There is an assumption that video games consume all of your Wi-Fi bandwidth.
In this article, we will look at how online gaming affects internet speed and how to monitor and possibly improve your Wi-Fi speeds.
So, without further ado, let’s get into it.
Quick Summary
In this article, we will talk about:
- Does online gaming affect internet speed?
- What Amount of Bandwidth Do Video Games Consume?
- Do more recent video games require more or less bandwidth than older ones?
Let’s take a look at it.
Does Online Gaming Affect Internet Speed?
Video games slow down Wi-Fi due to their high bandwidth usage. The amount of data that may be sent from one location to another is called the bandwidth. Video games typically consume a lot of bandwidth when played online because of their size (consider downloading a game).
When playing a video game, you may notice that your web browsing slows down because most Wi-Fi connections have limited bandwidth. This is due to the fact that the amount of bandwidth available for gaming exhausts the amount available for other activities.
But if your router is functioning properly, you can play as many video games as you like while maintaining Wi-Fi.
On the other hand, downloading or upgrading video games while you play can frequently consume a significant amount of data.
It’s critical to remember that all Internet activity necessitates a continuous connection since information is continually being transferred between your device and the servers running the website or game.
Do games need the data interchange to work?
Games on the web need this data interchange to work, just like any other application does.
Video games are more sensitive to speed changes than streaming services like Netflix because of this constant communication.
Information about what is happening in the game must be transferred back and forth many times per second between your gaming device and the game server for things to function properly while you play online games.
When it comes to how much data can pass across an Internet connection at once, bandwidth is important. But it doesn’t mean they aren’t an issue just because they don’t consume all of your internets.
Why Is Your Wifi Slow?
Your WiFi connection may be sluggish due to several factors, including:
The Volume of Network Traffic
Video games typically increase the amount of data delivered to and from the device you’re playing on because they stream video.
Network traffic can slow down your entire network if you have many devices connected to your Wi-Fi simultaneously, such as a laptop and a game console.
Your Network’s Configuration
Routers are intricate pieces of hardware, and they can become clogged with traffic if there is too much of it both on them and the rest of your home network.
If you’re using a mesh networking system, which consists of numerous routers and switches. This can cause further issues for the router at its core and may ultimately slow down the system for everyone.
How Can You Tell if a Game Affects Your Wireless Connection?
Checking your Internet speed is the first step in figuring out if your video game is affecting your Wi-Fi connection. With Speedtest.net’s user-friendly interface, you can quickly perform the following three tests on your Internet connection:
- WiFi
- Ethernet
- Speed of the server you are connected to
These tests can be run on many gadgets, checking the download and transfer rates of each time.
It’s unlikely that gaming is the root of the problem if there isn’t a noticeable decrease in speed when you go from a wired (Ethernet) connection to a wireless one.
Assume that using Wi-Fi instead of Ethernet results in a 30 percent slower internet speed. In that instance, it can be slowing down as a result of network interference with other devices or the load other users, like streaming or downloading files, are putting on it.
What Amount of Bandwidth Do Video Games Consume?
The amount of data that may be supplied and received at once is referred to as bandwidth. The more data that can be delivered and received in a certain amount of time, or the pipe width through which water can flow, the larger your bandwidth.
So how much bandwidth is required for gaming?
Different quantities are needed for each session depending on your network connection and the game you’re playing. Different games will need different amounts of bandwidth.
For example, the majority of its contents are stored on servers that players connect to over the internet as opposed to being hosted on their computers. You should know that streaming-based games like World of Warcraft utilize extremely little bandwidth.
Do Recent Video Games Require More or Less Bandwidth Than Older Ones?
Older video games typically utilize less bandwidth because there is less data that needs to be transferred to the device.
However, modern games demand quicker rates for fluid gameplay because they are more graphically demanding. Let’s examine some examples of both categories of games to see how the various download demands impact your Wi-Fi connection.
Why Does Playing Video Games Slow Down My Wi-Fi?
Online video game play consumes a large amount of data. While this is true for the majority of online activities, playing video games requires you to send and receive significant volumes of data quickly with other players.
Contemporary games with online capabilities may be played on video game consoles like the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and more by connecting to the internet.
This involves engaging in online multiplayer competition with other players and downloading game updates, DLCs, and other content via the internet.
What internet connection did the older games require?
Older games only required one connection to be made at once to communicate with a server someplace else in the world, as opposed to current games.
In addition, older games consume less data per second than more recent ones. So, in general, playing several copies of older video games on a home internet connection is simpler than playing multiple copies of more recent games.
Then there will be less room on your Wi-Fi for everyone else who needs it the more users you have to compete on your home network at once.
If someone else is downloading files or watching Netflix while you’re playing a game, others will experience increased lag as a result of your activities (and vice versa).
Conclusion
Most of the time, playing video games won’t make your Wi-Fi slow. Your network configuration or the game you’re playing may be at fault if your Wi-Fi connection isn’t working properly.
If you discover that a certain game is interfering with your Internet connection, you can try using an Ethernet cable to connect directly to your router and see if that resolves the issue.
To increase the speed of your Wi-Fi network, it can be necessary to buy some new networking hardware otherwise.
If you have any further questions, feel free to ask them in the comment section below.