Is Your Computer Lagging While Gaming? Your Server Might be to Blame

The gaming world is getting really crowded lately; with just over 3 billion self-identifying gamers in the world (half of which play on PCs) you’re never going to wait long to fill a multiplayer lobby. It’s a huge problem, then, if you’ve been looking forward to cooperative gaming only to have the experience spoiled by lag. However, did you know that lag can still affect you even if you have the most high-tech computer available?

Your computer lagging during an online game may not be your rig’s fault. Keep reading to find out how servers can cause lag and how to choose a server to avoid this problem.

Factors That Cause Server Lag

The first factor that may bring server lag into your life is playing on a server that is physically very far away from you. Data is transferred in the form of electric impulses or electromagnetic waves, both of which take a little time to deliver the full set of instructions from one point to another. If the information also has to travel from your country’s infrastructure to less sophisticated infrastructure, you may also experience lag.

Secondly, if the network you’re gaming on has too many nodes or connection points, you could also experience slow gaming speed. Each point the information passes through adds some more latency and degrades the quality of your signal.

Overcrowding on the host server can also cause everyone to experience lag. This can happen if the server’s connection doesn’t have high enough bandwidth or if the server has inadequate RAM.

Is Your Server or Your Computer Lagging

It’s quite a standard practice to check the system requirements before buying it, but many people don’t know that multiplayer games come with network requirements for their servers. If you’re experiencing slow gaming speed, it’s always good to see if it isn’t computer lag. Check to see if your PC meets the game’s minimum requirements.

If you know it’s not a slow computer issue, then you can troubleshoot what sort of server lag you may be experiencing. Maybe the server you’re trying to access is too far away, try logging onto a server close to you. If it is close, reach out to the host to see if the bandwidth matches the requirements or if they have enough RAM.

Solving Server Lag Issues

If you’ve determined that server issues are causing the lag, you have two options. Playing multiplayer the old-fashioned way in a LAN or peer-to-peer setup allows you and your friends to choose the host with the strongest PC.

However, many modern games approach multiplayer modes in a newer way. If you have to play on a server, you can look online to find a server hosting service. One such example would be Minecraft and Satisfactory server hosting on AleForge, where you pay a monthly subscription per Gb of bandwidth.

Solve Your Tech Crises Today

Even the gamer with the most powerful PC can experience lag. Inadequate servers can disturb your game and make it feel like a computer lagging. Knowing what to look out for and then choosing the right server can help mitigate this problem.

Check out the rest of our tech articles to find more useful tips, and also information on topics from AI to modern tech trends.