Is 5 Mbps Good For Gaming – Questions Answered

Regular gamers always need to get the best out of their internet package.

Hence, it is crucial to find the best internet service that offers the ideal speed to enjoy multiplayer video games and avoid any possible lag.

The truth is that each console and game is made up of different requirements and are also affected by latency, upload speed, and download speed. Therefore, before you consider how many bandwidths you might need for your game, it’s essential to factor in these things to enjoy an uninterrupted gaming experience.

There are three different aspects of internet connections that affect every online gaming experience;

• Upload Speed
• Download Speed
• Ping Rate

Upload Speed – Most times, this does not concern any online gamer; instead, it is more beneficial for storing massive data online, especially with different cloud services. Upload speed is also needed, mostly if you post more videos online. For gamers, where this becomes an issue is when video games are being streamed using services such as Twitch. So this means that non-streaming gamers are rarely affected by the upload speed.

Download Speed – This is the rate at which you can download any data from the internet straight to your game console. The bandwidth available to you is the maximum rate you can download, and it is measured in Mbps. The speed at the Mbps move depends on the available bandwidth. This, in turn, depends on how fast you can download any large files. This bandwidth that is available to you is generally shared across all the devices connected to your internet. The performance will be very low if multiple players are connected to the same network.

However, some home networks with considerable bandwidth can handle different activities simultaneously without any problem.

Majority of online gamers requires at least from 1Mbps to 5Mbps to enjoy online game. With this, even if someone is streaming a movie and another playing a game, the network performance will still be strong.

The only time-bandwidth becomes an issue is when you make a digital purchase and want to download the game to your hard drive. The more bandwidth you’ve got, the better, but it will be best to start downloading at night when the network demand is low.

Ping Rate – This can also be referred to as latency. It causes the majority of problems suffered by gamers online.

For instance, when there is high latency, the gamer will experience stuttering and slow gameplay. This can be noticed when you’re playing a game, and it will be skipping or disappearing and reappearing at the same time. This is a typical ping rate problem.

Whats The Speed Required For Games?

The type of game and the gaming platform will always be different. But generally, you’ll meet the online game’s minimum requirement with these speeds listed below:

First-person shooter games (FPS)

FPS is always played from the point of view of the major character in the game. You’ll tend to see the character’s arms at the bottom of the screen with various weapons.

For instance, games like Doom Eternal need a ping rate that is very fast in other to keep the players on pace for all the real-time action. The requirements are as follows;

• Upload speed – 1 Mbps
• Download speed – 30 Mbps
• Ping rate: 16 ms

Real-time strategy games

These players are time-based, using every available resource to defend their base, which is also the opponent’s goal.

These kinds of games can be comfortably played on a personal computer, but with a gaming console such as Xbox, it can maximize the ping rate even with slower internet. The requirements are as follows;

• Upload speed – 0.5 Mbps
• Download speed – 3 Mbps
• Ping rate – 150 ms or less

Role-playing games (RPG)

This type of game allows any gamer to fully control an assigned fictional character, which must be used to complete a quest in a prearranged fantasy world.

This kind of games normally includes levels and statistics that need to be improved at all times, which drives the storyline and a menu-based that indicates the combat system. The requirements are as follows:

• Upload speed – 1 Mbps
• Download speed – 1.5 Mbps
• Ping rate: 150 ms

Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games

This class of games often occurs in a fictional world where millions of people just like you (the player) are all taking part in a role-playing environment.

0In this game, you’re just required to build the character’s skills, resources, and experience rather than trying to finish the game. It requires more bandwidth, especially when it comes to communication using skype. The requirements are as follows:

• Upload speed – 0.5 Mbps
• Download speed – 3 Mbps
• Ping rate – 150 ms or less

From all the list outlined above, you can now see that each gaming system has its unique requirements depending on their capabilities.

However, if your internet network has a download speed of at least 3 Mbps and an upload speed of at least 1 Mbps, including a ping rate that is below 150 ms, then you’re covered for any online game. By extension, 5Mbps can serve for online gaming.

In Conclusion

As outlined in the write-up, you don’t necessarily need a blazing internet speed to enjoy online games. You’ll be OK with a standard cable internet speed of 5 Mbps, especially fiber.

So when choosing your online gaming network, it’s essential to keep an eye on the upload speed, download speed, and the ping rate; then, you’ll be fine when playing your game online.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is 5 Mbps speed really fast?

This means that the network provides a download speed of 5Mbps and an upload speed of 0.5 Mbps.

It is ideal for gaming and businesses that involve at least two employees; adding more traffic may likely slow the network down. With this speed in place, it would take 16 seconds to download a file of 10 MB.

For my online gaming, how many Mbps do I necessarily need?

You need at least 3Mbps download speed and an upload speed of 0.5 to 1 Mbps, which is also recommended by most console manufacturers.

Is 30 Mbps suitable for online gaming?

Yes. In fact, this is way more than the required bandwidth except for patches. You can comfortably play any FPS games with a speed of less than 1 Mbps, and it will work well.