-quality sound files. However, not all games are that huge. These are just a few examples, but they prove our point. Not every game is a massive single-player GB experience packed with cinematics.
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