The internet has completely revolutionized online gaming. With the cutting-edge telecom infrastructure producing ultra-fast broadband speeds, you can now play and connect from any part of the world. But, how is internet speed accountable for the seamlessness of your online gaming experience? If you want to check if your internet service provider is giving you enough internet speed to play online games than go to speedcheck.org and make sure you got the right package. In this blog, you will learn how much internet speed is enough for you to have a smooth gaming session.
What Internet Speed Do I Need For Online Gaming?
All gaming platforms are different from each other. However, the minimum internet speed requirement for any type of online gaming is as follows:
For Single Players
Speed Type |
Minimum Speed |
Download Speed |
3 Mbps |
Upload Speed |
1 Mbps |
Ping Rate |
< 150 ms |
Remember that these figures are valid only for a single player. Additionally, with these speeds, you can play games online but without any assurance of performance quality. If you want to enjoy a better quality experience online, then go for download speeds between the ranges of 15 Mbps to 25 Mbps that is if you are a single player.
For Multiple Players
In the case of multiple players, simply multiply the speed requirements with the total number of players. For instance, if there are two regular online players in your home, you will need an internet connection with a download speed of 6 Mbps at a minimum. You have to find the best internet service providers in your area to get the reliable internet access.
Packet Loss & Ping Rate
In online games, Ping or Ping Rate refers to the quality of the internet connection, which is measured in milliseconds (ms). This lets you know that how long it takes for a signal to travel from your computer to a game’s server on the internet. However, latency measures the time it takes for the data (ping) to return back to your computer. Thus, latency measures the entire round trip of the signal, while ping only measures the one-way trip. ‘Low pings’ below 20 ms determine that the internet quality is exceptional, perfect for a smooth gaming experience. While ‘high pings’ aren’t great for online gaming. The range between 50 ms to 100 ms is considered very good to average.
On the other hand, packet loss refers to the data lost while traveling to and from the computer and server, especially when it is taking the data too long to reach its destination due to the quality of the broadband connection. This long waiting ultimately results in a complete loss of information.
Speed Required For PC Gaming
For playing games online on your personal computer, we would suggest you get an internet service provider that delivers a minimum of 6 Mbps of download speed. With this internet speed, you can enjoy smooth and uninterrupted gaming sessions for the majority of PC games.
Speed Required for PS4 Gaming
For PS4 gaming, an upload speed of at least 1 Mbps and a download speed of at least 3 Mbps is enough to meet your minimum online gaming speed requirements. But, if you want to play games without any hindrances, then you need to have a higher internet speed of up to 19 Mbps.
Speed Required for Xbox Gaming
As per Microsoft’s recommendation, you need to have a minimum SD video streaming speed of 1 Mbps, download speed of 3 Mbps, and HD video streaming speed of 3.5 Mbps for playing online games using your Xbox. Additionally, you also need to have an upload speed of at least 0.5 Mbps and a ping rate not more than 150ms.
Speed Required for Switch or Mobile Gaming
Fortunately, the internet speed you need for mobile games and Nintendo Switch is a lot more flexible due to the portable nature of these devices. Most games that you play on your smartphone do not have 4K high-resolution graphics or anything similar to that quality. So, your standard internet speed is also enough to load the game and the related assets. We would recommend you to have speeds ranging from 500 Kbps to 1 Mbps for a good online gaming experience on your mobile phones.
Bottom Line
Finally, if you need your PS4, Nintendo, Xbox, and PC to deliver exceptional performance, then the best option is to get Mediacom internet service. With this ISP, you can enjoy download speeds as high as 940 Mbps and adequate upload speeds at highly reasonable rates. No matter which ISP you may choose, just make sure that the speed they offer matches your online gaming speed requirements. Happy Gaming!