Last Updated by Ari Denial on July 25, 2021
Pings suck, right? You might have a high performing personal computer, but every action you take will be quite slow because of high pings. You’ll always lag behind while gaming, something that’s quite embarrassing plus it causes a lot of errors.
In this guide, we will carefully explain what ping is; mention its significance and how you can lower it by using a top VPN like ExpressVPN for an improved gaming experience.
Enjoy super-fast gaming with ExpressVPN
What is Ping Rate and What is Its Significance in Online Gaming?
Before we knew exactly what ping was, we believed that an active and fast internet connection would be the best solution to combat this issue because of its download and upload speeds.
Today, we find this theory to be inapplicable. There are other factors which arise from having fast internet speeds, and ping is key among them.
Now, what is it exactly? It’s simply how long your computer takes to respond to requests from other PCs. It’s a method used to measure the latency you normally experience with your machine. So, the time your device takes to send and receive data from its server determines how fast or slow the game is. The lower the ping rates between the two devices, the more efficient the communication.
Lower your ping rate with ExpressVPN
What Causes Online Gaming Delays or Lags?
If your ping increases, the time taken to receive and send messages will also continue to rise eventually causing annoying delays. It renders the communication between any two devices somewhat irrelevant. Therefore, high pings while gaming is only a disadvantage to the player.
Pings usually send an echo through the Internet Control Message Protocol and then measure how long the other party takes to reply.
These measurements are what we are calling Latency, and they are presented in milliseconds. Here, the device that sends the ping will receive a timeout error message in case there is something that’s preventing the message from reaching its destination.
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How Do VPNs Improve Ping for Better Latency?
A premium VPN like ExpressVPN decreases the ping rate of your online games. VPN packets usually take a more direct route as compared to that of your normal ISP packet.
This means that with a VPN, you will have both a smoother and faster internet connection. All you have to do is to connect to a suitable VPN server.
It’s better to use a VPN connection as compared to just using the internet services offered by your ISP. What’s more, ISPs are known for influencing your ping rate based on the speeds they provide.
Try ExpressVPN for high-speed gaming
The Best VPNs for Improving Your Ping Rate in 2022
1. ExpressVPN — #1 VPN With Blazing-Fast Speeds for Seamless Gaming
Key Features:
- 3000+ servers in 94+ countries for reliable connections around the world
- Fast speeds for gaming in Ultra HD
- Supports up to 5 simultaneous connections
- 24/7 customer service with live chat and email support
- 30-day money-back guarantee
ExpressVPN is great for gaming in the highest resolution and interruption-free with incredibly fast speeds. Its standard OpenVPN protocol gave me reliable speeds that remained above 40Mbps. When I switched on the Lightway protocol in “Settings,” my speeds were even faster, at around 60Mbps. I never had to wait for the game to load!
To make it even easier, ExpressVPN lets you create shortcuts within its app which allowed me to play Call of Duty right after setting up my connection. It saved me the additional couple of minutes I would’ve spent on opening my browser and logging in with a slow connection.
Better yet, ExpressVPN easily found the best connection for me by automatically choosing the fastest server available in the country of my choice. If you find a particularly quick server while gaming, you can add it to your favorites by clicking on the star next to it. During my tests, I could connect to it again in just a few seconds next time I wanted to continue gaming.
Luckily, you can test ExpressVPN out completely risk-free as it’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee — if you don’t like it, you can easily get a full refund. ExpressVPN is the only service on the list with “no questions asked” refunds, so you won’t have to explain why you’d like to close your account. My request was processed in less than a minute after connecting to live chat and my refund was sent back into my bank account only 4 days later.
ExpressVPN works with: Windows, Android, macOS, iOS, Linux, routers, Chrome, Kindle, Firefox, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Smart TVs.
ExpressVPN unblocks: DAZN, NBC Sports, ESPN, Telemundo, fuboTV, Hulu+Live TV, YouTube TV, ESPN+, Sky Sports, BT Sport, Hotstar VIP, BBC Sport, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, and more.
Start gaming with ExpressVPN now!
August 2022 Update! ExpressVPN has dropped prices for a limited time to a crazy $6.67 per month for the 1-year plan (you can save up to 49%) + 3 months free! This is a limited offer so be sure to grab it now before it’s gone. See more information on this offer here.
2. CyberGhost — Reliable Servers for Playing Games Online Without Interruption
Key Features:
- 8200 servers in over 91 countries for fast connections around the world
- Dedicated servers to quickly get best gaming quality
- Supports up to 7 device connections at the same time
- 24/7 customer service with live chat and email support
- 45-day money-back guarantee
CyberGhost has a range of reliable servers for gaming in high quality. I was connected in less than 10 seconds and had stable speeds at 27Mbps on average. This was fast enough for me to play Minecraft in HD without lags.
Connecting to its servers is easy with the Quick Connect feature. I only had to deal with an extra 15 seconds of loading time at the beginning of my game.
You can use CyberGhost risk-free for 45 days — more than enough time to test it yourself. It’s a risk-free policy as long as you request a refund before the 45 days are up. After testing CyberGhost for 4 weeks, I requested a refund and got my money back in only 4 business days.
CyberGhost works with: Windows, Android, macOS, iOS, routers, Chrome, Firefox, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV.
CyberGhost unblocks: DAZN, NBC Sports, ESPN, Telemundo, fuboTV, Hulu+Live TV, YouTube TV, ESPN+, Sky Sports, BT Sport, Hotstar VIP, BBC Sport, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, and more.
Start gaming with CyberGhost now!
August 2022 Update! You can subscribe to CyberGhost for as low as $2.29 per month + get extra 3 months free with the 3-year plan (save up to 82%)! This is a limited offer so grab it now before it’s gone. See more information on this offer here.
3. Private Internet Access (PIA) — The Most Servers to Keep You Connected to Your Favorite Games
Key Features:
- 35000+ servers in over 80 countries for fast global connections
- Dedicated servers to quickly get best gaming quality
- Supports up to 10 device connections at the same time
- 24/7 customer service with live chat and email support
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Private Internet Access (or PIA) has one of the largest server networks on the market. I tried 40 locations and noticed each one provided me with good download speeds and access to the restricted platform. Some servers got overcrowded as I carried out my tests, which made my games a bit more pixelated. However, as the VPN has so many options to choose from, I could quickly reconnect to a less busy server and boost my speeds back up in only 10 seconds. This improved my picture quality, and I could play Pokémon GO in HD.
I like that PIA lets you select from a variety of VPN protocols, which means you can maximize speeds for gaming lag-free. You can choose 128-bit encryption to give your streams an extra boost for buffer-free HD video. Even though 128-bit encryption isn’t the highest level, it’s plenty for low-risk online activities like gaming. While it’s still powerful enough to hide your data and keep your activities private, you’ll have less lag and fewer issues with picture quality.
Though the VPN offers excellent features, you should test PIA yourself to check if it meets your requirements. It comes with a legitimate money-back policy that lets you use its services risk-free for 30 days. There’s no small print (I checked!) — as long as you request a refund before the guarantee ends, the VPN will give you your money back without an issue.
PIA works with: Windows, Android, macOS, iOS, routers, Chrome, Firefox, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV.
PIA unblocks: DAZN, NBC Sports, ESPN, Telemundo, fuboTV, Hulu+Live TV, YouTube TV, ESPN+, Sky Sports, BT Sport, Hotstar VIP, BBC Sport, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, and more.
Start gaming with PIA now!
August 2022 Update! For a limited time only, save 81% with the 2-year plan + get an additional 2 months free! Hurry and check out the deal here!
How Can You Reduce Your Ping Rate Manually?
There are several factors which may affect your ping, like the distance of servers or internet quality.
Most of them cannot be easily changed and although a VPN will solve most of your ping problems, sometimes all you need is to make a few changes to your connection. For example:
- While gaming, close all background programs running on various operating systems.
- Reduce the number of devices you use to connect to the internet.
- Use an Ethernet cable while gaming or put your device closer to the router.
- Contact your ISP for network upgrade if the problem persists
Reduce your ping rate effortlessly with ExpressVPN
Final Thought
With all this information in mind, why should you tolerate high pings or allow them to spoil your gaming experience? With a reliable VPN, you can finally put such problems to rest.
However, Not all VPNs are the same. Only the best providers — like the 3 on my list — can give you a convenient gaming experience.
ExpressVPN is my top choice for online gaming due to its blazing-fast speeds and large selection of high-quality servers that work every time. ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it out for yourself completely risk-free. If you’re not satisfied, you can always get a full refund.
Source: wizcase.com
