Slow Internet connection is a gamer’s worst nightmare. Not only is it frustrating, but it can also be embarrassing.
You might be in a team with your friends. And they believe in your gaming skills. But if your Internet connection is slow, they will always blame you for losses.
How much Internet speed is enough to play online games smoothly? The short answer is that it depends. If you play mobile games casually, a bandwidth plan of 3Mbps to 10Mbs is enough.
If you’re a professional gamer, however, you’ll need the fastest bandwidth plan you can afford. Here’s why fast Internet connection is essential for a delightful gaming experience.
Fast Download and Upload Speeds
Internet bandwidth helps with downloading and uploading data. It is measured in megabits per second. The higher the Mbps; the faster the speed of uploading and downloading information.
When you have a quick Internet connection, you can download video game data from servers fast. And if you’re a streamer, you can upload your gaming content to the servers quickly for the benefit of your fans.
If you have a painfully slow bandwidth plan, the consequence is buffering. Your PC, TV or mobile screen will usually freeze constantly before data completes to download to your device.
Pro Tip: if you have slow or moderately fast Internet connections, consider lowering the quality of your gaming content. Stream in HD instead of 4K quality. You will enjoy a much better gaming experience.
More Gaming Success
This might come as a surprise to some. But a speedy Internet connection can help you win more competitions in gaming. Think about it. If your PC responds in 5ms, you can shoot your opponents with a 100ms ping rate faster.
Likewise, you can play your favorite slots and poker games without disruptions. This is especially important for live casino games. You need fast Internet to stream games and be available for the duration of a poker or blackjack game.
That said, your success in iGaming also depends on the gambling site you choose. Read Australian online casino reviews to find the right site for you if you live in the land down under. And find American sites if you’re from the USA.
Stream high-Quality Content
A powerful gaming machine is great. But it can’t help you play Counter Strike: Global Offensive in 4K if you have slow Internet. Streaming video games in high quality requires fast Internet—30Mbps to 150Mbps.
What’s more, you need incredibly fast Internet to play top-tier games in 60 or 120 frames per second (fps). FPS helps pack more frames into a second, leading to a smoother gaming experience. But as you can guess, it requires a decent Internet connection.
With that in mind, the fps you can access also depends on your gaming machine. Many old mobile and PC devices run on 30 fps. You can find a gaming device with 60fps at a decent price. However, only high-end machines have the abilities to pack 120 frames per second.
Pro tip: Play games in 30 fps if you have a slow Internet connection. The quality will be relatively low. But you will experience less lagging and device freezing.
Lower Latency
When you click your mouse or keyboard, the input is sent to servers before you get a response. This is called pinging. A fast Internet connection often comes with fast ping rates.
A quick ping rate leads to a smoother gaming experience and lower latency. If you hit shoot, the server responds instantly. If you press the gas pedal in a GTA car, you don’t have to wait for the car to respond. It will move faster thanks to your fast Internet speed.
In case you’re looking for a new Internet Service Provider, ensure you look at their ping rates. It is measured in milliseconds. A ping rate lower than 20ms is excellent. Anything between 21ms to 100ms is average. If your Internet plan’s ping rate exceeds 100ms, you’re gaming experience will be lag-filled.
Pro tip: prioritize ping rate when choosing an Internet Service Provider. You don’t have to purchase the fastest plan. But ensure your plan has a fast-ping rate.
Less Stress
It is true—a slow Internet connection and cause stress and frustrations. You’re supposed to enjoy a video game. Yet, you can’t shoot, move or respond in good time. And guess what? Your gaming machine works fine.
The solution is a speedy Internet connection. When your Internet is fast and you have a decent gaming rig, the only reason you can lose is because your opponents are better.
Of course, you can always play against people of your skill level. In doing, you will enjoy winning often. What’s more, you will enjoy the gaming experience now that your games don’t lag or take too much time to respond to your inputs.
Pro tip: Free up your bandwidth when you want to play video games online. If you have files downloading on your laptop, pause them. This way, most of your bandwidth will be dedicated to your gaming experience.
Support for Multiple Users
We know—you don’t need to invite your friends to your place to play games with them. But in the few cases they visit you, having a quick Internet connection can ensure you play with all of them efficiently.
When you have a slow Internet bandwidth, it becomes difficult for multiple people to play games online. The bandwidth becomes strained and the download and upload speeds reduce.
A fast Internet connection is also helpful for other non-gamer members of your family. Your brother could be watching Netflix in his room. Your sister might be on Tik Tok and your parents could be streaming news. Yet, you will get to stream on Twitch hassle-free.
Time Saving
The biggest problem with slow Internet is that it leads to a lot of time wasting. When everyone else takes a couple of seconds to launch a game of Twitch, you might have to wait for 15 minutes.
And the problems don’t end there. Slow gaming speeds means you risk losing connections to live games from time to time. In many cases, there are consequences. In a one-on-one match, your opponents will usually be rules as the winners.
A fast Internet connection can help you save time with faster downloads, a high ping rate and lower latency.