There is a lot we can say about gaming, especially when playing online. The fun, the adrenaline, and how unpredictable things can be. However, there are certain elements that give you an advantage when gaming online, and that includes your internet speed.
When ready to game, the last thing you want is a lagging or slow internet connection. Our internet connection speed plays a vital role in defining our gaming experiences. Slow internet speed may lead to undeserved losses at worst, and it prevents us from enjoying what should be fun and interesting.
While 200mbps may be more than enough for a lot of things you do online, you may be wondering if it is enough to support an amazing gaming experience.
Is 200mbps fast enough for online gaming
The 200mbps speed range is one of the most common entry-level internet speed tiers most internet service providers offer. While it is quite fast, saying it is fast enough wouldn’t be true. Instead, it is considered as the average gaming speed in urban and suburban areas.
Generally, we caution relying on just 200 Mbps for gaming because, in most cases, chances are it won’t be just you connected to the network.
Let’s assume you live in a house of 2 to 4 persons, and you own several devices that are connected to the network. In reality, you can see that your gaming console won’t get up to 200mbps.
If you’re struggling with your gaming speed, look at the devices connected to your Wi-Fi when you start gaming and see if any device can be disconnected until you’re done playing.
If you care to know more about the subject matter, keep reading!
What Is MBPS?
MBPS is an acronym for megabytes per second. It is the SI unit for measuring your internet bandwidth. Bandwidth is the speed at which you download on any internet connection. Therefore, the higher your Mbps, the faster your download rate.
When discussing internet speed for gaming, we don’t just consider the download rate; we also need to factor in the latency or ping rate. The latency is just as important as the download speed.
Some may say the latency is more important because it determines if the game lags when you’re playing. When you’re playing an online game, you are constantly sending requests to the server; the time it takes the server to respond to your action request is what we call latency.
When you have a low ping rate, you will struggle to compete with other players who have faster ping rates.
The Effect of The Mbps On The Game
There are two main elements of a network that can influence your gaming experience. They are the frame rates per second (FPS) and the Latency or ping time.
The FPS is a major determinant of how smooth gaming will be on your PC or phone. The frame rate of a computer is majorly determined by its hardware specs.
Latency, on the other hand, is determined by a network. Like we explained earlier, the latency is the time interval it takes for the gaming server to process a request. For example, we move our joysticks. Latency is how long it takes for our actions to influence what we see on the screen. The lower the ping rate, the better our gaming experience.
A slow internet connection means higher latency, so you spend more time waiting for your previous instructions to take effect, which not only damages the gaming experience but it can also cause poor performance.
What Is The Minimum Internet Speed Needed For Online Gaming?
While 200mbps may not be the fastest internet speed that gamers use, it is enough for most of your gaming needs. In reality, most games can still run with as little as 3mbps.
It is important, however, that you understand that the higher your internet speed, the better your gaming experience. Using 3mbps won’t give you very good gameplay.
Internet Speed Test
If you don’t think you’re getting the right speed your provider said you would; there are ways to verify how fast your internet connection is. You can measure your internet speed and network stability on www.speedtest.net. It analyzes your network, so you will be able to tell if your connection has the right speed for gaming, video calls, online streaming, and more.
The site is so comprehensive that it also provides users with a detailed analysis of your country’s internet speed ranks on the speed test Global Index. That way, users can see if 200mbps is good enough to compete with other gamers from other countries or within your own country.
How Can I Get Faster Internet Speed?
Slow internet speed is usually a result of one or a combination of many factors. These so-called factors result in data packet loss which causes high latency. Having confirmed your internet speed, the next thing that comes to mind is figuring out how to improve your connectivity speed.
Here are some suggestions you should try if you want to give your internet speed a performance boost.
Switch from Wi-Fi to ethernet connectivity:
If you experience frequent lags while playing multiplayer games on your PC via a Wi-Fi network, you should consider using an Ethernet cable instead. Ethernet cables significantly increase your connectivity speed.
Unlike Wi-Fi, Ethernet cables ensure that all data packet transmissions are directly delivered to your gaming console. These cables evade connectivity barriers like walls and other physical obstacles that slow down your internet connection.
Switching from Wi-Fi signals to Ethernet also disconnects any other device you do not want connecting to your network. With fewer devices connected at the same time, your gaming console has more Mbps.
Finally, Ethernet connection also reduces the download times significantly.
Switch to a faster router:
As technology improves, it is important that you stay updated on the latest trends. In some cases, it is possible that your network has been upgraded, but your mode or router is too old to accommodate the upgrade making it difficult to handle faster transfer speeds.
Simply put, if you want to enjoy a 200mbps range of internet connectivity, you need a gigabit router, so if you’re experiencing slower speeds and persistent lags while gaming, you should consider changing your century-old router.
More modern routers offer a significant boost in your gaming network speed.
Modify DNS to reduce latency:
One of the most common causes of lags, including slow connection speed is having your gaming server in far-off regions. When your gaming server is on the opposite side of the world, it takes longer for your requests to travel to and from the server. As a result, you will experience higher latency.
If this is the case, then you can fix this issue by modifying your PC’s DNS settings to match the gaming server location. This trick is effective in boosting network speed by reducing latency.
Use a game accelerator:
Game accelerators connect your PC to the gaming server nearest to you. These accelerators significantly boost your network connectivity by bypassing blocked and jammed networks. This ensures that your connectivity is fast enough for a stable gaming experience.
Use satellite internet:
Satellite internet is another way to get faster internet speed for gaming. To do this, you will need to liaise with satellite internet providers within your locality. Because of its reliability, more and more users are turning to space for high-speed internet connectivity.
Consider fiber optic internet:
Fiber optic internet is highly efficient for your gaming needs. Its fast connectivity, regardless of how far you are from the gaming server, makes it one of the best internet connectivity options available to gammers.
Fiber optic connections deliver unmatched speed for the best gaming experience. It is particularly used by professional gamers and for HD video streaming.
Fiber optic internet providers have different internet packages, data plans, and internet deals to match every budget.
Conclusion
Is 200mbps good for gaming? That was the question this post was created to address. After all that has been said, the bottom line is 200mbps is not bad for gaming.
But there are many factors that can impact the latency of gameplay on your network. In instances where there are many devices connected to the network or Wi-Fi signals have to pass through several obstacles, you will realize that 200mbps isn’t enough.
However, with no other devices connected to the network and low latency, 200mbps is good enough to handle your online gaming needs.
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