What Is a Good Ping for Gaming?

A good ping for gaming is under 50 ms, and under 20 ms is excellent for competitive play. Ping is the round-trip delay between your device and the game server, measured in milliseconds (ms) — the lower it is, the more instantly the game responds when you move, aim or click. This guide explains exactly what counts as a good ping, the recommended ping for Fortnite, Valorant, CS2, Warzone and League of Legends, why ping matters more than raw Mbps, and the difference between ping and FPS. You can measure your own ping in seconds with the free SpeedSnap speed test.

Good ping for gaming: the quick answer

When you run a speed test, your ping result tells you how responsive your connection is for real-time games. Here is how to read the number against a nearby server:

So the best ping for gaming is the lowest you can get. Most players are perfectly happy anywhere under 50 ms, while competitive shooters and fighting games reward pushing it under 30 ms. For a full definition of the metric itself, see our guide on what ping is.

Recommended ping by game

Different genres have different tolerances. A turn-based strategy game barely cares about ping, while a competitive shooter punishes every extra millisecond. Here are sensible targets for popular titles:

These are guidance ranges, not hard limits. Plenty of casual players enjoy these games at 60 to 90 ms — you simply have a smaller margin for error against opponents on a lower ping. The key is a stable ping with low jitter, not just a low average.

Does ping affect gaming?

Ping affects online gaming more than almost any other connection metric. When your ping is high, there is a delay between what you do and what the server registers. That shows up as:

• Lag — the world reacts a fraction of a second after your input.
• Rubber-banding — your character snaps back to a previous position.
• Delayed hit registration — you clearly hit a shot, but the server says you missed.
• Teleporting enemies — opponents appear to jump around the map.

Jitter — the variation in your ping from moment to moment — makes all of this worse. A connection that swings between 20 ms and 120 ms feels less reliable than a steady 60 ms. Aim for both low ping and low, stable jitter.

Ping vs FPS: they are not the same thing

This trips up a lot of gamers, so it is worth being clear. Ping is a network metric and FPS is a graphics metric — they measure entirely different parts of your setup:

• Ping (ms) depends on your internet connection. It is the round-trip time to the game server. Lower is better.
• FPS (frames per second) depends on your PC or console hardware — mainly your graphics card and CPU. It is how many images per second the game renders. Higher is better.

You can have buttery-smooth 240 FPS and still feel laggy if your ping is 150 ms, because your inputs reach the server late. Conversely, a 5 ms ping will not fix a slideshow caused by weak hardware. The best experience comes from low ping and high FPS together.

Why ping matters more than Mbps for gaming

It surprises many people that you do not need a fast plan to game well. Most multiplayer games send and receive only tiny amounts of data — often well under a few megabits — so even a modest 25 Mbps connection has bandwidth to spare. What you actually feel in-game is delay, and delay is ping.

This is why a player on a slower fiber plan with 10 ms ping usually has a smoother experience than someone on a faster cable plan with 80 ms ping and high jitter. When choosing a connection for gaming, prioritise low latency and a wired option over the biggest download number. Run a speed test and look at the ping result, not just the Mbps.

How to get a better ping for gaming

If your ping is higher than you would like, work through these in order. For a deeper walkthrough, see our full guide on how to lower ping.

1. Use a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi — usually the single biggest improvement to both ping and jitter.
2. Choose the closest game server or region. Distance directly increases round-trip time.
3. Close background downloads, updates and streaming on your network while you play.
4. Restart your router and keep its firmware current.
5. Enable QoS or gaming mode on your router to prioritise game traffic.
6. Test before and after each change with a speed test so you can see what genuinely helped.

If your ping stays high on every server even after a wired connection and these tweaks, the bottleneck may be your line or your ISP's routing — that is worth raising with your provider.

Test your gaming ping now

The only way to know your real ping is to measure it. SpeedSnap reports your ping, jitter, download and upload in about 30 seconds — no app, no sign-up. Run a free speed test before your next session, learn more about the metric in what is ping, and follow how to lower ping if your numbers need work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good ping for gaming?

For online gaming, under 50 ms is good and under 20 ms is excellent. Between 50 and 100 ms is still playable for most games, but you start to feel a slight delay in fast-paced shooters. Anything consistently above 100 ms causes noticeable lag, rubber-banding and delayed hit registration. Competitive players aim for the lowest ping possible, ideally under 30 ms.

Is 20 ms ping good for gaming?

Yes, 20 ms is an excellent ping for gaming. At 20 ms or lower your connection feels essentially instant, which is what competitive players in shooters and fighting games want. You typically see single-digit to low-20s ping on fiber or a wired Ethernet connection to a nearby server.

What ping is too high for gaming?

A ping consistently above 100 ms is too high for fast-paced online games and will cause visible lag and rubber-banding. Slower-paced games like turn-based strategy or many role-playing games can tolerate higher ping, but for shooters, fighting games and battle royales you want to stay under 50 ms wherever possible.

Does ping affect gaming more than internet speed?

Yes. For online gaming, ping matters far more than your download speed in Mbps. Most games send tiny amounts of data, so even a 25 Mbps connection is plenty. What you feel in-game is the delay, which is ping. A low ping on a modest plan beats a high ping on a fast plan for responsiveness.

What is the difference between ping and FPS?

Ping and FPS measure completely different things. Ping is a network metric, the round-trip delay between your device and the game server in milliseconds, and it depends on your internet connection. FPS (frames per second) is a graphics metric that depends on your PC or console hardware and shows how smoothly the game renders. Low ping plus high FPS gives the best experience.

How do I lower my ping for gaming?

Use a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi, pick a game server closest to your location, close background downloads and streaming apps, restart your router, and enable QoS or gaming mode if your router supports it. Test your ping before and after each change so you can see what actually helped.