It does not matter which type of game you are playing; internet speed is crucial for a smooth gaming experience. Compared to other online activities, online gaming can push your internet to its limits. If you want to know how to increase your gaming internet speed or if gaming affects internet speed, this article will explain everything you need to be aware of. As you are about to find out, online gaming can be overwhelming, especially for newbies. Expensive gaming console PCs are not a solution to your streamlined gaming experience. If you are starting or are already a serious gamer about your online gaming hobby, you should probably invest more in getting a functional and fast internet plan.
Speeds above 25 Mbps are always good speeds for gaming. With that little knowledge, it’s accurate to say that 400 Mbps is more than good for gaming. Most games will require a 3Mbps download speed and 1Mbps upload speed, especially if you use a PS4 or Xbox one device. However, it’s important to note that several factors can affect the quality of your gaming internet speed and connection. Latency, upload speed, and download speed are some of the crucial factors you should consider before launching your online game.
Online gaming can be very complicated at times, so slow down and take your time and understand the needs of your game – especially the internet speeds it requires for it to run smoothly. You can have live sessions with your gamer friends on Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Wii. Today, you can make money if you are a skilled and professional gamer. There are several online competitions where winners get huge payouts and bonuses. Besides, you can also make money by testing for new games. . Ethernet cables will give you an interrupted gaming experience due to minimal physical obstructions like your house walls.
Is 400 Mbps Fast for Gaming?
“Upload and download speed on only relevant when downloading and uploading data. Modern games use something like 0.4 mb (Not MB) per second. What’s important is PING. The high download speed is great when downloading games though. I hate waiting.” – Nick A, Valued Responder at Gaming and PC Enthusiasts
As mentioned earlier, most gaming devices will require a minimum of 3Mbps/ 1Mbps download and upload speed. Although speed is not the most critical factor to consider for an online gaming experience, it’s essential for a smooth and fluid gaming experience.
400 Mbps is fast enough for gaming! You are also likely to find out that a wired internet connection is way better and faster than a wireless Wi-Fi connection. So to answer your question, 400 Mbps is fast for gaming since internet gaming speeds of 100 Mbps or higher are considerably fast; they can handle multiple online gaming users at once with little/minimum interruptions.
How fast your internet is, solely relies on the internet speed. More than often, when internet providers advertise speeds, they usually refer to download speeds. If you are wondering how download speeds relate to gaming, you should be aware that download speeds dictate how fast your PC gaming console receives data and information from the internet servers. Besides, the more the number of devices connected to your 400 Mbps internet, the more they are likely to dictate how fast your internet connection will be (explains maximum speed). This explains why some service providers limit the number of devices that you can connect at a go.
Besides that, online gaming involves constantly sending information upstream from your gaming console, which explains why 400 Mbps is fast enough for your gaming uploads. Each time you fake a shot or punch an opponent from your gaming console, information is first sent to the gaming servers – this puts more emphasis on why you should have fast upload speeds. Perhaps you might want to consider using fiber-optic internet, which offers symmetrical upload and download speeds. Symmetrical speeds show how fast your speed will be.
At 400 Mbps, your gaming uploading and downloading speeds are guaranteed to be almost instantaneous. It will only be a matter of seconds. With this, you are entitled to boast of an extensive multiplayer gaming experience!
Is 400 Mbps Good for PS4 Gaming?
Speeds about 25 Mbps are great for PS4 gaming. With these specifications, you can run even the most demanding games like Apex Legends and Fortnite.
Even the gaming community agrees!
- Packet Loss – Most of the time, several people will log into the same gaming server as you. If too many people are connected on the same server as you, you may experience a packet loss of 1-2%, causing online gaming problems.
- Latency – It refers to the time frame or rather how quickly your gaming device will send and receive information from the game servers to your gaming PC console.
- The lower the latency you experience, the smoother the gaming experience you will experience.
- Ping – You might have already heard of this. For instance, when you ask your friends to send you their location ping. Here though, we refer to the measure of latency. A lower ping means a faster gaming response time and is usually measured in milliseconds.
- Lag – If you are a chronic gamer, you might already hear your folks talk of experiencing lagging when gaming. So what happens? Lagging occurs when there is a delay between the game’s server and the player’s gaming device.
Speeds above 25 Mbps are always good speeds for gaming. With that little knowledge, it’s accurate to say that 400 Mbps is more than good for gaming.
Why is 400 Mbps Fast Enough?
When it comes to productivity, choosing a fast internet plan will surely prove very vital. The most effective way to determine whether a 400 Mbps plan is fast enough for your business, family plan, or gaming experience is by getting an average of the online tasks you carry out online.
The extensive research done explains that 400 Mbps is fast enough such that it’s tailored to meet heavy online traffic and can also support several devices simultaneously. For those who want to venture into business, below is a glimpse of what a 400 Mbps data plan can do for you:
- Ensure streamlined communications
- Supports Cloud and Software as a Service (Saas) applications.
- Ensure proficient business database management.
In addition to that, most internet users with a 400 Mbps plan have confessed to its faster end amongst the available internet speeds. If you are still not convinced, you will be amused to know that it will take you approximately 11 seconds to download a 480p resolution video. You can now imagine your game quality with such internet speeds!
Fiber optic connections tend to have equal download and upload speeds, making it easier to carry out tasks such as long-distance web conferencing. This added feature has been included in modern games (where online gamers can see each other to minimize cheating).
How Much Mbps Do I Need for Gaming?
For most chronic gamers, the questions will always revolve around ‘how good the internet connection is’ or ‘how fast is the internet connection.’ But wait! Are they not all about the same thing – internet speeds?
So why don’t we shift the focus a little bit and ask ourselves, how many Mbps do we need for gaming? Mbps is an acronym that stands for ‘megabits per second.’ During my interaction with my tech buddies, I learned that Mbps usually measure the internet connection bandwidth. To elaborate more, the term bandwidth often stands for the maximum speeds at which you can download data from the internet into your device- in this case, your gaming device.
Whoa! By now, you have probably realized that it’s difficult to gauge how many Mbps we need for a fluid gaming experience without touching on the internet speeds. So let’s not drag this anymore. For a good gaming experience, you need at least 4 to 8 Mbps for casual gaming. But you can always contact your service provider to increase your Mbps to at least 25 Mbps for competitive gaming.
As you seek to find out how many Mbps you need, you should note that internet speeds are important in determining how quickly your gaming device sends and receives data. Latency and the ping time are also factors that you should consider when determining how many Mbps you need.
Finding the right internet megabit per second for yourself is more of a balancing act. Simply because you are likely to get an annoying buffering icon in the event where you don’t have enough Mbps. On the other hand, having too many Mbps means that there is a likelihood that you are overpaying on your internet plan.
To simplify things on the amount of Mbps you need for gaming, you should consider the following:
1. The number of people using the internet
The higher the number of people using the internet demands that you have more Mbps to get a smooth gaming experience.
As a gamer, you will need an internet speed with low latency and top-notch upload speeds.
2. The number of devices connected to your Wi-Fi
Like the number of people you have connected to your internet, you will need more Mbps if many devices are connected.
Due to dynamic changes in technological know-how, it’s easier to lose track of the number of devices connected to your internet. You need to be aware of that so that you can determine how many Mbps you need, such that your gaming experience won’t be affected even when all devices are connected.
3. Get an idea of the online activities of the connected users
So what are the other connected users doing online when you are gaming? Are they streaming videos on Netflix or streaming music on Spotify? Or they are just casual internet users who just chat online and check their emails.
You will find out each of these online activities is likely to affect your gaming speeds. For example, how quickly your game will reload or update information.
At times, service providers will recommend that you choose a data plan with more Mbps since you might find yourself multitasking online while at the same time gaming. You could be downloading videos or watching YouTube videos; hence you should perhaps consider an internet plan of 25 Mbps or more.
Now that you have put into consideration the above tips add up the Mbps you will need per person or device. This gives you a ballpark estimate of the internet plan speeds you will need to ensure a fluid gaming venture.
Is 400 Mbps Good for Fortnite?
One of the most frequently asked questions by new online gamers is whether 400 megabits per second of internet speed is good to play Fortnite. Fortnite is a Battle royal game with different modes that suit every type of player for those who are new to the gaming world.
Ask an experienced Fortnite gamer, and he will tell you that 400 Mbps is a very good gaming speed. He/ She is also likely to inform you that it’s the ping of your internet connection that matters when it comes to games such as Fortnite. As mentioned earlier in the article, ping refers to the response time between the game servers and your gaming console PC and is usually measured in milliseconds. A lower ping ensures that your game will run smoothly.
Factors such as your area of location and latency will normally affect your ping time greater than internet speeds.
How Do I Check My Internet Speed?
Have you ever wanted to find out if you are getting ripped off or you are paying for the right internet speeds provided by your internet service vendor? Worry not, it’s easier to check your internet speed – simply take a speed test!
A speed test will help you determine how many megabits per second your internet connection is running. Beware of service providers that lie to you to upgrade for you to know your internet speeds. You should always aim at operating with maximum internet speeds, but sometimes the speeds can slow down or get interrupted.
If you are wondering why you should run a speed test, you should recall that we mentioned earlier that maximum internet speeds ensure that you get an elite gaming experience. Before running a speed test, consider the following tips:
- Remember to run the speed test where you want to play – In this case, from your gaming console PC.
- Have a reliable and strong Wi-Fi / Ethernet Connection.
- Pause current downloads and file transfer process.
- Make sure to close other tabs and streaming services like Netflix and YouTube.
One of the easiest ways to check your internet speed before embarking on gaming is via Google. Google partners with M-Lab, Measurement Lab, which provides a platform where you can run the test. And depending on your internet connection speed, 40 Mb of data will possibly be transferred.
During the speed test run, you will be connected to the Measurement lab, and your IP address will be shared; however, privacy policies and guidelines will be adhered to. After the test is complete, your IP address and the download/ upload speeds will be published.
If you still have issues with your gaming internet speed, try doing this: Update your router’s settings, use a new Wi-Fi connection, move your router to a more elevated position, use a wired connection or reset your router.
To sum up, if online gaming is your primary concern, always aim at choosing an internet plan which gives you a lower latency result. You wouldn’t want the internet speed slowing you down when you are at the peak of your game or, worse, getting kicked out of the gaming server!