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Fix lag in your game

Lag in an online game starts in one of three places: your home (Wi-Fi, other devices, the PC or console), your line (a queue that fills when someone uploads or streams) or the route to the game's servers. Pick your game for its server regions, settings and ports, then test which of the three applies to you.

Each guide shows how the game picks a server, the settings that help, the ports it uses, and a live ping test to nearby server regions. Every check is free.

What to check, in order

  1. Is it the game or you? If friends in the same match lag too, or the game's service reports a problem, wait it out. The status check shows that next to your own connection.
  2. Lag only when others are online: the line's queue is filling. Run the Lag Check and look at lag under load; Smart Queue on the router fixes it.
  3. Spikes and rubber-banding: usually Wi-Fi. Try a cable, or run the spike finder to see the pattern.
  4. High ping all the time: distance. Choose the closest server region in the game's settings; each guide says where that setting is.
  5. Can't join friends or voice chat fails: that is NAT, not lag. Turn on UPnP or forward the ports on the game's page.

What the results mean

A ping that is low and steady when the line is quiet but jumps when it is busy points at your line. A ping that is fine on a cable and spiky on Wi-Fi points at your home. A ping that is high and steady everywhere, even on a cable with nothing else running, is distance or the route, and only a closer server changes it.

Game not listed? The game server finder and one-click Boost work for every game. In the US, see the best server region and typical ping for your state.

Game lag questions

Why do I lag in one game but not in others?

Each game runs its own servers in its own places, so the distance and the route differ from game to game. If only one game lags, check which server region it put you in and whether its service is having trouble with the status check. If every game lags, the cause is closer to home.

What is a good ping for online games?

Under 20 ms is excellent, 20 to 50 ms is good for any game, 50 to 100 ms is fine for most casual play, and over 100 ms is noticeable in shooters and fighting games. A steady ping matters as much as a low one.

Do I need to forward ports to play?

Usually not. Most routers open what a game needs through UPnP. Forwarding the ports on a game's page helps when you see Strict NAT, can't join friends or voice chat fails. It doesn't lower lag. The connection check shows your NAT type.

My game isn't listed. What should I check?

The same three places. The game server finder pings the cloud regions most games run in, the spike finder catches Wi-Fi and line trouble, and the game lag guide goes through the causes in order.