If you’ve been wondering what a good upload and download speed to have for gaming is, we don’t blame you.
After all, proper internet for gaming is not quite the same as proper internet for streaming services! But, there are even more factors to consider beyond just pure internet speed when it comes to gaming, too.
In this article, we’ll go over what to look for when it comes to your internet and gaming.
Best Upload and Download Speed for Gaming
Realistically speaking, your internet’s upload and download speeds don’t matter too much for the purpose of online gaming. That might sound crazy, but there’s a reason for it!
Most online games do not actually transmit much data, either uploading or downloading. So, even an internet connection as slow as 10mbps would work for online gaming.
Of course, there are some games that are exceptions to this rule. Games such as the Call of Duty series, for example, stream game assets in real-time.
In those cases, having a faster connection is better. Otherwise, you might get jitter and lag spikes, as we’ve covered before for Black Ops 7.
That said, video game file sizes have become quite big in the past few years. So, a faster internet connection is recommended even if you don’t plan on playing online, just so you can download games and updates faster.
At a minimum, we would recommend 100mbps download or higher for general gaming. Upload is less important, with 5mbps being good enough in general. That is, as long as you don’t plan on streaming your gameplay or anything of the sort.
But, again, speed isn’t the only thing to keep in mind if you do plan on playing games online!
More Than Just Speed
There are many other factors that are more important for a smooth online gaming experience than raw speed.
For example, consider your distance to the game’s servers and/or other players. The further away you are, the higher the ping will be, creating lag. This varies per game, as some rely on servers while others are purely peer-to-peer for networking.
Also, it’s recommended to use a wired connection using an Ethernet cable. A wireless Wi-Fi connection is less stable and can cause lag spikes, particularly in more demanding games such as fighting games.
Similarly, bufferbloat can be an issue. This is, in short, latency caused by your router poorly managing your connection’s bandwidth. We’ll let the experts at Bufferbloat.com go into more detail.
If you’re sharing your connection with others in your household, we’ll also recommend going for higher-speed internet. This should alleviate issues like the aforementioned bufferbloat.
On that note, it’s also a good idea to pause or limit active downloads if you’re gaming. For example, Steam on PC can easily consume all of your bandwidth when downloading games. This can cause lag if you’re playing online.
Sometimes, there are also things simply out of your control. There could be issues your internet service provider’s end, for example. If there’s nothing you can do to improve your connection, consider getting in touch with your ISP’s support.
Conclusion
To summarize, a download and upload speed as low as 10mbps is enough for online gaming. That’s because raw speed isn’t the most important thing for reducing latency.
The other factors mentioned in the previous section are more important for smooth online gaming. If nothing else, at least make sure to use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi.
On the other hand, we recommend a base minimum of 100mbps download speed for gaming in general. Video games are big downloads, so you want high download speeds to download and update them in a timely manner.
This varies depending on games, but some modern AAA releases are around 100 GB and even higher. For reference, 100 GB would take around 2 hours and 15 minutes to download at a 100mbps download speed. Assuming the connection stays at a full 100mbps download at all times, of course, which isn’t always the case.
So, there you have it! We hope this helped you decide what’s a good upload and download internet speed for you to get for the purpose of gaming!
