Internet FAQ · Speed
What is a good internet speed for gaming?
Playing online needs very little speed: the FCC lists 4 Mbps as the minimum download for online multiplayer and 3 Mbps for a console to connect.[1] What makes a connection good for gaming is low latency, or ping. Below 50 ms is considered excellent.[2] Buy the plan for the whole house, then pick the connection type for its ping.
What to look at, in order:
- Ping. Fiber typically has the lowest and steadiest latency; cable and DSL come next, and satellite is usually highest because the signal travels much farther.[2] Fixed wireless and 5G home internet vary by address.
- Stability. Congestion in the evening, distant game servers and old routers all add delay.[2] Plug the console or PC into the router with an Ethernet cable; it is steadier and lower latency than Wi-Fi.[2]
- Speed for everyone else. Gaming itself uses less bandwidth than one 4K stream, which needs 25 Mbps.[1][3] Add up the streams and calls that run while you play.
- Downloads. Speed matters most for game installs: a 100 GB game takes roughly 13 minutes at 1 Gbps and roughly 45 minutes at 300 Mbps at full rate.[3]
For most gaming homes, a 300 Mbps plan on fiber or cable covers play, streams and downloads, and the money is better spent on a wired connection and a current router than on a faster tier.[3]
Answer a few questions in our internet speed calculator to size the plan for your whole household. If you live outside town, read the best internet for gaming in rural areas, which compares wireless and satellite by latency and shows how to run an evening play test.
More internet questions
Sources
- FCC: Broadband Speed Guide. FCC, Broadband Speed Guide, accessed October 28, 2026. Minimums of 4 Mbps for online multiplayer, 3 Mbps for a console and 25 Mbps for 4K video, one activity at a time. ↩
- AT&T: Understanding network latency and how to improve it. AT&T, Understanding network latency and how to improve it, accessed October 28, 2026. Ping below 50 ms as excellent for gaming, fiber's lower latency, causes of delay and the Ethernet advice. ↩
- AT&T: Mbps vs Gbps, Understanding the differences. AT&T, Mbps vs Gbps, accessed October 28, 2026. Gaming uses less bandwidth than 4K streaming; 300 Mbps as enough for most homes; theoretical download times for a 100 GB game. ↩
Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Editorial policy