The world of today would be hard to imagine without the Internet. We use the Internet for different aspects of our lives: communication, work, entertainment, shopping, education, etc. So when we open our computer and connect to the world wide web, of course, we want the best possible experience while browsing. A reliable internet connection with good speed is crucial in making our day-to-day life easier and more productive.
When it comes to entertainment there is plenty of stuff we can do from watching our favorite shows through streaming services, listening to music or gaming. Quality internet connection will make those experiences easy and enjoyable, allowing you to stream in 4K, or download a large video game quickly. Internet Speed Required
Internet Speed Required for a Good Online Gaming Experience
In this table we can see a comparison of some of the larger games and the time needed to download them on a 1,000 Mbps VS a 50 Mbps connection:
| Software | Size | 50 Mbps | 1000 Mbps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 175GB | 13hrs 55 mins | 28 mins |
| Final Fantasy XIV | 107 GB | 8 hrs 30 mins | 17 mins |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops III | 74.2 GB | 5 hrs 54 mins | 12 mins |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 60 gb | 4 hrs 46 mins | 9 mins |
| Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare | 100 GB | 7hrs 57 mins | 16 mins |
| The Witcher 3 | 30 GB | 2 hrs 23 mins | 5 mins |
Best Download & Upload Speed for Gaming And Streaming
Gaming and streaming your games have become extremely popular in recent years with streaming services like Twitch exploding in popularity. The key to a successful stream is of course good internet speed, more precisely – upload speed. When streaming, a video from your device is sent (uploaded) to a particular server – as opposed to downloading content from somewhere.
Download Speed Guidelines
| Download Speed | What can you do |
|---|---|
| 5–40 Mbps |
|
| 40–100 Mbps |
|
| 500–1,000+ Mbps |
|
Upload Speed Guidelines
| Upload Speed | What can you do |
|---|---|
| 5–40 Mbps |
|
| 40–100 Mbps |
|
| 500–1,000+ Mbps |
|
Streaming
For live streaming minimum upload speed that is recommended is 10 Mbps. The recommendation is to try to have 10–15 Mbps more upload speed than the minimum requirement for the quality of video for the specific platform you are streaming on. Different platforms have different minimum speeds that are required for different resolutions. On Twitch for 1080p minimum required speed is 6 Mbps, while Youtube requires 3 Mbps.
Gaming
As for the best internet speed for gaming – a decent internet speed that will satisfy gamer needs is between 20-50 Mbps. However, if you want to speedily download large files or video games and experience gaming without any trouble, you’ll probably want at least 100 Mbps +. With higher speed – the experience will be better and smoother which is of course important for gamers, especially if there are multiple players and we are talking about big size games.
Download Speed and Upload Speed Explained
Let’s talk about different kinds of internet speed and what you should pay attention to when choosing your internet provider.
Download speed represents the speed at which information flows from different servers to your smart device – computer, laptop, cell phone, etc. When you open any website – your download speed will determine how long it will take for content to appear for you to see it.
Download bandwidth is crucial for browsing websites and social media, downloading files, and streaming music.
Upload speed is the reverse of that. It is the speed at which information flows from your device onto the server. For example, when we are uploading a picture on Instagram upload speed determines how fast will be uploaded and how quickly (or slow) it will appear on the feed. Upload speed is there when we use video conferencing, online gaming, social media, and sharing large files.
Best Download Speed and Upload Speed
Generally speaking, you would want to have as high as possible both download and upload speed, especially if you live with other people who use the internet simultaneously or regularly do high-bandwidth activities like streaming movies in 4K. In today’s world, you should have at least 100 Mbps download speed for your experience to be fast and smooth. For upload speed, it is recommended a minimum of 1.5Mbps. Gaming and streaming with this kind of speed will not be good enough though. A minimum of 20Mbps is highly recommended. The higher you go with speed – the better the experience.
Latency factors affecting your gaming experience
Latency
One of the biggest factors for a good gaming experience, besides fast internet speed, is latency. It basically represents the time it takes for a signal to travel from your computer to a server on the internet. We can look at it as the reaction time of your internet connection. Having high latency will cause delay in games or calls, more specifically in your reactions which is a determining factor in many games. The difference between actions gamers take and actions that are actually seen on screen should be as little as possible.
Ping rate
Another big factor is ping rate. Ping rate describes how quickly your device gets a response from your internet connection after sending a request. A low ping rate leads to low latency and this is exactly the situation you would need for a quality gaming experience.
Tips and tricks
For managing to keep your ping and latency lower you should have as fast Internet speed as possible. Also, try to not use Wi-fi as much. Instead, ethernet cable should be plugged into your router directly and you will enjoy a faster, more responsive connection with less delay.
The Best Internet Provider For Gaming
Internet providers Melita, with the 1,000 Mbps connection, offers the best experience for your gaming and streaming experience and qualifies as one of the best internet providers for gaming. Top speeds of 1,200 Mbps are available in selected locations around Malta. That’s over 48x more data than a 25 Mbps internet connection. Downloading a HD film will take about 30 seconds. 1,200 Mbps downloads a new game in minutes. When it comes to updates, we’re talking seconds to get you updated and back in the game. Low lag and high reliability puts you ahead of your opponents!
