Guides · Troubleshooting
How to lower your ping for online gaming
High ping ruins online games far more than a slow download speed ever will. Here's how to cut lag, step by step.
Jean Gilles · Founder & editor
Published Jul 1, 2026 · Updated Jul 21, 2026 · 3 min read
A console wired directly to the router with Ethernet. Click to edit this caption.
The short answer
Plug in over Ethernet, close background downloads, and pick the closest game server — those three fix most ping problems for free. If lag persists, enable QoS on your router; and for the lowest, steadiest latency overall, fiber beats every other connection type.
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Founder & editor
Jean founded ShopHighSpeed after trying to find one straight answer about business internet in his own town. He has been a Comcast and Verizon Fios customer, and builds the site’s rankings from the availability data providers file with the FCC rather than from provider marketing.