How to Reduce Ping for Gaming (Step-by-Step)
High ping is the enemy of online gaming. Here's how to bring it down, in order of impact.
1. Use Ethernet, not WiFi
A wired connection is the single biggest ping and jitter improvement. WiFi adds variable delay that wired simply doesn't have.
2. Fix bufferbloat
If your ping spikes when anything else uses the connection, that's bufferbloat. Enable SQM/QoS on your router and cap it to ~90% of your speed. Run our test to see your bufferbloat grade.
3. Choose the nearest game server
Physical distance to the server is unavoidable latency. Always pick the closest region in-game.
4. Close background apps
Pause downloads, streaming and updates on every device while gaming, or prioritise your console/PC in QoS.
5. Reboot and update
Restart your router occasionally and keep its firmware current. Old or overloaded routers add latency.
Measure your progress
Run our test before and after each change to watch your ping, jitter and bufferbloat improve.
Free, instant, no app — see your download, upload, ping & bufferbloat.
Run the speed test →