Recommended Games For Different Internet Speeds
Sometimes you swear you hit that headshot, but the player survived or suddenly rubber-banded to another location.
Lagging incidents like that can completely ruin the enjoyment of gaming. If you’re an avid gamer you probably understand the importance of high-speed quality internet.
Slow internet is a major drag when trying to connect and play online with friends. Competitive gaming is nearly impossible with slow speeds and high-latency. And for many gamers, competitive gaming is where their main interest lies.
Testing Your Internet Speeds
For the majority of online gaming, 15-20Mbps is recommended to safely play the majority of games. To test where your internet speed falls and your latency, use a high-quality accurate service like Speed Check.
Latency is how long it takes information to travel to a location and back. To test this, simply search test my internet speed and the server closest to you will be identified and information will be sent to that server. That information packet then makes its way back to your machine. This determines a ping or latency value for your internet connection.
Internet bandwidth is tested by having your connection download and then upload a set of data. This provides your internet speed with an upload speed, which is how fast your computer can send data across the internet, whereas the download speed is how fast your computer can collect data from the internet. Generally, download speed is more important for the average internet user. Streaming video or surfing the web is more download intensive, with very little upload needed. But online gaming requires the sending of location back to the game. Information like location, speed, and other player inputs need to be quickly delivered or the gamer may experience problems.
Once your speed is tested you can learn more about what your internet service speeds can handle.
Games Recommendations By Bandwidth Use
Thankfully there are thousands and thousands of gaming genres and options to suit your needs if your internet service can’t be immediately upgraded or fixed. Let’s examine the various types of internet service options and the associated bandwidths. From there we’ll break down what games are great options for each type.
Offline Gaming
If your internet service goes down due to an outage, having a set of backup games that are fully functional and enjoyable is great. Some ISPs (internet service providers) are less reliable and this can be a regular occurrence. Depending on where you live, it’s not always easy to change providers.
A Beloved RPG game that despite being 10 years old, continues to have a dedicated fan base. Provides hundreds of hours of fun and exploration. The game also has a great replayability.
Addicting roguelike with four classes to master. Battle enemies and dangerous bosses and select pathways as you advance up the spire. Fantastic ability to design unique decks.
An extremely fun puzzle game, where you use a portal gun to move through a facility accompanied by an AI known as GLaDOS. The story is interesting and unexpected.
Low Bandwidth Multiplayer Games (<2 Mbps)
A turn-based strategy game with seven expansions, that takes limited bandwidth resources. Players each control an army of creatures and move around the map to capture bases and fight against the opposing player.
Excellent racing game for slower internet speeds because the game uses the time-trial format to decide a winner. Players can restart their run at any time in the run until they have a smooth run and in multiplayer mode, players can see but not interact with their opponent’s car.
Another tactical turn-based strategy game, with a cyberpunk dystopian feel. Players are tasked with destroying the enemy players units, but can take their time to plan and select their moves. Once both players have ‘locked in’ their turns, the game works out the result.
Higher Bandwidth Multiplayer Games (>5Mbps)
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
CS: GO is a popular first-person shooter game with a variety of formats and maps. Many of the formats are objective-based, pitting one team against the other with a terrorist team attempting to successfully plant and explode a bomb, while the other counter-terrorist team tries to stop them. The fast-paced nature of this game requires a higher-speed internet connection.
Destiny is a great free-to-play option for gamers that love multiplayer shooters. The game is only playable online and focuses on its RPG elements to provide a game in between an MMO and a close-style first-person shooter. Destiny 2 has a higher than average upload speed requirement.
Like other games on this list, COD: Modern Warfare is a first-person shooter. Following the success of games like Fortnite, Call of Duty shifted this new installment in the franchise to a battle royale style. The game is graphically intensive and fast-paced, which can tax your internet.
Your Options
If you are plagued by low bandwidth or high latency, you have options available. Sometimes your internet service provider needs to be contacted or your internet plan needs upgrading.
Satellite internet is the worst option available for online multiplayer gaming because of the high latency issues. Better options include DSL and Cable, but Fiber internet is by far the best. Fiber provides the best stability and speeds, with the lowest latencies. It’s also important to remember that your bandwidth is shared across all users and devices, that are connected to your home internet. If your family is steaming video on multiple screens, your relatively fast internet speeds may slow to a crawl.
Different countries also have access to different internet speeds. Speed Check has amassed data from their users to rank cellular and wifi/broadband speeds from across the world. Check it out and see where your country falls!
