Nickolas Anderson | November 30, 2021
What is a good internet speed for gaming?
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States that Produce the Most Successful Esports Players
Whether you’re battling it out in a multiplayer battle royale or working toward your next highlight in your favorite sports video game, if your internet speed isn’t fast enough, you’re in danger of a lagging connection ruining all your fun.
Generally, an internet connection with 25 Mbps is recommended for an adequate gaming experience, but depending on which game you’re playing and if other devices are also using your internet connection, you’ll probably need much higher speeds.
Fortunately, CenturyLink has several high-speed internet options. Before you decide which package suits your needs, brush up on the basics about speed and equipment needs for a quality gaming experience.
Recommended internet speed requirements across platforms
Each gaming system has its own speed requirements, but there are some generally accepted numbers for different consoles:
| Platform | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
| Xbox One Single Player | 15 – 25 Mbps | 4 Mbps |
| Playstation Single-player | 16 Mbps | 4 Mbps |
| PC | 15 – 25 Mbps | 5 Mbps |
| Online Multiplayer | 30+ Mbps | 5 Mbps |
In households where multiple devices share an internet connection, we recommend at least 25 Mbps or more to avoid lag while gaming and keep speeds high for each device.
Why fiber optic internet is the best option for online gaming
If higher internet speeds offer a better gaming experience, then it makes sense that the fastest available connection—fiber-optic internet— would be superior for online gaming. Fiber-optic internet can support multiple devices simultaneously and still run with virtually no lag.
Learn how to enhance your online gaming with CenturyLink Fiber Internet.
What is “ping” and how will it affect your online gaming?
Your connection’s ping rate, also known as latency, measures the time it takes data to travel from one computer to another in milliseconds—and the lower the number, the better. For online gaming, you will want a ping rate of around 20ms to 50ms for a good experience. Connections with ping rates from 50ms to 150ms may experience some lag on some multiplayer games, but less than 150ms is fine for single players.
Other factors that can affect your online gaming experience
Wireless or wired connection:
If you’re gaming on a wireless connection, you may experience slightly slower speeds or more interruptions than if you use an Ethernet cable to connect your console or PC directly to your internet modem. If a direct connection isn’t possible, be sure to optimize the location of your console or router.
Router:
No matter how much gaming you do, you need a router that can handle the required speed, and it should be located away from walls, concrete, and appliances to reduce signal interference. CenturyLink has a list of recommended routers to ensure the best possible performance with CenturyLink services.
Multiple devices on a single connection:
If too many devices are connected to your internet at the same time, it can slow your internet speeds and interrupt your gaming. To reduce lag, disconnect other devices that could be using up your internet bandwidth.
Find Your Perfect Network Fit
Since a poor internet connection isn’t compatible with good gaming, invest in an ISP that supports your quest to be the fastest driver, best shot, or whatever other gaming goals you have.
CenturyLink offers a variety of high speed internet options, as well as fiber-optic networks with speeds up to 940 Mbps in certain areas.
Fiber-optic speeds help eliminate most latency issues, but fiber connections aren’t yet available everywhere. Check CenturyLink’s website to find out if fiber connections are available in your area.
When you’re ready to start gaming, CenturyLink is there for you, helping you get the most out of each gaming session.
Resources:
- FCC.gov, “Broadband Speed Guide,” Accessed October 21, 2021
- NordVPN, “What is a good internet speed for gaming?,” Accessed October 21, 2021
- HighSpeedInternet, “How Much Speed Do I Need for Online Gaming?,” Accessed October 21, 2021
- CenturyLink.com, “CenturyLink compatible modems,” Accessed October 21, 2021
Where are the Most Successful eSports Players From?
Although eSports isn’t a new concept—gaming tournaments started as far back as the early ’70s—it’s gained popularity over the past several decades across the world. Games like League of Legends have dominated the eSports world for some time, but first-person shooters like Halo and Counter-Strike continue to gain traction in competitive gaming. Today, there are over 227 million Americans playing video games, though not all of them are professional eSports players. Salaries, competition earnings, and sponsorships make eSports something that pays to play. With the U.S. taking the lead as the country with both the highest number of active eSports players and the country that earned the highest amount of eSports prize money in 2020 (at nearly $23 million), the GetCenturyLink team wanted to find out which states produce the most influential and successful eSports players.
Interesting Findings
- The Golden State Wins the Golden Star – While more than half the country has at least one successful eSport player hailing from their state, 23% of influential eSports players came from California, making it the state that produced the highest number of successful eSports players. Not only that, but California is home to the only two female eSports players on our list, Kat Gunn and Vanessa Arteaga.
- The Usual Suspects – The larger the population, the likelier a successful eSports player comes from your state. The Sunshine State of Florida, the Empire State of New York, and the Lone Star State of Texas all tied for second place with six successful eSports players each.
- Coast vs. Coast – From California up to Washington, every state on the west coast has at least one successful eSports player. Maine, Connecticut, and South Carolina are the only three states on the east coast that don’t have a successful eSports player. When it comes to numbers, the west coast is home to 26 influential eSports players, while 27 players call the east coast home.
- A League of Their Own – League of Legends is still the most popular game played by eSports players, with 24 players specializing in the game. Super Smash Bros. took second with 18 players booting up the Nintendo favorite fighting game. Some less played video games included sports classics like the NBA2K and FIFA franchises and the once-popular free-to-play shooter Fortnite.
Methodology
To determine which states produce the highest number of successful eSports players, we used a Wikipedia list that showcased the most influential eSports players to find the names of all 102 players from the United States. We then used Wikipedia, Google Search, and FamousBirthdays.com to learn where each player is from. Eighteen players had home states that could not be identified and were excluded from the final count.
