How to Improve Ping: 10 Fast Ways to Reduce Lag in Gaming (2025)

In the high-stakes world of competitive gaming, every millisecond counts. Ping, the measurement of time it takes for data to travel from your device to the game server and back, can be the difference between a headshot and a respawn screen. While high bandwidth allows for fast downloads, low latency (ping) is what ensures your actions are registered instantly in the digital arena. In 2025, with more players moving to high-refresh-rate displays and cloud-based gaming services, understanding how to improve ping is essential for anyone looking to secure a competitive edge. This guide explores technical optimizations, hardware upgrades, and network settings to ensure your connection is as responsive as your reflexes.

Understanding the Science of Latency

Before diving into how to reduce ping, it is vital to understand what causes it. Latency is influenced by physical distance, network congestion, and hardware efficiency. When you press a button, that packet of data must navigate through your router, your ISP's infrastructure, and various internet hubs before reaching the game server. Any bottleneck along this path increases your ping.

Many players confuse speed with latency. You can have a 1Gbps fiber connection but still suffer from high ping if your data packets are taking a sub-optimal route or if your hardware is introducing "bufferbloat." Learning how to lower ping involves identifying these specific bottlenecks and bypassing them through targeted optimizations.

Physical Connections

Switching from Wi-Fi to Ethernet remains the single most effective way to lower ping on pc instantly.

Server Selection

Always play on servers geographically closest to you to get better ping in games naturally.

Background Optimization

Eliminate bandwidth hogs to reduce ping in gaming by prioritizing your game traffic.

1. Switch to a Wired Ethernet Connection

If you are wondering how do i improve my ping, the answer almost always starts with a cable. Wi-Fi, while convenient, is prone to interference from walls, other electronic devices, and even neighbors' routers. This leads to packet loss and jitter—the variation in your ping time.

An Ethernet cable provides a dedicated, shielded path for your data. For those who cannot run long cables through their home, Powerline Adapters or MoCA adapters are excellent 2025 alternatives that use your home's existing electrical or coaxial wiring to deliver a wired-like experience. This is a foundational step in how to get better ping on pc.

Technical Note: Even "Gaming Wi-Fi 7" routers can still introduce 2-5ms of additional latency compared to a standard Cat6 Ethernet cable. Always go wired for the absolute best ping in games.

2. Optimize Your DNS Settings

Your Domain Name System (DNS) is like the phonebook of the internet. While it primarily affects how quickly web pages load, using a faster, more reliable DNS provider can sometimes improve the initial connection handshake with game servers.

To lower your ping, consider switching from your ISP's default DNS to providers like Google DNS (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). These services often have better routing tables, which can help in how to reduce ping in games by ensuring your packets take the most efficient path available.

How to Change DNS on PC:

1. Open Control Panel → Network and Internet → Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click "Change adapter settings."
3. Right-click your connection and select Properties.
4. Select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and click Properties.
5. Enter 1.1.1.1 as the Preferred DNS and 1.0.0.1 as the Alternate DNS.

Warning: Be careful with "Gaming VPNs." While some can reduce ping on pc by providing better routing, many can actually increase it. Use them only if your ISP is known for poor routing to specific game servers.

3. Disable Background Applications and Updates

Windows Updates, Steam downloads, and even Discord's high-quality screen sharing can significantly inflate your latency. To reduce ping in gaming, you must ensure that your game has total priority over your network.

Use the Task Manager to identify apps with high "Network" usage. Often, apps like OneDrive, Dropbox, or browser tabs with auto-refreshing content are the culprits behind sudden ping spikes. Eliminating these is a free and easy way for how to decrease ping on pc.

Professional gamers often say that stability is more important than the raw number. A steady 60ms ping is far better than a ping that fluctuates between 30ms and 150ms. Consistent latency allows your brain to compensate for the delay.

4. Use Quality of Service (QoS) Settings

Modern routers in 2025 come equipped with Quality of Service (QoS) features. This allows you to tell your router that gaming traffic is more important than Netflix or file downloads. When QoS is configured correctly, the router will prioritize your game's data packets even if someone else in your house is streaming 4K video.

This is perhaps the most advanced way how to improve your ping without buying a new internet plan. Look for your router's web interface and navigate to "Advanced" or "Gaming" settings to enable this feature.

5. Reduce the Number of Devices on the Network

Every smartphone, smart lightbulb, and tablet connected to your router takes up a small slice of the processing power and bandwidth. This "network noise" can introduce jitter. To get better ping on pc, try turning off the Wi-Fi on devices you aren't using while gaming. If you are serious about how to lower your ping, creating a dedicated guest network for smart home devices can isolate them from your primary gaming traffic.

6. Update Network Drivers and Router Firmware

Outdated software can lead to hardware inefficiency. To improve your ping, regularly check your motherboard manufacturer's website for the latest LAN/Ethernet drivers. Similarly, router manufacturers often release firmware updates that optimize data processing and fix bugs that cause latency.

Expert Hack: Check for "Energy Efficient Ethernet" or "Green Ethernet" in your network adapter settings and disable it. These features save power by putting the port to sleep during idle, but can cause micro-stutters when a game suddenly needs to send data.

7. Choose the Right Game Server

This seems obvious, but it is often overlooked. If you are in New York, playing on a European server (EU West) will automatically add at least 70-100ms to your ping due to the laws of physics—the speed of light through fiber optic cable. To get better ping in games, always check the region settings in your game launcher and select the one with the lowest "ms" value listed.

8. Clear Your DNS Cache and Reset TCP/IP

Over time, your computer’s network cache can become corrupted or outdated. To lower ping on pc, you can perform a "flush" of these settings. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator and type:

ipconfig /flushdns
netsh int ip reset

This forces Windows to rebuild its network stack, often resolving unexplained ping in gaming issues.

9. Check for ISP Throttling or Congestion

Sometimes the issue isn't on your end. During peak hours (usually 6 PM to 10 PM), ISP infrastructure can become congested. If you notice your ping rising significantly only during these times, you may need to contact your provider. Asking how do i improve my ping to a customer support agent might lead to them discovering a line fault or offering a more gaming-optimized routing path.

10. Upgrade Your Hardware

If your router is more than 4 or 5 years old, it likely lacks the processing power to handle modern high-speed connections without adding latency. Upgrading to a modern Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 router—even if you use Ethernet—ensures that the internal "brain" of your network can move packets at lightning speeds. This is a final, hardware-based solution for how to lower ping effectively.

Key Takeaways

• Ethernet is King: Always prioritize a wired connection to eliminate interference.
• Proximity Matters: Choose servers that are geographically closer to your home.
• Hardware Health: Keep your router firmware and PC drivers up to date.
• Manage Bandwidth: Close background apps like Chrome or Steam downloads while playing.
• Optimize Routing: Use fast DNS services like Cloudflare to ensure the best path for data.

Gaming Latency FAQ

What is considered a "good" ping for gaming?

Generally, under 20ms is excellent, 20-50ms is great for competitive play, and 50-100ms is playable for most casual titles. Anything over 150ms will likely result in noticeable "rubber-banding."

Can a VPN actually lower my ping?

Yes, but only if your ISP's routing to a specific game server is bad. A VPN can provide a more direct path (less hops), but in most cases, it adds a small amount of latency.

Does internet speed (Mbps) affect ping?

Not directly. Speed is how much data you can move; ping is how fast it moves. However, if your speed is very low, your game may struggle to send packets, causing lag spikes.

Why does my ping spike randomly?

Random spikes are usually caused by background updates, others on your network streaming video, or Wi-Fi interference. Switching to Ethernet usually fixes this.

Conclusion

Mastering how to improve ping is a multi-step process that involves auditing your hardware, your software, and your physical setup. While you can't change the distance between your home and the game server, you can control almost everything else. By switching to Ethernet, optimizing your DNS, and managing your network's QoS, you can significantly reduce ping in games and enjoy a smoother, more competitive experience. In the world of 2025 gaming, don't let a poor connection hold back your true potential.