Find out the download, upload, and ping requirements for popular online games. Includes speed tables for Fortnite, Valorant, CS2, League of Legends, and more.
Gamers often blame slow internet for lag, but download speed is rarely the problem. Most online games use surprisingly little bandwidth. What actually ruins your experience is high ping (latency) — the time it takes for your actions to reach the game server and come back. A 1 Gbps connection with 120 ms ping will feel worse than a 25 Mbps connection with 15 ms ping.
This guide covers what speeds popular games actually need, what matters most by genre, and how to reduce lag. You can test your internet speed to see where you stand.
What matters for gaming
Ping measures the round-trip time (in milliseconds) between your device and the game server. In a fast-paced shooter, 80 ms vs 20 ms ping is the difference between hitting your shot and dying behind a wall you already moved past.
< 20 ms — Excellent. Competitive-level responsiveness
20–50 ms — Good. Comfortable for most games
50–100 ms — Playable. Noticeable in fast FPS games, fine for MMOs and casual games
100–150 ms — Laggy. Rubber-banding and delayed actions
> 150 ms — Often unplayable for real-time games
Jitter matters too. Jitter is the variation in your ping. A stable 50 ms is better than ping that bounces between 20 ms and 120 ms. Jitter causes stuttering and makes the game feel inconsistent even when your average ping looks fine.
Online games send small packets of data — player positions, actions, game state. A typical multiplayer session uses just 1–5 Mbps of download bandwidth. Even a 100-player battle royale rarely exceeds 10 Mbps.
Where download speed does matter:
Game downloads and updates — Modern games are 50–150 GB. A 25 Mbps connection takes 4–13 hours to download a 100 GB game. At 100 Mbps, it's about 2 hours.
Cloud gaming — Services like GeForce NOW and Xbox Cloud Gaming stream video to your device, requiring 15–50+ Mbps depending on resolution.
Upload speed determines how fast your inputs (movement, shooting, abilities) reach the game server. Games typically need just 1–3 Mbps upload. But if you're also streaming your gameplay, you'll need significantly more:
Gameplay only — 1–5 Mbps
Streaming at 720p — add 3–5 Mbps
Streaming at 1080p 60fps — add 6–8 Mbps
Discord voice chat — add 0.5–1 Mbps
Speed requirements by game
Below are recommended minimum speeds for smooth online play. These assume you're the only person using the connection. If others are streaming or downloading, you'll need more headroom.
Recommended minimums for online play. Actual usage during gameplay is typically lower.
Game
Genre
Download (Mbps)
Upload (Mbps)
Ping (ms)
Valorant
FPS
6
3
< 35
CS2
FPS
5
2
< 30
Fortnite
Battle Royale
10
3
< 40
Apex Legends
Battle Royale
8
3
< 40
Call of Duty: Warzone
Battle Royale
12
5
< 50
Overwatch 2
FPS
6
2
< 40
Rocket League
Sports
5
2
< 50
League of Legends
MOBA
3
1
< 50
Dota 2
MOBA
3
1
< 60
World of Warcraft
MMO
5
2
< 100
Final Fantasy XIV
MMO
5
2
< 100
Minecraft
Sandbox
3
2
< 80
GTA Online
Open World
10
5
< 80
Destiny 2
Looter Shooter
10
3
< 60
EA FC 25
Sports
5
2
< 30
Rainbow Six Siege
FPS
6
3
< 40
Escape from Tarkov
FPS
10
5
< 50
GeForce NOW
Cloud Gaming
25
5
< 40
Xbox Cloud Gaming
Cloud Gaming
20
5
< 40
Speed by genre
Fast-paced shooters are the most ping-sensitive genre. Every millisecond matters for hit registration and peeking advantage. Competitive players target under 30 ms ping.
Download: 5–12 Mbps
Upload: 2–5 Mbps
Ping: < 30 ms ideal, < 50 ms acceptable
Priority: Low, stable ping above all else
MOBAs and strategy games are more forgiving on latency than shooters, since precise aiming isn't the core mechanic. However, ability timing and last-hitting still benefit from low ping.
Download: 3–5 Mbps
Upload: 1–2 Mbps
Ping: < 50 ms ideal, < 80 ms acceptable
Priority: Stable connection over raw speed
MMOs and open-world games are the most forgiving genre for latency. 100 ms ping is perfectly playable for questing, exploring, and most group content. The main bandwidth need is for large patches and expansions.
Download: 5–10 Mbps (50+ Mbps for fast patch downloads)
Upload: 2–5 Mbps
Ping: < 100 ms acceptable, < 60 ms for endgame PvP/raids
Priority: Higher download speed for updates
Cloud gaming is fundamentally different — the game runs on a remote server and streams video to your device. This means you need both high download speed (for the video stream) and low ping (for input responsiveness).
720p: 15–20 Mbps download
1080p: 25–35 Mbps download
4K: 50+ Mbps download
Ping: < 40 ms for a responsive feel, < 20 ms ideal
Note: Cloud gaming adds inherent latency from video encoding/decoding on top of your network ping. Even with 10 ms ping, total input lag is typically 30–60 ms. This makes cloud gaming best suited for single-player and casual games rather than competitive FPS.
How to reduce ping and lag
Wi-Fi introduces variable latency from signal interference, congestion, and retransmissions. Ethernet gives you a direct, stable connection with consistent ping. Most competitive gamers use Ethernet exclusively.
If running a cable isn't practical, consider a powerline Ethernet adapter (uses your home's electrical wiring) or a MoCA adapter (uses coaxial cable). Both provide more stable connections than Wi-Fi.
Light travels fast, but data still takes time to cross continents. Playing on a server 5,000 km away adds roughly 30–50 ms compared to one 500 km away. Most games let you choose your server region — always pick the closest one.
Same city/region: 5–20 ms typical
Same continent: 20–60 ms typical
Cross-continent: 80–200+ ms typical
Background downloads, cloud syncing, streaming on other devices, and system updates all compete for bandwidth and can cause ping spikes. Before competitive play:
Pause game updates on Steam, Epic, Battle.net
Close cloud sync (Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud)
Make sure no one is streaming 4K video on the same network
Disable Windows/OS auto-updates during gaming sessions
Most modern routers have a QoS (Quality of Service) setting that lets you prioritize specific devices or traffic types. Enable it and set your gaming device as high priority. This ensures that even when someone else is downloading a large file, your gaming packets get through first.
Some gaming routers also offer features like "game mode" or "ping heatmaps" that automatically detect and prioritize game traffic.
When to upgrade your internet
For most online games, a 25 Mbps download / 5 Mbps upload connection with under 50 ms ping is plenty. If you have that and still experience lag, the issue is almost certainly not your internet plan — it's Wi-Fi, network congestion, or server distance.
Consider upgrading if:
You use cloud gaming and want 1080p or 4K quality
Multiple people in your household game, stream, and video call simultaneously
Game downloads and updates take hours — faster download speeds help here, even if gameplay doesn't need them
You stream on Twitch/YouTube while gaming — you'll need upload headroom on top of gameplay
Bottom line: Don't overpay for gigabit internet just for gaming. A stable 50 Mbps connection with low ping will outperform a jittery 1 Gbps connection every time. Invest in a good router and Ethernet before upgrading your plan.