Children and teenagers often prefer online games for fun. The reason for this is the excitement, competition, and thrill they get just sitting in a chair without leaving their room. However, this enjoyment sometimes gets interrupted due to high ping. It is the most frustrating situation that occurs randomly in the games. So let’s understand ping completely in this blog. Also, learn how to lower ping so that you can play online games smoothly.
Understanding ping and its impact on gaming
Let’s understand ping in simple words. In video games, ping is the time duration. This is measured when you move your character, shoot, or jump. Any action you make on your device while playing it sends a data packet to your game server and gets it back from it. This time span is called ping, and it is measured in milliseconds (ms).
Let’s understand this with an example:
- Low Ping (0–50 ms): This is an indication that your game is running at a good pace.
- Medium Ping (50–150 ms): This means your game is playable, but there can be a slight delay.
- High Ping (150+ ms): After 150+ ms. It is a very noticeable lag, slow reaction, and annoying gameplay.
Why ping matters in online gaming
When you play an online game, you expect a smooth and seamless experience. You expect the game to render every graphic and your character to move in real-time without any lag. And this happens only when your game has low ping.
Also, if your ping is low, the game feels smooth and fair. Because everyone’s actions are happening in sync. But if your ping is high, then there is a delay between your input and the game’s reaction. This disturbs your gameplay. And sometimes you lose the game, no matter how sharp your reflexes are.
Every player focuses on lowering their ping so that they can play a smoother and fairer game.
How high ping affects gaming performance
When the ping is high, it is communicating with the server very slowly. A ping of 200 indicates that your device takes 0.2 seconds to communicate with the server (round-trip). And a ping of 40 is 0.04 seconds.
Therefore, when ping is high, it transmits a slow data packet to the server. The server receives late info, and it impacts you in a game that involves:
- Delayed reactions: You press the shoot button, but your weapon fires a moment later.
- Rubber-banding: Your character suddenly goes back to a previous place as the server never received your movement in real time.
- Ghost actions: In Minecraft, blocks may disappear, or items picked up in Roblox may not show up in your inventory right away.
- Gameplay: In competitive gaming, those with less ping are at an advantage since their commands will be registered first.
Common causes of high ping in Roblox and online games
When you experience lag in Roblox or other online games, high ping is usually the cause. You may be looking for ways to reduce it, but you don’t know how to lower ping or what causes it. Here are the most common reasons:
Server location
Ping is strongly affected by the physical distance between you and the game server. In case you are playing on a server that is half the globe away, then your data has to travel further, and that, of course, adds delay.
Example: A European player who is connecting to a server in the U.S. nearly always has a higher ping than a player in the U.S. itself.
ISP network congestion
High ping can also be caused by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), particularly around the time of peak usage. The network is overloaded when a large number of users stream, game, or download simultaneously. The more users, the higher the traffic jam, which delays the speed at which your data is sent to the game servers.
Even high-speed internet packages are not immune to congestion when your internet service provider does not control traffic effectively.
Hardware and router issues
In some cases, the issue does not lie with the internet, but with the Wi-Fi you have at home. Outdated or poorly maintained routers are not able to support new demands in online gaming.
And poor Wi-Fi signals, particularly when you are at the opposite end of the router or you have walls in between, may raise ping.
Background apps and bandwidth usage
Your game slows and your ping increases when too many things use the internet at the same time. Video streaming, huge downloads, cloud backups, or video calls are common culprits. Background processes (such as software updates or file syncing) can also consume internet bandwidth even without anyone noticing them.
So, the more apps and devices use your connection, the slower your game responds.
How to lower ping in Roblox for better gaming
Roblox can be frustrating with high ping, where the movement is sluggish, actions are slow, or the game freezes. Then the question is, how to lower the ping. Fortunately, both on a PC and on mobile, you can do a few basic steps to lower ping and have a more enjoyable game:
1. Switch to a wired connection (for PC)
Ping can be increased by Wi-Fi, particularly when there are numerous devices connected in the home.
- When playing Roblox on your computer, having a wired Ethernet connection rather than Wi-Fi can make a significant impact. Wired connections are more stable and faster, as they do not experience signal drops or issues.
- On mobile, you cannot use Ethernet. But you can make it more stable. By keeping your phone within range of a Wi-Fi router or by using a quality mobile hotspot with a strong signal.
2. Select the right server for Roblox
Roblox servers are located in different regions, like North America, Europe, and Asia.
- You can choose the server on your PC that is closer to your region.
- For mobile devices, Roblox usually selects a server on its own. But you can reduce lag by choosing games hosted on servers near your location.
3. Optimize Roblox settings for lower ping
Roblox allows you to adjust graphics and performance settings. So, by doing an ideal setting, it can also indirectly impact ping.
- On PC, you can lower your graphics quality in the settings menu to reduce the load on your device and internet. Also, you can turn off unnecessary visual effects for smoother gameplay.
4. Clear cache and cookies
Your device may have temporary files that can interfere with the performance of Roblox. You can do:
- In PC, you can clear your browser or Roblox app cache to free up space and delete corrupted data.
- On mobile, clearing the cache of apps (through settings) is also a way to make Roblox run better.
Protect your child from online threats with real-time monitoring tools.
How to lower ping on other online platforms (Minecraft, Fortnite, etc.)
Games like Minecraft, Fortnite, and any other online games require a fast, reliable connection. Here is how to lower ping on different platforms:
Switch Servers for Popular Platforms
The servers of most online games, such as Minecraft and Fortnite, are region-based. The closer you are to the server, the faster your data travels, that is, the lower the ping.
- Minecraft: Most of the servers allow you to select your region (e.g., North America, Europe, Asia). Choosing one near your place makes block placement and combat easier.
- Fortnite: In Fortnite, a region is automatically chosen by the game. However, you can select a server closer to your physical location in the settings menu.
Use a VPN for Lower Ping
The internet sometimes takes a more complex or slower path to the game server. One way to escape this is to use a gaming VPN. It can assist by using a more direct or less congested route to connect you. It lowers ping in certain instances and makes games smoother.
- When your ISP routes traffic with low efficiency, a VPN can reroute data to the server with high speed.
- VPNs do not necessarily reduce the ping, and in other cases, it may increase. The most important thing is to select a VPN that is reliable and game-optimized.
- VPNs are recommended when the normal network is too unstable or when a closer server is not within reach.
Limit Internet Usage While Gaming
High ping often occurs when multiple devices share the same internet connection. Parents can help their children by using the FlashGet Kids app in these ways:
- Create internet timetables: Parents can plan on the app when kids’ devices can go online. At that time, they can reduce online activity on non-gaming devices.
- Stop or restrict bandwidth-heavy apps: FlashGet Kids lets parents block apps that use a lot of data, such as video streaming or big downloads, for a short time. This helps games run more smoothly.
Parental controls and lowering ping simultaneously
To ensure safe gaming, parents can do two things. The first one is becoming aware of ping-reduction techniques and can therefore provide their children with a quality gaming experience. The second one is observing the screen time of kids. Since the report by the World Health Organization indicates that 34 percent of adolescents play digital games every day, and 22 percent spend 4 or more hours playing digital games on those days. Though 68 percent were tagged as non-problematic gamers, 12 percent were at risk of problematic gaming.
As such, to make sure that the mental and physical health of your kids is not affected, you must stick to the playing habits and the time to relax. Here is what you can do:
Setting internet limits for kids
Parents can use parental control tools FlashGet Kids, which allows them to control and limit the use of the internet more easily. This will make sure that children are not using up all the bandwidth playing for long hours. Also, limiting the internet is one of the ways to create a balance between amusement and healthy use of the devices.
Manage screen time for optimal ping
With FlashGet Kids, screen time is simple to manage by setting up game time during the off-peak hours. This further facilitates more enjoyable gameplay as well as fosters healthier online activities. During the evening, when internet traffic is at its peak, it is common to experience increased ping, increased traffic, and lagging. You can limit your kids’ gaming time during these hours. This is one way to ensure that kids are not online at times when the connection is not as reliable.
Safe online gaming with low ping
While knowing how to lower ping improves the quality of gameplay, it is equally important to make sure children are playing in a safe online environment. Games like Roblox allow players to interact with strangers. Kids are sometimes exposed to inappropriate content. Parents can reduce these risks with the FlashGet Kids app:
- You can restrict access to age-appropriate games only using FlashGet Kids.
- Filter out unsafe content using the parental controls feature of the app.
- Limiting which children can chat or play online, ensuring they interact only with trusted friends.
FAQs
Any ping of less than 50 milliseconds (ms) is generally considered to provide a good gameplay experience. Less than 20 ms is good, and anything between 50 and 100 ms is still playable.
Gaming routers can assist, but they are not reliable. They place more stress on gaming traffic with Quality of Service (QoS) that can minimize lag even when many devices are connected. But it is the speed of your internet connection and the quality of the connection that are important, not the router.
Replacing DNS servers can have a minor positive impact on the loading times of sites, but no significant effect on ping in online games. Ping has nothing to do with your DNS response speed and everything to do with the route your connection takes to the game server.
Yes. Closing background applications, fewer devices connected to your Wi-Fi, using Ethernet over Wi-Fi, and selecting the nearest game servers are ways to lower the ping without spending an additional penny to improve ping.
Whenever you are having performance problems or changing anything in your network, such as changing equipment or changing providers. Then you need to test your internet speed and ping.
