Quick game performance tips for the casual gamer – Ready to Play?

Whether you are new to playing online or are someone who connects regularly, what you want is smoother gameplay. You don’t want slow wifi speeds, jitters, and spikes – those make gameplay too frustrating!

Here are some quick gaming performance tips everyone should know:

You Need a GPN and NOT a VPN

The best VPN for gaming is not a VPN (Virtual Private Network) at all; its a Gamer’s Private Network (GPN). VPNs are used to encrypt all data, while a GPN focuses your online activities to give you the fastest route to your game’s server. 

VPNs can be useful, but because they target all incoming and outgoing traffic, they can falter when met with the pressures of speed-sensitive gaming. When you don’t need encryption but you do need better ping, a GPN is the solution.

How much PING do you really need?

When it comes to ping, lower numbers are better. If you are lucky enough to experience a ping of less than 20ms and your ISP isn’t throttling you, your gameplay will be smooth with clear, crisp graphics. Depending on the game type, the importance of ping does vary. For example, a first-person shooter game needs a fast ping under 50ms, while real-time strategy will still be playable up to 200ms. Most games will give you instant performance feedback, with relevant stats including ping speed.

To get a better ping you can use a GPN to connect you to the closest server. Other strategies that can help include closing unnecessary background apps, and upgrading your internet plan to one with higher bandwidth.

How much bandwidth do you really need?

You might be surprised to know that you don’t that much bandwidth for a great gaming experience. For example, if you are keen on playing browser games like Drift Boss, you might only need to download half a gigabyte of data (initially, most of these files will be cached in your browser after the first load) to play through the entire game. However, it may not be the bandwidth that causing your lagging issue but other elements on your network – so check this out:

Optimize Your Computer

Your computer and router could be letting you down. Check your PC to ensure that there is enough free space on the hard drive and if you have enough RAM (memory) to handle all the intensive processes. Games rely on graphics for a realistic experience, and your graphics card may need to be upgraded 

Another pro-tip is to update your drivers which could be old. New drivers, especially for your network card, can have a significant impact on how data is processed and sent to and from the internet. 

Ensure that your Windows operating system is always up to date too.

The router you use is also an important factor. The ideal router will have a high bandwidth range, geo-filtering, and ethernet ports. Plugging your device directly into the router can improve speed. Some routers come with QoS (Quality of Service) capabilities that give you the option to prioritize devices. This means you can give your PC access to more bandwidth.

If your router has multiple external antennae, you can position the router’s antennas in a way to optimize your wifi connectivity IF using a LAN cable is not an option.

Now you are ready to play!