What Is a Good Ping for Gaming? Ping, Jitter and Packet Loss
By Gllownite Technology • Published 1 November 2026
For online gaming, a ping under 50 ms is good and under 20 ms is excellent. Ping often matters more than download speed for games, because games send small amounts of data that need to arrive quickly.
Ping ranges at a glance
| Ping | How it feels |
|---|---|
| Under 20 ms | Excellent, suits competitive games |
| 20 to 50 ms | Good for nearly all online games |
| 50 to 100 ms | Playable, but you may notice delay in fast games |
| Over 100 ms | Noticeable lag, especially in shooters |
These ranges are a common rule of thumb, not a formal standard. Slower games can tolerate more delay than fast shooters.
Ping, jitter and packet loss
- Ping (latency) is the time data takes to reach a server and come back, measured in milliseconds.
- Jitter is how much your ping changes from moment to moment. High jitter makes games stutter and voices break up on calls, even when average ping looks fine.
- Packet loss is data that never arrives. Even a small amount can cause rubber-banding in games and gaps in calls.
GenSpeed's speed test shows ping and jitter, so run it while the problem is happening. A speed test measures ping to a nearby test server, so your in-game ping can be higher if the game server is further away.
How to lower your ping
- Use an Ethernet cable. This is usually the biggest improvement, because Wi-Fi adds delay and jitter.
- Pick the nearest game server. Physical distance sets a minimum on ping, so choose a server in or near your own region where the game allows it.
- Stop uploads and downloads on other devices. Cloud backups are a common cause of lag spikes because they can fill your upload.
- If you must use Wi-Fi, use 5 GHz and stay close to the router.
- Turn off any VPN, unless you have tested that it helps.
- Restart the router if ping has suddenly become worse.
Will a faster plan fix lag?
Usually not on its own. Games need little bandwidth, so going from 100 Mbps to 300 Mbps will not lower ping by itself. A faster plan helps when other people on your connection are using most of it at the same time.
Frequently asked questions
Is 100 ms ping good for gaming?
It is playable for slower games, but you will likely notice delay in fast shooters and competitive games. Under 50 ms is a better target.
Why is my in-game ping higher than my speed test ping?
A speed test usually connects to a nearby server, while your game server may be much further away. The extra distance adds delay.