The first step may be to carry out a
broadband speed test so you know how your current broadband is performing. To get the best overview of your speeds, it is recommended to carry out speed tests at different times of day as congestion and demand will vary.
Theoretically speaking, you don't need blisteringly fast speeds to be able to play games over broadband, though an absolute minimum download speed of 3Mbps is recommended. However, high-performance gameplay cannot be expected at this speed, as different games require more bandwidth than others to operate smoothly, as designed.
To play without your Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch or PS5 lagging, you will need to aim for speeds of between 15Mbps to 25Mbps for a smooth and responsive gaming experience.
The PlayStation and Xbox consoles introduced 4K video games, and with the release of the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X, the market for 4K video games is expected to grow dramatically. Currently, you need a download speed of around 60Mbps to enjoy 4K video games online. These speeds can be achieved with fibre broadband, though you can also
cut your carbon footprint each month by 10Kg with Your Co-op broadband.
Another factor you should also think about is the ping rate, which is the reaction time of your connection and is mostly affected by physical distances and broadband traffic. Ping is important as it allows your inputs (your actions through a controller) to register faster, and therefore gives you a better reaction and input time in gaming. Players with a bad ping will suffer from more lag in their communication with the online game, though by using an ethernet cable you may see a slight improvment.
A good ping for gaming is less than 150ms and will also mean that your latency will be low too, as the ping is the measurement in milliseconds taken for a signal to reach two devices (the latency). The ping will be displayed on the results page of an internet connection test.
