What's A Gaming VPN & Why You Need It
Online Gaming is getting more and more popular. One of the reasons for this is its accessibility. Almost everyone these days have a computer or any other device that can run most games and an internet connection. Consequently, these are the only requirements for getting into online gaming.
While online gaming is super popular, it has its fair share of problems. The internet is a huge network that connects your computer to the rest of the world. The magnitude at which online gaming takes place causes several issues that are hard to fix. Most gamers have started to steer towards gaming VPN services that are designed to create an improvement in the online gaming experience. Here we will discuss the ‘hows and whys’ of a gaming VPN for online gaming.
What Does a Gaming VPN Do?
Regular ISPs these days are not specifically designed for gaming. While most ISPs are aware of the fact that many of their customers are gamers and use their services for gaming, it is not their primary focus. ISPs are generally focused on providing their customers with a fast and consistent connection to the internet. It may seem that this should be enough for a good gaming experience. However, ISPs do not use the network routes that are optimized for gaming.
This is where a Gaming VPN comes into play. A Gaming VPN switches your connection onto a network that is optimized for game data transmission. Whenever a person uses a gaming VPN for playing games, the VPN automatically figures out the best and fastest route possible to connect to the game server. This results in a gaming experience that is free of Network and Ping related issues.
Lower Latency and Ping Times
One of the main issues that a gaming VPN helps fix is high ping. When it comes to network-related issues, high ping is also one of the most common issues. High ping causes network lag, which is the worst form of lag as you cannot just upgrade your hardware or lower your graphics settings to fix it. Before talking about how a gaming VPN reduces Ping times and latency, let's talk a little bit about what actually is Network LAG.
What Is Network LAG and What Does It Have To Do With High Ping
If you know someone who likes to play online video games and is a very competitive gamer, you may have heard them scream in frustration about one word in particular. We are talking about lag and, if you are a gamer yourself, you have probably encountered it once or twice in your lifetime. Lag can arise due to all sorts of reasons. Here we will discuss network lag.
Network lag is the time delay it takes for a packet of data to reach the game server from your computer and then back to your computer. Ping is a measure of this time delay. In online games, much of the interaction is based on the input provided by the user.
If the input from the user/player takes a long time to reach the game server, the appropriate action will also take longer to appear on the player's screen. For example, if a player shoots an enemy and has a high ping, it will take two or three seconds for the hit marker to appear on their screen. In severe cases this can cause problems like hit registration issues and bullet sponging.
Lag is not something that a gamer wants to deal with. It can cause a serious drop in their in-game performance. Because LAG and Ping are directly related, high ping quite often causes network LAG.
How Does a Gaming VPN Reduce Ping and LAG
As discussed, the routes that ISPs use are not optimized for gaming. For example, let's say you are trying to connect to a particular game server that is nearest to you. You do this so you can get a low ping while gaming. The ISP will not necessarily connect you directly to the game server. Sometimes, the ISP will connect you to the game server through a route that first connects to another server located a bit further than both your computer and the game server. Hence, the overall distance gets larger which increases the latency and lag.
A Gaming VPN however, connects you to the game server using the route that is optimized for gaming and directly leads to the game server. This helps in minimizing ping and reducing lag. The Gaming VPN will automatically select the game server that is nearest to you and you won’t have to worry about a single thing.
Reduced Ping Spikes and Connection Stability
The average internet connection provided by your ISP will only provide consistent speeds. While browsing the internet you will rarely notice the instability of your internet connection, however, it is extremely annoying when you are gaming.
An unstable internet connection causes ping spikes which in turn causes game-breaking issues like rubberbanding and jittering. The networks that a gaming VPN switches onto is also much more stable. It also helps in reducing the frequency of ping spikes.
Lower Packet Loss
As we have already discussed, a gaming VPN switches your connection onto a network that is optimized for gaming. This network will also have less traffic and will allow optimized transmission for game data from your computer to the game server.
One of the most common issues that arise on a high traffic connection is packet loss. Packet loss can have several in-game issues, the most common of which is the hit registration issue. It may also cause rubberbanding.
WTFast
If you are looking for a Gaming VPN that helps reduce latency, increase stability and improve the overall experience of online gaming, then you should look no further than WTFast. WTFast is a gamer private network that switches your connection onto a network that is optimized for gaming. For the ultimate online gaming experience, get WTFast today.
