Why is my ping so high?

The short answer

Ping is the time a round trip takes from your device to a server and back. It's usually high because of the distance to the server, Wi-Fi, a busy connection at home (bufferbloat), a VPN, or the type of connection you have; satellite is the slowest. Ping that's high only some of the time is usually fixable; ping that's always high may be your connection type or the server's distance.

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What counts as high?

Ping is measured in milliseconds (ms). Roughly:

Under 20 ms: excellent.
20–50 ms: good for almost everything, including competitive games.
50–100 ms: noticeable in fast games; fine for most other things.
Over 100 ms: sluggish for games and video calls.
500 ms or more: typical of geostationary satellite Internet.

The ping a game shows depends on where its server is. Our test measures your ping to a nearby server, which shows how much delay is in your own connection.

Always high, or only sometimes?

This is the most useful question.

High only sometimes, like when others are online, in the evening, or in certain rooms, means something is adding delay that can usually be fixed:

A busy connection (bufferbloat): when someone downloads, uploads or streams, your router queues data and everything waits. Ping can jump from 20 ms to several hundred.
Wi-Fi: interference and weak signal add delay and make it jumpy.

Always high, even late at night and on a cable, points to:

Distance: the server is far away. Choose a closer region in the game or app.
Your connection type: satellite, and some fixed-wireless and rural connections, have higher delay built in.
A VPN: it adds a detour to every connection.
Your provider's routing: sometimes traffic takes a long path. Share your results with your provider.

Find out what's adding the delay

Run our test with the speed test included. It measures your ping when your connection is quiet, then again while it's busy downloading and uploading, and tells you whether the delay comes from the connection itself or from it getting busy.

How to lower it

Use Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi for the device that matters.
Turn on Smart Queue Management (SQM) or QoS in your router if ping jumps when the connection is busy.
Turn off the VPN while gaming or on calls.
Pause downloads, updates and cloud backups on other devices.
Pick a closer server region in the game or app.
Restart your modem and router, and if ping is high even on a cable, share your results with your provider.

Questions people ask

Does faster Internet mean lower ping?

Not really. Speed and ping are different things. A faster plan helps ping only if your connection was completely full. Fixing Wi-Fi or bufferbloat helps far more.

Why is my ping high on Wi-Fi but fine on Ethernet?

Wi-Fi adds delay, especially with a weak signal or interference, and makes ping jumpy. Moving closer, using 5 GHz, or adding a mesh point can help, but a cable is the most reliable fix.

Why does my ping spike every few seconds?

Regular spikes often come from Wi-Fi (devices scanning for networks, or interference) or from background uploads. Test on a cable to see whether the spikes disappear.

Last updated October 17, 2026.