Why Am I Experiencing Lag in Games Despite Fast Internet?

I hear you! Even with strong Wi-Fi, there are other things you might consider optimizing. Make sure your Wi-Fi is using the 5GHz band if it’s available, as it's usually less crowded and faster than the 2.4GHz band. You can also do a quick ping and jitter test online to identify if there’s an issue with stability. Additionally, check if your router placement could be affecting the signal; sometimes just moving it can make a big difference. Just a tip: also try to keep background programs to a minimum while gaming.

Lag can really suck! Your high download and upload speeds don’t directly mean you have low latency. Sometimes the mesh network can actually cause delays. I’d suggest testing your connection with an Ethernet cable to see if that alleviates the lag. If you’re still seeing issues, take a look at what devices are connected to the network—like if someone is streaming, that could hog all the bandwidth and create spikes.

First things first, I recommend switching your connection to Ethernet if you can. Wi-Fi can introduce latency, which is especially not great for gaming. Just connecting a short Ethernet cable directly to your router could really help reduce ping and make your experience smoother. Also, if possible, try to play on a server that’s physically closer to you; this can further improve your connection stability.

My experience has been that Ethernet is really the way to go for gaming. That said, I’ve managed to game on Wi-Fi with no major issues by investing in a solid PCIe Wi-Fi adapter. If you can’t hardwire your connection, make sure your adapter supports the latest standards and try to reduce interference from other devices. Keeping antennas clear with some extensions can also help.