Ping

When you play online, your device constantly exchanges information with a server or with other players. Ping measures the round-trip time for that information: how long a small message takes to reach the server and come back. It is shown in milliseconds (ms). Lower is better. A ping of 20 ms means a near-instant connection; several hundred milliseconds means noticeable delay.

The word is borrowed from a long-standing networking tool also called ping, which sends exactly this kind of test message and times the reply.

What high ping feels like

With high ping, the game seems to react late to your actions, opponents appear to jump around, and you may be hit by attacks you thought you had dodged. Fast competitive games, such as shooters and fighting games, suffer most. Slower turn-based games barely notice it.

What affects ping

• Distance: the further you are from the server, the longer the trip. Choosing a server region close to the UK helps.
• Connection type: a wired Ethernet connection is usually more stable than Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi through several walls is worse.
• Household traffic: large downloads, video streaming or cloud backups running at the same time can increase ping.
• Route and provider: how your broadband provider routes traffic also plays a part.

Ping is not the same as download speed. A very fast broadband package can still have high ping if the connection is unstable or the server is far away.

Quick fixes for households

Most games show ping in an options or network menu, sometimes as a small number in the corner during play. If it is high, try a wired connection, pause large downloads on other devices, and make sure the game is set to a nearby region. Restarting the router occasionally helps too. If problems persist across several games, contacting your broadband provider is the next step.