

Insulated cable connections have lower latency than uninsulated phone lines, while fiber optic cables have lower latency than both. Traffic congestion between you and the remote server can also cause a slowdown too, delaying your controller input.Ĭertain types of internet connections inherently have more latency than others.įor example, satellite internet has the highest latency because it’s a wireless transmission that travels int o space and back to reach a remote server. The more hops your signal must traverse, the longer its journey takes-which translates to a higher latency.

Why? Because y our signal moves through multiple “hops” as it travels between you and the server. Games that support co-op and competitive multiplayer modes use regional servers because geolocation does matter, even if a server is just a few states away. The physical distance between you and the server There are a number of factors that impact latency.

Overall, many modern games with high-definition graphics need a download speed of at least 3 Mbps to play online. These games can have more real on-screen players than the typical online gaming scenario, causing frame rate drops and “teleporting” players. Out of the items on the above list, player location can introduce slowdowns, especially in massively multiplayer online (MMO) games.

Unlike an online video-which is streamed over the internet to your device-the graphics chip in your computer, game console, or mobile device renders (draws) the virtual world locally on your device and displays it on your screen. The time that it takes to travel is latency.Playing games like Halo Infinite and Fortnite online doesn’t require a lot of bandwidth. For internet connections, it’s a PC sending signals to an internet server, and the information is the ball. The farther you two are, the longer it takes for the ball to reach you. Imagine playing a game of tennis with a friend. That’s not all, as there’s another factor to consider that can spoil any multiplayer session. Poor download speeds can result in your location not uploading, producing “rubber-banding.” This problem is caused by excessive latency to the point that the game itself has difficulty deciding where you actually are.įor download speeds, you typically want at least 5 Mbps, and the higher the number, the better your connection tends to be.
