Is 50 Mbps Good for Gaming Experience?
Internet connectivity comes with a diverse magnitude for everyday lifestyle. Whether it’s normal browsing, streaming content, social media platforms, or gaming- everything requires an internet connection.
However, one expects that the internet connection’s speed should be good enough so that you should not come across buffering. The speed of internet connectivity plays a vital role when playing games.
The speed should be within a reasonable range, such as 50 to 100 Mbps, for the decent performance of the internet.
Is 50 Mbps good for gaming? Well, the internet connection has two speeds: downloading and uploading speed. Here, 50 Mbps stands for the downloading speed.
Additionally, gaming requires a certain speed for uploading too. Generally, the uploading speed should be at least 5 Mbps. However, downloading speed can’t improve your gaming experience alone.
Other factors such as latency and the device you are using for gaming play a significant aspect. Let’s find out: Is 50 Mbps good for gaming?
What is 50 Mbps Speed Capable of?
In the age of internet speeds measured in gigabits, the 50 Mbps speed might sound small. However, the truth is that over 20 million people in the world can’t have internet speed exceeding 50 Mbps.
On the other hand, the internet connectivity is not that good around the nooks and corners of the world. Microsoft confirmed that more than 120 million people are accustomed to using the internet connection at speeds slower than 25 Mbps.
Therefore, 50 Mbps is a pretty standard speed of the internet, and most people can’t get higher speeds than 50 Mbps. Now, the question is, ‘Is 50 Mbps good for gaming?’
Before you get the answer regarding this, let’s visualise what you can accomplish with an internet speed of 50 Mbps.
You have to keep in mind that we are talking about the average speed a device can get. Here, you need to understand whether a device avails of a 50 Mbps internet speed alone or the entire home is getting a speed of 50 Mbps.
According to experts, an internet speed ranging from 5 to 25 Mbps for 1 to 2 people is enough for browsing, checking emails, streaming music, and HD videos. At the same time, the 25-50 Mbps internet speed can be used by 1 to 3 people for streaming music, HD, 4K video, and gaming. Additionally, it’s quite fine for work from home culture.
If you are looking for uses with 50-100 Mbps speed, they are perfect for working from home, heavy gaming, streaming 4K video, using home security devices and much more.
Your home can run a home office, gaming, streaming, and smart home devices when it can get an internet speed from 500 to 1000 Mbps.
A Detailed View
Telecommuting and distance learning features require a minimum of 25 Mbps per device. If two people are working from home or studying from home, then it will require a 50 Mbps speed. However, if you keep adding more network devices to your router, then 50 Mbps speed won’t be enough for two people. Still, 50 Mbps is a pretty standard internet connection speed, and you can do almost everything with limited devices.
If you have to increase the number of devices connected to your router, it’s important to plan your bandwidth use. On the other hand, if anyone plays a bandwidth-consuming game, then others will have difficulty with internet speed. Especially when all of them try internet speed demanding activities.
What are the Minimum Speed Requirements for Different Gaming Platforms?
Different gaming platforms are built and designed a bit differently. That’s why it’s important to learn what they demand to provide you with a stable gaming experience. For example, Nintendo Switch requires a minimum download speed of 3 Mbps and an upload speed of 1 Mbps. The manufacturer hasn’t clarified anything about the maximum latency the platform can handle.
In addition, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 demand 2 Mbps download speed, and 2 Mbps upload speed at least. If you use Xbox 2, you need to avail a download speed of 3 Mbps, and a 0.5 Mbps upload speed.
The latency should not exceed 150 ms for Xbox 2 devices. Therefore, it’s a big yes to your query: Is 50 Mbps good for gaming?
Steam is another popular gaming platform, and it demands only 1 Mbps download and upload speed. However, we think it’s better to follow a general rule for an uninterrupted gaming instance.
You should go for an internet connection that offers 5 Mbps or more download speed. Additionally, the upload speed should be over 3 Mbps. Most importantly, the latency should be within 50-100 ms and not more than that.
What are the Minimum Speed Requirements for Cloud Gaming?
Another thing that has completed a decade in the industry is cloud gaming. Cloud gaming is a bit different from traditional or normal gaming. You need not save or install cloud games on your device. If you are using a PC and that’s not a so-called gaming one, then cloud gaming is your destination.
Since you have to keep in constant touch with the gaming server, you need a higher gaming speed than traditional gaming. The same is true for the upload speed requirements.
A few famous platforms for cloud gaming are Vortex, Google Stadia, Amazon Luna, GeForce Now, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
For example, Google Stadia requires over 10, 30, and 45 Mbps when you have to stream games at 720p, 1080p, and 4K resolution. Vortex demands a minimum download speed of 10 Mbps and 25 Mbps, respectively, for 720p and 1080p streaming.
How Can You Improve Internet Speed at Your Home?
If you love gaming, you should keep an internet speed of 50 Mbps. Additionally, you have to think if it’s enough when more people and devices are connecting to the same router. Check out what devices you have connected to the home wireless network and what everybody’s doing with the internet. Thus, you can plan a suitable internet connection and demand it from your ISP.
Is 50 Mbps good for gaming? We recommend you look after latency, jitter, packet loss, and other parameters, as well. Contact your ISP and clear your doubts regarding your home network. You should go for fibre instead of DSL or cable connection if possible.
