When you’re playing a fast-paced and highly competitive shooter like VALORANT, having high ping can make for a miserable experience. It’s a common enough occurrence, and despite advancements in technology, players are still annoyingly bound by their internet speed when it comes to succeeding in multiplayer shooters. The VALORANT high ping issue is one that ends here though, as in this guide, we’ll show you how to fix high ping in VALORANT once and for all.
If you’ve ever found yourself asking, ‘Why is my ping so high in VALORANT’, then this guide is certainly for you. It’s time to eliminate those VALORANT ping issues once and for all, empowering yourself to plant the spike faster, hit those headshots more accurately, and move around the map with more fluidity.
Let’s not delay any further – it’s time to find out how to lower ping in VALORANT and eradicate these pesky issues.
Our best Killjoy is on the case (Image Credit: Riot Games)
Let’s start at the beginning – what are VALORANT ping issues and why are they so bad? Firstly, it’s important to understand what ping is in gaming and how it applies to multiplayer shooters. To put it simply, ping is the time it takes for your device to send a command (or ‘a packet’) to the game’s server, which in this case will be hosted by Riot Games. It typically takes microseconds, and that’s why ping is almost always displayed in ‘ms’.
With that bit of information in mind, it becomes clear how this situation can be a little complex. If you’ve got VALORANT high ping but your internet is fine, then it could be a problem with Riot Games, the connection between your ISP and Riot’s servers, or a bug in the game itself. It becomes quite difficult to troubleshoot, but fear not – with this guide, you’ll also certainly solve your VALORANT ping issues.
Like many other operators, Riot Games uses a network of ‘hubs’ around the world that players connect to when they play their game. This is where most VALORANT high ping problems surface, as living too far from one of these hubs will understandably produce higher ping. If that’s the crux of your concerns, then unfortunately, there is very little that you can do to improve the situation, especially if you live in a rural area.
So, we now understand that there are various elements that can unfortunately contribute to VALORANT’s high ping issues. Fortunately, there are things that you can do to learn how to lower ping in VALORANT, and lucky for you, we’re listing them here in full.
As one of the most basic features in network management, you can switch on Network Buffering and tweak the options available. It’s one of the easiest ways to target VALORANT high ping, and it essentially alters how ‘often’ your PC communicates with VALORANT’s servers. If you set it to the maximum level, there will be fewer packets sent between your device and the Riot Games servers, but this means that you’ll lose the edge against your opponents as they’ll be ‘moving faster’.
If you pair Network Buffering with more of the best VALORANT settings, you may be better off. Sadly, we can’t guarantee that this’ll fix VALORANT ping issues, but it’s a step in the right direction.
If that doesn’t work, then you can try changing your DNS server, opening up a firewall port through your router, or even updating your network adaptor driver. There are a few network-related things that should be the first boxes you’re ticking when it comes to learning how to lower ping in VALORANT. Ultimately, if you need more help with these elements, try raising a comment on the VALORANT Subreddit.
Even in 2023, players are still not thinking about the value of a LAN cable. They’re absolutely necessary for PC looking to get the best connection possible, and it’s one of the best things you can do to lower latency and eliminate VALORANT high ping issues.
There are plenty of issues with Wi-Fi connections, and even in this day and age, it’s essentially outdated technology in many ways. Even something like a slim wall can impact your Wi-Fi connection massively and send your VALORANT ping skyrocketing upwards. So, the solution is to connect a LAN cable between your PC and your router. If you’re not able to stretch a cable that far, then consider using something like powerline adapters, provided you’re in the same building as your router.
It’s one of the most foolproof ways to produce lower ping in VALORANT.
It’s important to prioritise VALORANT on your PC and close all background applications. If your PC is focusing on nothing but VALORANT, then you’ll immediately have a cleaner, more efficient experience. Most of the time, this will cause issues with your PC’s hardware, such as adding more load to your CPU or your GPU – or soaking up RAM – but it can sometimes impact your VALORANT ping.
For this set, you’ll want to open up your Task Manager and track down the VALORANT application. Then, right-click and set it as a ‘high priority program’ – this should make a visible change right off the bat.
It’s a more drastic solution and it’ll impact your wallet, but in an attempt to solve VALORANT high ping issues, it’s absolutely worthwhile. If you’re using a weak internet plan from your ISP, then there’s a clear path ahead, and it involves upgrading your plan. If you’re trying to play VALORANT on a shoddy 100 Mb connection, there’s really nobody to blame but yourself – provided you can get a better plan, that is.
These days, most serious gamers – including the best VALORANT pro players out there – will opt for a minimum connection of 500 Mb when gaming. For the most hardcore gamers, a connection of 1 Gb or more is often selected, but that really does depend on where you live and it’s usually reserved specifically for cities and built-up, centralised towns.
Image Credit: Riot Games
Can you get 0 ping in VALORANT?
No – but we hope that, with this guide, you’ll get that pesky ping as low as possible and see an improvement in your gameplay. It’s not possible to get 0 ms ping because there will always be some kind of delay between the packets sending to and from the server – that’s just science. It should be stressed that you could be playing on-site where the servers are maintained and you’d still have – at the minimum – 1 ms ping.
Hopefully, this walkthrough will have encouraged you to put in place an effective fix for your VALORANT high ping issues. If you tick every box that we’ve listed, there’s no reason why you should be suffering in VALORANT. But remember – it might not be you, and it could be that Riot Games is having a problem. Be sure to check status pages, trawl social media, and if all else fails, reach out to Riot Games’ support function.
Ping is essentially the amount of time it takes for your computer to send instructions to the game server. The longer the time taken, the more your game will be affected. That’s why so many players will be looking to reduce their ping in the game.
What is high ping?
In a word, yes! Delays in the time taken for your PC to respond can cause you to miss key plays and kills. Not only is this really frustrating for you but for the rest of the team too. Fixing ping problems should be a high priority before heading into the next game.
Does high ping really matter in VALORANT?
Luckily, most of the fixes for high ping can be tried for free. Fixes within your PC itself such as prioritising the game on your task manager are completely free. However, upgrading your internet package can certainly cost.
Can I fix high ping problems for free?
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