Valorant network latency guide: How to get a lower ping in the shooter?

One of the most important elements for players to conquer a competitive shooter like Valorant is network latency. While skills matter the most, winning gunfights in Valorant with a high internet ping is extremely cumbersome. Latency is a feature that can heavily twist outcomes in online multiplayer games, letting players with low ping take the cake in most situations.

Valorant is Riot's tactical first-person shooter, which features an intriguing mixture of mechanics from Counter-Strike and Overwatch. It is a heavily competitive video game experience, exposing players to unpredictable situations. Most importantly, the competitive nature favors players with better hardware and low internet ping.

Fortunately, there are a few ways players can ensure they prevent their internet ping from spiking while playing Valorant.

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A guide to enjoying low internet ping in Valorant

First and foremost, players should subscribe to an internet plan suitable for gaming. Competitive gaming demands a lot of internet resources, especially if a player chooses to play at a high frame rate and graphics. Once this is ensured, follow the next steps in this guide to fix the network latency issues plaguing Valorant.

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1) Use an Ethernet over Wi-Fi

Direct internet connections are far better than wireless ones in terms of internet stability. Using a wireless internet connection or Wi-Fi can often result in an unstable internet ping, causing players to lose gunfights or sync in the middle of a round.

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2) Close resource-heavy background applications

Some common applications like Discord and Spotify can often affect the internet ping in Valorant if running in the background. Ensure to close all heavy applications to gain better control of the ping in the game.

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3) Make sure to choose the server closest to your location

Valorant offers more than one in-game server that players can choose to connect to. However, the server closest to the player's location will offer the lowest internet ping and, thus, the best experience.

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4) Restart the modem

Sometimes, a temporary glitch can cause the network's stability to go haywire. One can restart the modem and the router (if using one) to fix this. Pull the plug off the modem and wait a minute or two before restarting it.

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5) Update network drivers manually

To do so, type 'Device Manager' on the Windows search box and open the application. Locate the 'Network Adapters' section and find the adapter you're using for the connection. Right-click on it and select Update driver. If a dialog box appears, choose 'Search automatically for updated drivers.'

Once done, check for pending updates to the Windows OS and complete them, if any. Restart the PC after finishing up.

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6) Use a TCP Optimizer

Download the latest version of TCP Optimizer 4 from speedguide.net and install it. Once done, open it and slide the bar for Connection Speed all the way to the maximum value. Next, select your Network Adapter from the Network Adaption Selection dropdown list.

Following this, click on the Advanced Settings tab and then choose the Custom option (bottom of the dialog box) to fill in the custom values. Enter the values as mentioned in the picture below.

Settings for TCP Optimizer (Image via Sena Valorant)

Apply the changes once done and choose to create a backup for the default settings if something goes wrong.

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If none of the above seems to work for your situation, contact your Internet Service Provider for help on the matter. A server bug could also cause a temporary problem affecting everyone on the server. In that case, waiting for Riot to patch things up seems to be the only potential solution.