Ping, jitter and packet loss: what's the difference?

When a game "lags", the cause is usually one of three things: ping, jitter or packet loss. Knowing which number is bad tells you where to look.

Ping: how long the round trip takes

Ping is the time a packet takes to reach the server and come back, in milliseconds (ms). High ping makes everything arrive late: your shot lands on your screen, and the server registers it a beat later.

Jitter: how much ping moves around

Jitter is the difference between one ping and the next. A steady 60 ms is often easier to play on than ping that swings between 30 and 90 ms, because neither the game nor your hands can adjust to a delay that keeps changing. High jitter tends to feel like stuttering movement or inconsistent hit registration.

Packet loss: data that never arrives

Packet loss is the share of packets dropped along the way. Games want the newest data, so lost packets usually aren't resent, and you see enemies teleport or shots that do nothing. Short bursts of loss can feel worse than high ping.

Which number to check

• Everything is late, but evenly: usually high ping, common when the server is far away.
• Smooth one moment, choppy the next: check jitter.
• Enemies teleport, shots don't count: check packet loss.

How to measure

Measure while you play, at the hours you usually play. A connection in the morning can be very different from the same connection at evening peak. The Windows ping command uses ICMP while games usually use UDP, so treat its result as a rough guide. The numbers shown in the game are closer to what you actually get.

If the numbers are bad on Wi-Fi, try a network cable first: it is the simplest fix and often the most useful one for jitter and packet loss at home.