It’s happened: you’ve joined an awesome new game you found on Roblox, and you like what you see. Surprisingly good graphics, deep game mechanics, a high skill ceiling. This is what Roblox was made for! It’s a way for people to make the games of their dreams.
But then, you can’t hit your shots. You check your ping, and wow. That looks high. What gives? Well, I’m here to tell you. I’ve been playing online games for a long, long time, and I’ve got some tips that might help you lower that ping so you can get back to exploring the worlds of Roblox.
Quick Tip: Did you know that in some circ*mstances, a VPN can help you lower your ping while you’re gaming? Connect to a VPN server that’s close to your game server to get a smoother, more direct connection and reduce lag.
What Causes High Ping in Roblox?
Distance to the Server
Your physical distance from the game server or data center affects how long it takes data to get there and back. The longer the distance, the higher the ping.
Your Home Network
If your home network isn’t optimized or set up right, that can cause lag for sure. Also, the more people using the same network, the more likely it is to affect your game.
Clogged External Networks
Sometimes, it’s not even you. There might be tons of networks in between you and the game server, and those networks might end up congested, or overloaded. When this happens, it can really raise your ping.
Software Errors
Buggy and out-of-date software on your PC or console can cause lag sometimes. It’s not usually the issue, but it’s always something you should check on.
Bad Game Netcode
Yes, the game itself can sometimes launch with netcode that isn’t optimized like it should be. This is as true of Roblox games as any other titles. Most of the games are made by beginners, so… it can happen.
ISP Issues
Sometimes the issues stem from your ISP itself. A lot of Internet Service Providers are pretty decent, and shouldn’t give you too much trouble. But sometimes there are bugs with your setup, or maybe you just contracted with one of the less good providers.
How to Fix Lag in Roblox: 7 Possible Fixes
Here are some easy solutions you can try.
1. Use a Wired Connection and Double-Check Your Internet Usage
The first thing you should do is make sure that you’re connected to the internet by an ethernet cable to your router. Even good Wi-Fi can cause lag. Hardware connections are almost always better.
Secondly, check to make sure you’re not downloading any big files, or that you don’t have five other people watching Netflix on five separate devices in the house. That sort of thing is not conducive to smooth gaming.
2. Update Your Software
I cannot stress this enough: update your software. Update your OS, update your games, update all the apps you have running in the background. Heck, log in to your router or modem’s admin page, and make sure that’s up to date, too.
3. Use a VPN
By connecting to a VPN server that’s close to your game’s server (or your closest Roblox data center), you can create a more direct connection to the game, which can actually lower your ping.
This shouldn’t, in an ideal world, be necessary. However, all kinds of things can go wrong before the signal from your computer gets to the game server, as mentioned above. Besides, a VPN keeps your data safe by encrypting everything between your network and the VPN server. It also hides your IP address, which can help you dodge DDoS attacks.
Note: Finding out which city to connect to will take some trial and error. Roblox has taken considerable pains to obscure their server locations and IP addresses, and there is no up-to-date list of either. If you’re in the US, for example, try switching between major data center locations like New York or Dallas. CyberGhost VPN has multiple server locations across the US.
4. Turn It Off and On Again
I’m not joking. Literally every computing device collects “cruft” during regular use. Junk files, random bits of data that get stuck in the RAM, and other things that can affect both processing speed and network latency.
Full reboots of your gaming devices and/or router can do a lot to help.
5. Try a Different Game or Game Server
Roblox’s games and game servers are a bit… all over the place. Not all games seem to be running on all the data centers, and this ties back into the physical distance thing. If one game is just too slow, try another.
6. Upgrade Your Router or Modem
This won’t always be an option, depending on your ISP, but a straight up networking hardware upgrade might, in some cases, solve your ping issues.
7. Change Your Internet Plan or ISP
Again, this won’t be an option for everyone, but upgrading your internet plan can sometimes help with lag issues. It really shouldn’t in most cases… but sometimes the way your ISP has their lower-tier plans configured can cause issues.
Failing that, see if there’s a better ISP in your area. Sometimes changing providers completely can make a big difference.
Lower Your Ping, Defeat Lag, and Get Back Into the Game
Fixing lag problems in Roblox isn’t overly complicated, though your mileage may vary, depending on your circ*mstances. Most of your options are either free or relatively cheap, and most of them are easy.
And you’d be surprised just how often turning things off and on again fixes everything, at least for a while.
But after you’ve tried all the free options, you can’t go wrong with a good Roblox VPN. CyberGhost VPN has an ultra-fast network with 10-Gbps servers in busy locations, so it’ll never slow you down. With server locations in 90+ countries, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to reduce your ping. Or at least play on a safer, more stable connection.
FAQ
Does Roblox work with a VPN?
Yes, it does! This is true both in the technical sense, and in the sense that Roblox’s Terms of Service don’t prohibit the use of VPNs at all. So long as you’re just using it to possibly lower your ping, keep yourself safe, and smooth out the “bumps” in your connection, using CyberGhost VPN to play on Roblox is perfectly fine.
Do note that if you’re caught using a VPN to contravene the Terms of Service in any way, then yes, you might get banned. Likely an account ban, too, so it’s best to just play nice.
Why is my ping so high in Roblox?
This can come down to one of any number of factors, or multiple factors at once. The biggest and most important factor is the distance from your home network to the game server. Physics is always our biggest limiting factor in every aspect of life, for some reason.
After that, potential problems include out-of-date software, problems with how your ISP configures its own servers, congested networks, using wireless internet instead of an ethernet cable, and so on.
You can connect to a CyberGhost VPN server that’s close to one of Roblox’s data centers to get a more direct connection. In some cases, this can help lower your ping. Try it out risk-free with our 45-day money-back guarantee.
Is 100ms a bad ping?
For any game that’s not turn-based, 100ms is… not great. You can kind of get away with it, in some titles, especially in games with favor-the-shooter netcode. Still, for anything with fast-paced gameplay, and especially anything that requires twitchy aiming, you want less.
However, this is an article about Roblox. There are plenty of games on the platform that are much more social than competitive in nature. In these games, 100ms ping is more of an annoyance than a deal breaker. It’s enough to party with your friends.
What is a good ping rate for Roblox?
For anything action and reflex-oriented, 80ms is acceptable, but the ideal is 50ms or below. 25ms will make you feel like there’s basically no difference between thought and action, but unless you live practically next door to the game server, you’re unlikely to achieve it.
How to lower ping in Roblox mobile?
Well, with a wired connection not being an option most of the time, lowering your ping on mobile comes down to pretty much every other tip on the list above. Try a gaming VPN, keep your software updated, restart the phone if you have to, or try a different game server.
Of course, one big factor is the actual quality of your wireless connection. Wi-Fi is usually better than using your cell carrier’s satellite. 5G Wi-Fi is better than 4G Wi-Fi, and so on. Also, Wi-Fi in a house where not much else is going on will be better than free Wi-Fi at a coffee shop, most of the time.
Why is my ping so high in Roblox if my internet is good?
Well, it’s important to remember that your internet connection is not the only factor. Between your computer and the game server lies a whole mess of cables, other servers, people with precariously-balanced coffee cups, and sometimes satellite signals.
Any one of these factors can potentially get in the way of your data getting to the game server and back in a timely manner. That’s why routing your traffic through a VPN server can often actually lower your ping: it can potentially create a more direct and efficient connection between you and the game.
