How To Fix Lag In Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 is finally here after several months of waiting. Players are flocking over to play the game, with a ton of players that retired from Overwatch also getting back into the game. 

While it is a great game and is certainly well received, there are several reports of people facing lag issues while playing it. If you are frustrated because of all the lag in Overwatch 2, you are at the right place. Here is our complete guide for Overwatch 2 lag, where we try to help you find a fix for it.

What Is Lag In Overwatch 2

Lag is basically the delay that you experience between the inputs you make with your input devices like a mouse or keyboard and the outputs you receive, like movements of crosshairs on the screen or the hitmakers of enemies getting shot. 

Imagine that you are shooting an enemy, but the hitmakers are showing up about two to three seconds after getting shot. This delay, in a nutshell, is gaming lag. 

What Causes Lag In Overwatch 2?

There are multiple reasons why you may be experiencing lag in Overwatch. Those issues can be classified into two categories, with the first one being hardware-related issues. 

Hardware-related issues cause framerate drops, which cause input lag. The second type is network-related issues. Network-related cause high ping, which causes network lag. 

Hardware Fixes For Overwatch 2 Lag

Hardware fixes are quite straightforward. Almost all hardware fixes have something to do with improving your framerate. Here are some of the most common hardware fixes you can try right now. We have carefully selected them based on their effectiveness.

Make Upgrades: First of all, you must make sure that you meet the system requirements of the game. If you don't meet them, you will have to make some upgrades.

Lower The Resolution: If you are slightly off with the requirements, you can try lowering the resolution. Lowering resolution yields a massive boost in framerate, which can help reduce lag. 

Lower The Graphics Settings: If you have a decent gaming PC and are still facing lag, make sure you are running the game on 1080p and not 4k. You can also try lowering some graphics settings. 

Close All Background Applications: Background applications like Chrome may use up most of your PC's resources. Make sure that all background applications are closed while you play Overwatch 2.

Revert To Older Drivers: Sometimes lag starts to show up right after you install a newly released driver. To fix that, you can revert to the older version.

Install New Drivers: If the issue did not come up after installing a new driver, and you are using an older version, try installing the latest version of the drivers. If it worsens the issue, you can always revert back. 

Network Fixes For Overwatch 2 Lag

Network issues are not that easy to diagnose. Another problem with network issues is that some of them don't have any reliable fixes. Here are some of the most common network fixes you can apply right now. 

Get A Wired Connection

A wired connection is essential for gaming. A wired connection is much more stable than a wireless connection. On the other hand, with a wireless connection, you are bound to experience some instability issues like packet loss and lag while playing an online video game like Overwatch 2.

Make Sure There Are No Background Downloads

While playing Overwatch 2, you will be sending some data to the game server using the internet connection. You will also be receiving some data. However, if you have some downloads running in the background, they will use the bandwidth, which may leave nothing for the game. Always make sure that nothing is being downloaded as you play Overwatch 2 to avoid experiencing lag. 

Get A Separate Connection For Gaming

Another way your bandwidth might be getting used up is by other users connected to your internet connection. You may be experiencing lag while using a connection that several other users are connected to. One way you can get rid of that lag is simply by getting a separate connection for yourself. 

Try Getting A Higher Bandwidth

Getting a separate connection might not be for everyone. If that's the case for you then you can try upgrading your bandwidth for higher internet speeds. This may not be able to completely eliminate the problem, but it will help a ton.

Replace Damaged Wires Or Ones With Severe Bends

Damaged or severely bent wires are one of the major causes of packet loss and lag. If you see any damaged areas in the wires that you use to connect to the internet, or if you see any severe bends, you should replace them immediately. It is good practice to replace ethernet wires after every 5 years. 

Try A New ISP

After trying out all of those fixes, if you still are not able to get rid of the lag, then it might be because of your ISP. You can ask other gamers living in your area to see what internet connection they are using. Find a reputable ISP and start using their services.

WTFast - The Only Lag Fix You Need

While all the network fixes mentioned above should be applied even if you are not facing any lag, they don’t guarantee a fix for the lag you are dealing with, especially if the main issue is bad routing. If you want a simple solution for lag in Overwatch 2 and bad routing, you should try WTFast.

WTFast is a gamers' private network that eliminates issues like ping spikes, lag, rubberbanding, and packet loss with the press of a button. The best part is that it can also fix bad routing, which is very difficult to deal with. 

WTFast works by re-routing your connection on a network designed for game data traffic. To get an amazing lag-free experience in Overwatch 2, get WTFast today.