Online gaming on the PlayStation 5 is an incredible experience, but nothing can ruin that experience faster than high ping and lag. High ping can cause delays in your actions, while lag can make your game stutter and become unplayable. To help you enjoy the best gaming experience possible, we’ve put together this informative guide on how to reduce ping and lag in online games on the PlayStation 5.
Table Of Contents
1. Check Your Internet Connection
The first step in reducing ping and lag is to ensure you have a stable and fast internet connection. Here are some tips to help you optimize your connection:
- Use a wired connection: If possible, connect your PlayStation 5 directly to your router or modem using an Ethernet cable. Wired connections tend to be faster and more stable than wireless connections.
- Upgrade your internet plan: If your internet plan offers low speeds, consider upgrading to a faster plan. This can help reduce ping and lag in online games.
- Close background applications: Ensure that no other devices on your network are using up bandwidth by streaming videos, downloading files, or running other high-bandwidth applications.
- Ensure upload & download speeds are good: There are several things that you can do to improve upload speed on the PS5 and speed up downloads on PS5.
2. Optimize Your PlayStation 5 Settings
Adjusting some settings on your PlayStation 5 can help reduce ping and lag:
- Enable Game Mode: If your TV supports it, enable Game Mode. This setting reduces input lag by disabling certain post-processing effects on your TV.
- Adjust DNS settings: Changing your PlayStation 5’s DNS settings to use a faster DNS server can help improve your connection. You can try using Google’s public DNS servers (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or other public DNS servers.
3. Improve Your Home Network
Improving your home network can help reduce ping and lag in online games:
- Upgrade your router: If you have an older router, consider upgrading to a newer model that supports modern Wi-Fi standards like Wi-Fi 6.
- Position your router strategically: Place your router in a central location in your home, away from walls and other obstacles that can interfere with the signal.
- Use a Wi-Fi extender or mesh network: If you’re experiencing weak Wi-Fi signals in certain areas of your home, consider using a Wi-Fi extender or upgrading to a mesh network to improve coverage.
4. Choose the Right Server
When playing online games, you can sometimes choose which server to connect to. Picking a server that’s geographically closer to you can help reduce ping and lag. You will often find that games that have worldwide server lists will allow you to see the ping of the server and often order by ping to ensure you can easily find the optimal server.
5. Use a Gaming VPN
A gaming VPN can help reduce ping and lag by rerouting your connection through a faster, more direct path to the game server. However, not all VPNs are suitable for gaming, so make sure to choose a VPN that’s specifically designed for gaming and has a low latency.
6. Keep Your PlayStation 5 Updated
Ensure that your PlayStation 5’s system software and games are always up to date, as updates can sometimes include performance improvements and bug fixes that can help reduce ping and lag.
By following these tips, you can significantly reduce ping and lag in online games on your PlayStation 5, allowing you to enjoy a smoother and more enjoyable gaming experience. Happy gaming!
