Game monitoring:
Get rid of lag for good
Uncover the
causes of lag
Test for packet
loss and latency
Improve ping
times
Free game monitoring
with PRTG
Made for
computer buffs
Game monitoring with PRTG
Jump to the topic of your choice
- Overview: Ping, packet loss, monitoring
- Is your game lagging? Here are two of the most common causes
- Fixing lag: 5 quick and easy steps
- PRTG sensors to help you get rid of Fortnite and LoL lag
- PRTG: The right tool for you?
- Fortnite, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike: 3 examples of lag
- The team behind PRTG: Interested in joining us?
Overview: Ping, packet loss, monitoring
Ping time
A ping is used to measure the amount of time one of your data packets needs to travel to the server and back again. Ideally, your ping time will be 20 milliseconds or less. But even with a ping time of 60 milliseconds, you should be able to play your game without lag. Ping times of more than 150 milliseconds, however, can cause serious problems. In such cases, your screen can freeze and your connection can crash. Querying ping times is easy via the command line. Your mission: improve your ping time.
Packet loss
When an online game lags, data packets arrive too late or in the wrong order. This is referred to as packet loss, packet delay, or high latency. And it is always a source of stress. Especially if you have a powerful computer. When lag occurs, it’s time to get down to underlying causes.
Monitoring
A tool like PRTG continuously monitors your ping time, bandwidth, and computer, and notifies you via an alarm if something goes wrong. PRTG is a professional tool used mainly by system administrators. But if you’re tech savvy, you can also use it to solve your gaming problems. The basic version is free of charge.
Is your game lagging? Here are two of the most common causes
Slow internet connection
Fortnite, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike are too much for some lines to handle. Especially in the evening, when large numbers of players access the game. When lag occurs, you'll have to determine whether the problem lies with your system or with your provider. If your system is the culprit, you'll learn how to fix it here. If the problem lies with your provider, then it’s time to search for a more reliable service.
Overloaded hardware
Overloaded CPU, graphic cards, and memory: every computer has weak spots that can lead to delays and lag. Faulty or damaged routers, switches, or cables may also be causing the trouble. Go ahead and have a look at the system requirements imposed by Fortnite and other games on your hardware (operating system, processor, memory, and graphic card).
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Fixing lag:
5 quick and easy steps
Check your bandwidth
Are other programs or downloads running on your computer? Has your system been hit by malware? Is your family also online and consuming large quantities of bandwidth? Does lag always occur in the evening? If you notice a pattern, then you’ve already taken a big step to uncovering the problem.
LAN over WI-FI
Many gamers connect to the internet via Wi-Fi. But Wi-Fi is not nearly as stable as LAN. Check your room for an area where you can install a LAN cable and set up a connection. By switching to LAN, you’re likely to reduce your ping time significantly.
Reboot
It sounds simple, but this is often the first step taken by IT professionals. Reboot your machine and see what happens. If you’re in the middle of a game, this might be a hard pill to swallow. But if the game keeps lagging, why not press the reset button instead of staying frustrated for hours?
Verify the servers
Your game provider’s servers may also be overloaded (such as those of Fortnite). As a result, your ping and response times will be super high. In such a case, even the fastest computers are powerless. In the game’s settings, you can select the region of the servers. Sometimes switching continents helps.
Install updates
Are updates required for your game, operating system, internet box, or router? Missing updates can also cause your game to lag. Installing updates is therefore vital, even if it takes a lot of time. One way is to do it at night before you go to bed.
Keep a constant eye on your network – even while on the go
Set up PRTG in minutes and use it on almost any mobile device.
PRTG sensors to help you get rid of Fortnite and LoL lag
Monitor your internet connection
You can use our PRTG Ping v2 Sensor to check the availability of your computer. With our SNMP and Packet Sniffer sensors, you can analyze your traffic and determine which devices, applications, and users are consuming the most bandwidth. Do you suspect that your family is clogging the line by watching Netflix? Find out with PRTG. More on ping monitoring, SNMP monitoring, and packet sniffing.
Keep an eye on gaming computers
How to monitor CPU and memory usage in-game
Are your CPU, memory, and hard drives being used to capacity? For each of these components, PRTG comes with corresponding CPU sensors that run via WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation). When your computer reaches its capacity limits, a crash is quick to follow. With PRTG, you'll set your own threshold values and be promptly notified in the event that these are exceeded. As a result, you’ll see exactly where the problem lies.
More on WMI monitoring.
Monitor router traffic
The bottleneck might also be caused by the router. If you have a high-quality router, you can monitor your device with our SNMP sensors.
Try the full range of PRTG sensors
See our full list of PRTG sensors. For the first 30 days, you get unlimited access to all our sensors. After this time, you can continue to use 100 sensors for as long as you like. This is more than enough for a personal gaming environment. After 30 days, simply remove the unneeded sensors. You'll continue to benefit from the alarm, dashboard, and other PRTG features.
PRTG:
The right tool for you?
PRTG is the right tool for you if...
... you like to tinker with your PC and are interested in software and IT. You'll have lots of fun with PRTG and discover the advantages of a powerful monitoring tool. The free version of PRTG comes with all the software’s functions, including the automated alarm. Only the number of sensors is limited.
Otherwise...
... if you’re passionate about gaming but have no real interest in computers, then you’re better off not downloading PRTG - even if it’s free of charge. It takes time to understand and get comfortable with PRTG. PRTG is professional software used primarily by full-time system administrators.
Fortnite, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike: 3 examples of lag
Fortnite lag
Fortnite is best known for its game Battle Royale. In this game, up to 100 players can play alone, in pairs, or as a team. This of course puts great strain on bandwidth and computers – and leads to notorious Fortnite lag. Malfunctions and crashes are particularly annoying, for each member of the team plays an important role. Fortnite runs on Windows computers, Mac, PlayStation (PS), Xbox, and Nintendo, among others. System requirements: Windows 7 or higher, Dual-Core CPU, 4 GB RAM, 2 GB graphics card, 15 GB of available memory. Always double-check with the manufacturer as requirements may change. Fortnite constantly strives to improve performance.
Do away with
League of Legends lag
Although League of Legends (LoL) is much older than Fortnite, it too is subject to frequent lag. League of Legends comes with a "lag report,” a tool that compares your connection with that of other players in your area and shows you which network settings to use for the best results. LoL system requirements: 2 GHz CPU, 1 or 2 GB RAM (depending on the Windows system), 8 GB of hard disk space. Graphic cards must support Shader v 2.0. Always double-check with the manufacturer as requirements may change.
Counter-Strike lag
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (cs:go) also relies on a stable internet connection. Even the smallest delays can result in slower reaction times and squandered games. cs:go comes with “lag compensation.” You shouldn’t have trouble meeting the system requirements, which include 2 GB RAM and 7.6 GB of available hard disk space. Always double-check with the manufacturer as requirements may change.
Create innovative solutions with Paessler’s partners
Partnering with innovative vendors, Paessler unleashes synergies to create
new and additional benefits for joined customers.
With ScriptRunner, Paessler integrates a powerful event automation platform into PRTG Network Monitor.
ScriptRunner
The team behind PRTG: Interested in joining us?
PRTG is developed by an international team of software engineers and network monitoring specialists. Our headquarters are located in Nuremberg in the heart of Germany. Hoping to land a job in the software field? Learn more about our company here! We’re always looking for new workers to join our team.
PRTG: The multi-tool for sysadmins
Adapt PRTG individually and dynamically to your needs and rely on a strong API:- HTTP API: Access monitoring data and manipulate monitoring objects via HTTP requests
- Custom sensors: Create your own PRTG sensors for customized monitoring
- Custom notifications: Create your own notifications and send action triggers to external systems
- REST Custom sensor: Monitor almost everything that provides data in XML or JSON format
Still not convinced?
More than 500,000 sysadmins love PRTG
Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier.
Still not convinced?
Monitor your entire IT infrastructure
Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network.
Try Paessler PRTG for free
Everyone has different monitoring needs. That’s why we let you try PRTG for free. Start now with your trial.
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PRTG |
Network Monitoring Software - Version 24.2.94.1400 (April 10th, 2024) |
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Hosting |
Download for Windows and cloud-based version PRTG Hosted Monitor available |
Languages |
English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese |
Pricing |
Up to 100 sensors for free (Price List) |
Unified Monitoring |
Network devices, bandwidth, servers, applications, virtual environments, remote systems, IoT, and more |
Supported Vendors & Applications |
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Combining the broad monitoring feature set of PRTG with IP Fabric’s automated network assurance creates a new level of network visibility and reliability.