🎮Whether you’re playing fast-paced shooters or competitive MOBAs, latency can make or break your performance. But what exactly is good latency for gaming, and how low does it really need to be?
Let’s break it down.
Table of Contents
⚡ What Is Latency?
Latency (also called ping) is the time it takes for data to travel from your device to the game server and back again. It’s measured in milliseconds (ms).
In simple terms:
- Low latency = fast response
- High latency = lag and delays
🏆 What’s Considered “Good” Latency for Gaming?
| 🎯 Latency (Ping) | 🟢 Performance Level |
|---|---|
| 0–20 ms | 🔥 Ideal – ultra-smooth gameplay |
| 20–50 ms | ✅ Excellent – very playable |
| 50–100 ms | ⚠️ Acceptable – slight delay in fast games |
| 100–150 ms | ❌ Noticeable lag – not great for competitive play |
| 150+ ms | 🚫 Poor – frustrating lag, hard to play |
🎮 Which Games Are Most Affected by Latency?
- 🥇 First-Person Shooters (FPS): Call of Duty, CS:GO, Valorant
- ⚔️ Battle Royale: Fortnite, Apex Legends, Warzone
- ⏱️ Fighting Games: Street Fighter, Tekken, even 20ms can matter
- 💡 Real-Time Strategy (RTS): StarCraft II, Age of Empires
- 🏁 Racing Games: Gran Turismo, Forza Horizon
In these genres, even 50–80 ms of latency can impact your ability to react.
Games like turn-based RPGs or slow-paced simulators are less sensitive to latency.
📶 What Causes High Latency?
- 🌐 Poor or congested internet connection
- 📡 Wi-Fi interference or weak signal
- 🏠 Router is too far from your device
- 🌍 Long distance between you and the game server
- 🔁 Background downloads or other devices using bandwidth
🧰 How to Reduce Latency
- Use a Wired Ethernet Connection
🟢 Ethernet > Wi-Fi for lowest ping - Choose Game Servers Closer to Your Location
🗺️ Some games let you manually pick server regions - Limit Other Devices on Your Network
📱 Pause video streaming or large downloads - Upgrade Your Internet Plan or Hardware
📶 Consider fiber or gaming routers - Use Gaming VPNs (with caution)
Can help if your ISP is routing inefficiently
📝 Final Thoughts
For smooth, responsive gameplay:
- Aim for under 50 ms in competitive games
- 20 ms or lower is ideal for FPS and fighting games
- Anything over 100 ms will feel laggy in fast-paced environments
By optimizing your setup and choosing the right server, you can reduce latency and sharpen your edge in every match.