What is the Best Internet Speed for Gaming?

Gaming holds a pivotal position in today’s technologically enhanced world. Long gone are the days when gaming was shunned as a time-killing activity that seldom led to anything productive. Children had curfews placed on their game time and adults frowned upon such an activity when other monetary options were available.

Now, having established itself as an indomitable, multi-billion dollar industry, gaming finds itself incorporated in virtually every household. Children of all ages as well as full-grown adults flock to its features for leisure, networking, or even business. With so much transpiring in and around the gaming space, it’s only natural to wonder what the best internet speed may be to engage in such an activity.

Keeping that in mind, let’s start from the ground up to discuss, explore, and capitalize on the vast amount of opportunities gaming offers us today!

Why Internet Speeds Matter for Gaming

Having a sturdy internet is imperative to kicking off or stabilizing one’s e-gaming journey. Trust us, you wouldn’t stick around too long if your internet is quick to lag- either through packet loss or turbulent upload and download speeds.

Someone with a robust internet connection will be more willing to put in the time, money, and effort to game than someone who frequently hits speedbumps in their online connectivity.

What Internet Speed Do I Need for Gaming?

In our honest opinion, Internet speed is a broad category that deserves to be broken down to clarify its workings. Your internet connectivity relies on four main components:

·        Download Speeds

This is the most straightforward and well-known component. Download speeds deal with how swiftly your internet connection can download the transmitted data and use it to power the game you’re currently playing.

·        Upload Speeds

Many gamers out there make a living through playing games. For this gamer base, upload speeds are crucial because they account for the frequency at which data is sent to streaming platforms. Twitch, YouTube, Discord, and even Facebook are just some of the examples set under the game streamer umbrella.

·        Latency

Just as Long Distance Relationships (LDRs) can be quite a challenge to maintain, so can the connectivity of your computer and the server it’s connecting to, prove to be a hassle. The closer the game server, the better. If you’re situated in America but the server you’re playing on is located in Japan, get ready for a world of headaches.

In a nutshell, having an optimal internet speed is only a slice of the pie. Even if your internet has nominal speeds but keeps these pointers in check, you will be all set to sail through to your next victory.

How Many Mbps Do I Need for Gaming?

According to an article by the well-reputed, USA-based tech website, www.tomsguide.com, an internet speed of at least 20 Mbps will put you in the sweet spot. Although debatable, vast swaths of internet pundits agree that, an internet connection below that figure falls in a dangerous lag zone.

Mind you, we’re talking strictly from a gaming perspective. Especially multiplayer. See, multiplayer gaming, especially those encompassing MMORPGs like League of Legends, needs a substantial amount of speed and stability to allow for smooth team play so that all that’s left to clutch the win are the player’s wits and teamwork.

What Download Speed Do I Need for Gaming?

By now, you must have gotten the idea of 20 Mbps being a good ballpark for all sorts of internet activities, including gaming. Contrarily, even if you’re not a gamer, 20 Mbps is more than enough to help power your entertainment sessions, whether they are streaming stuff like YouTube content in 4K or holding virtual meetings over Zoom. Consider 20 your lucky number.

Not a hardcore PC or console gamer? More of a chill Animal Crossing or Clash of Clans player? No problem. In that case, speeds as low as 5 Mbps are ample enough for a smooth experience playing those games. But hey, the more the merrier, right?

In either case, we recommend a durable internet connection to stay on the safe side. An internet telecommunications provider such as Charter Spectrum is our number one candidate for letting you game when you want to, how you want to, and all with stellar customer service at your side. For clarity, let’s check out a couple of features Spectrum packs under its belt:

·        Spectrum Internet Gig

This is Spectrum’s flagship internet speed; revving up to 1 Gbps in one go. Of course, wireless speeds are set to shift depending on external factors but if you have the option of linking up a LAN wire from your router to the computer/console then get ready for the best of Spectrum ready to amplify your sweaty sessions.

·        Spectrum Speed Test

Charter Spectrum believes in complete transparency for its customers. That is why when it claims that they’ll be getting the same speed that they paid for, it even throws in a speed test for customers’ peace of mind. Just as the company’s speeds are no joke, so too aren’t their claims.

How Many Mbps Do I Need for Cloud Gaming?

Cloud gaming is in a league of its own. One of the newer ways to play, cloud gaming introduces itself as an option for gamers who would like to keep the bulk of the game’s content separately and not have it take up space on their system.

Because the entire game is kept on a remote server, situated away from the players themselves, cloud gaming demands more juice from internet services to run as well as stream the game over the internet. Cloud gaming services aren’t exactly rare but they do have subscription models in place.

Xbox Cloud Gaming and PlayStation Now are just some of the well-known services known globally for providing players with a platform other than their consoles to play the same games. Albeit, at an additional price.

So, in regard to that information, we would throw in a handful more Mbps for this venture. A range of 50-100 Mbps is considered a smooth enough area to allow streaming games at the customer’s behest without any nasty hiccups.

What Upload Speed Do I Need for Gaming?

Gamers utilize upload speeds constantly while playing online games. Multiplayer-intensive games such as Call of Duty, Destiny 2, Fall Guys, and Rocket League all are dependent on upload speeds for successfully synchronizing game data, saves, and communication between players.

The good news here is that a maximum of 2 Mbps is being used at a given time for any of the aforementioned tasks. However, this isn’t the case when streaming the same game on a live video platform such as Twitch.

What Speed Do I Need for Streaming Games?

Owing to our previous heading, streaming games is a sub-branch of the upload speeds category but is starkly different when considering the upload speed required to do so.

In order to successfully stream, the system needs to record and send entire videos of gameplay in real-time. What’s more, quality and frame rate needs to be as high as possible to make customers stick around for the content.

To make the entire scenario easier to understand, check out the concise table we’ve painstakingly put together, below:

Do I Need Different Speeds for Different Consoles?

Different speeds aren’t necessarily required for different consoles. If the same game, in the same capacity, is present on a PS5 and on an Xbox, a 20 Mbps speed will prove sufficient.

However, if the game has an upgraded feature inside of it, exclusive to next-gen consoles such as the PlayStation 5 and is watered down for last-gen consoles such as the PlayStation 4, then perhaps a different speed may be required to handle the difference.

Each AAA game varies in performance, thus some exploration may be required on the player’s part to deduce what internet speeds would suit it best.

Conclusion

That’s a wrap on all we have for you as far as internet speeds are concerned. If you’ve managed to read through the entire post and snowballed all the pointers we’ve presented you with, we’re positive you’ll leave this site with an ample amount of understanding of how internet speeds work. Remember, there are various contrasting elements to an internet service. Try to have them all aligned in a digestible manner before you put a lock on your preference for internet speed.

FAQS

1.     How can I check my current internet speed?

The answer to this is twofold. You can either call your internet provider’s customer service helpline or use an online speed test for a swifter resolution.

2.     Can I configure my router’s internet speed at home?

This can be easily done by logging in to your router’s online interface. From there, look for the option to change its band channel.

3.     How can I speed up my Wi-Fi?

If you own a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and are encountering repeated bumps in speed, consider switching up to a 5 GHz Wi-Fi, which will give you access to a less crowded channel and a whole host of channels to choose from.