Whether you play games via your phone or console, or stream to your computer, you will require stable internet access when installing patches and updates, not to mention the process of downloading the games. If you are playing online games with other gamers across the world in real-time, it is essential to opt for the best broadband choice to guarantee the excellent sustainability of your internet.
Most broadband options like those available from Broadband Choices are ideally suitable for gaming. Thus, you don’t surely need to focus on the technical details. In this case, go for the broadband that’s offering speedy connections at affordable prices. However, if you take online gaming much more seriously, it is worth spending some quality time considering the factors that can affect your gaming experience: packet loss, speed, traffic management, latency & jitter, and data limits.
Here are the factors that you should consider as an online gamer when choosing your broadband :
The Broadband Speed
While you do not necessarily need superfast broadband for playing most online games, you should go for the fiber optic option if you can since you will be performing many downloads, and some files can be huge. Without a fast connection, these can take a ridiculously long time to complete. Going for a broadband service provider with fast upload and download speeds is beneficial. For instance, virgin media broadband offers a superfast speed package where you can enjoy speeds of up to 364 Mbps. Else, you can opt for the box (67 Mbps) provided by Plusnet, which is much cheaper for a starter.
Latency & Jitter
Latency is defined as the response time, and it’s crucial to go for low latency when playing games online because a high latency can cause delays. Jitter, on the other hand, is the difference in the latency. Like latency, high fluctuations can make an online game unplayable.
The Data Limits
Always select unlimited broadband. You should avoid going for the limited data packages since downloading a single game could deplete your entire monthly data limit. Plusnet and Virgin offer some of the best-unlimited data packages across the United Kingdom, so it’s worth checking these out. It’s always worth checking the small print even for unlimited data options.
Traffic Management
Traffic management is incorporated to guarantee network stability for most users by slowing down some activities which are deemed to consume a lot of bandwidth. The traffic management commonly stops file sharing apps like Usenet and BitTorrent from running. Although the apps may not necessarily affect your game experience if connected to stable and fast broadband, it is recommended to check whether your service provider uses traffic management.
Packet Loss
When transferring data over a network, some of it can get lost. However, this is rarely a massive issue since an error correction system is usually incorporated into the net. Nevertheless, a high level of packet loss can be a big problem for real-time communications like online gaming. In the end, this can lead to laggy and jittery gameplay. Now, when choosing your internet provider, it would be wise to go for a provider that has insignificant levels of packet loss or has no packet loss at all.
What Would Be the Best Broadband Speed for Online Gaming?
When it comes to playing online games, incredibly fast speeds are desirable but certainly aren’t a must. A cheap and stable broadband connection could be more than sufficient to play a game online since they don’t require vast amounts of bandwidth. But it is still advisable to subscribe to a fast broadband package whenever possible since you will be downloading substantial game updates and patches frequently, which can take a long time without this.
Ubiquitous and affordable internet access has changed how gamers acquire and play games in recent years. That has made it easier for developers to distribute their games and players to access their favorite games. Currently, you can play popular games like FIFA, PES, Fallout 4, DOTA 2, Call of Duty, among others.
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Conclusion
To sum things up for you If you’re on a budget, it’s best to find out what matters in terms of requirements when gaming online and look out for those when choosing your broadband package. Still, generally, you can’t go too far wrong that your gaming experience is going to be a disaster. However, if you’re enduring prolonged speeds now, it’s worth checking what rates are available in your area, as this may be the issue rather than the broadband itself. If money is no object, then follow the advice above to ensure you always enjoy a peak gaming experience from download to online play.
Most anticipated games of 2024, release dates and consoles they will be available on
- Dreams release date: February 14, on PS4
- Final Fantasy VII release date: March 3, 2024, on PS4 only
- Watch Dogs: Legion release date: March 3 on Stadia, Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps release date: March 11
- Doom Eternal release date: March 20 on Windows, PS4, Xbox One, TBA on Nintendo Switch
- Half-Life: Alyx release date: March 2024 on PC
- Resident Evil 3 release date: April 3, 2024, on Windows, PS4, Xbox One
- Minecraft Dungeons release date: April 2024 on macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
- Marvel’s Avengers release date: May 15, 2024, on Stadia, Windows, PS4, Xbox One
- The Last of Us 2 release date: May 29, 2024, on PS4 only
- Cyberpunk 2077 release date: September 17 on Windows, PS4, Stadia and Xbox One
- Empire of Sin release date: Q2 2024 on Windows, macOS, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch
- Breath of the Wild 2 release date: Q4 2024 on Nintendo Switch.
- Halo Infinite release date: Q4 2024: Xbox One, Windows, Xbox Series X