10 Ways to Fix High Ping and Lagging Issues in Valorant

Are you tired of having high ping and lagging issues in Valorant? If so, you’re not alone. High ping and lagging issues can make it challenging to play Valorant. In fact, in some scenarios, they make the game downright unplayable. But don’t worry; there are various things you can do to fix high ping and lagging issues in Valorant.

In this article, we’ll look at proven ways to fix the issue. These tips are easy to follow and help improve your Valorant experience. So whether you’re a casual player or a competitive pro, read on to learn how to fix high ping and latency spikes in Valorant. But before that, let’s understand the reasons for the issue.

Why Is My Ping So High in Valorant

High ping in Valorant can be frustrating, but there are a few reasons behind it. One key factor is your distance from the game’s servers. The farther you are, the longer it takes for data to travel back and forth, resulting in higher ping.

Internet congestion can also play a role, especially during peak hours when many people use the same network.

If you’re on a wireless connection, interference or a weak signal might be causing delays in data transmission. Background downloads or streaming on the same network can eat up bandwidth and lead to higher ping as well.

Additionally, you might encounter high ping if you have unoptimized network connections, limited bandwidth, improper DNS settings, or outdated network drivers.

Now that you know what might be causing the issue, let’s fix it.

Fix Random Ping Spikes and Lagging Issues in Valorant

Here’re 10 ways to stop Valorant from lagging and get a better ping. Let’s start with the basic yet most effective fix.

1. Test Your Internet Connection

Since Valorant is an online game, you need a fast and stable connection to play properly. The first step to fixing high ping and latency spikes in Valorant is to test your internet connection. It’s recommended to have at least 20Mbps speed to play Valorant online.

You can use a speed test website to check your internet speed. If your internet speed is slow, you may experience high ping and latency spikes in Valorant. So, contact your internet provider to fix the issue or upgrade your plan.

2. Restart Your Router

If your internet connection is fast, the next step is to restart your router. This often fixes minor problems with your internet connection. To restart your router, unplug it from the power outlet and plug it back in after 30 seconds.

3. Switch Your Internet Connection

If restarting your router doesn’t fix the problem, try changing your internet connection. If you use Wi-Fi, try connecting to an ethernet cable instead. Ethernet cables are generally more stable than Wi-Fi and can help reduce ping and latency spikes.

On the other hand, if you’re already on a wired connection and are still getting latency spikes, your ethernet cable is old or damaged. You should invest in a good gaming ethernet cable for the best internet connectivity.

4. Close Any Unnecessary Applications

Applications that use high bandwidth, such as streaming services, can contribute to high ping and latency spikes in Valorant. Before playing Valorant, close any unnecessary applications that you are not using. You can do that with the help of the Windows Task Manager.

Step 1: Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys on your keyboard to launch the Windows Task Manager.

Step 2: Inside the Task Manager window, check for any applications that might use the internet heavily in the background.

Step 3: Simply right-click on an unwanted application and click on End task.

5. Update Your Network Driver

It’s also possible that your internet in itself is fast enough. However, a faulty driver prevents you from using it to its best ability. Outdated network drivers can cause problems with your internet connection. Ensure you have the latest network drivers installed. To update your internet drivers, follow these steps:

Step 1: Right-click on the Start button and select Device Manager.

Step 2: This will open up the Device Manager window. Click on Network Adapters to expand it.

You should now see the various network adapters connected to your system.

Step 3: Right-click on the adapter you use for Internet connectivity, such as Ethernet or Wireless. Then select Update driver.

Step 4: Choose ‘Search automatically for drivers’. Windows will now automatically search and update to the latest drivers.

Once the process is complete, reboot your PC and try to launch Valorant post that. Hopefully, your issue of Valorant lagging is now resolved.

6. Set Valorant to High Priority in Task Manager

Valorant can sometimes be affected by other applications running in the background. To give Valorant a higher priority, you can set it to high priority in Task Manager.

Step 1: First up, ensure Valorant is running in the background. Then, press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys on your keyboard to open Task Manager.

Step 2: Switch to the Details option from the sidebar. You should now get a list of all the various tasks running on your computer.

Step 3: Right-click on VALORANT-Win64-Shipping.exe and select ‘Set priority’. Then, click on High.

This will allocate more system resources to the game, thus, reducing your ping.

7. Flush DNS Cache

The DNS cache stores the IP addresses of websites you have recently visited. If the DNS cache is corrupt, it can cause problems with your internet connection. You can try flushing the existing DNS cache to see if it reduces the ping and latency inside Valorant. Here’s how to do it:

Note: The command to flush the DNS cache remain similar on PowerShell and Command Prompt. So, you can follow the below steps on either.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon and select Terminal (Admin) from the list.

Step 2: Select Yes when the User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears.

Step 3: Type the following command in the console and press Enter.

ipconfig /flushdns

Once done, you should see a message that reads, ‘Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache’. Try playing Valorant now to see if you have a better ping.

8. Change the DNS Server

While your ISP usually provides the default DNS, you can switch to a different DNS server. Changing to a faster DNS server can sometimes fix random ping spikes and lagging issues in Valorant. Consider using Google DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1).

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys to launch the Run dialog box. Once the Run window opens, type ncpa.cpl, and press Enter.

Step 2: In the Network Connections window, right-click on your internet connection and select Properties.

Step 3: Go to the Networking tab and click on the ‘Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)’ option to highlight it.

Step 4: Then, click on Properties.

Step 5: Select ‘Use the following DNS server addresses.’ In the text fields next to the Preferred DNS Server and the Alternate DNS Server, enter 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1, respectively.

Alternatively, you can also use 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, respectively.

Step 6: Once done, click on OK.

You can try playing Valorant now to see if that fixes random latency spikes in Valorant.

9. Use Cloudflare WARP

While 1.1.1.1 is Cloudflare’s DNS server, you can also use their WARP service for better results. Cloudflare WARP is a VPN service that can optimize your connection for gaming. It can help reduce ping and latency in Valorant. WARP routes your traffic through Cloudflare’s network, which can improve your connection to the Valorant servers.

Here’s how to set up and use WARP on your PC.

Step 1: Download Cloudflare WARP from the official website. Install it like any other software on your PC.

Download Cloudflare WARP

Step 2: Once the installation is done, launch WARP by clicking on its icon from the system tray.

Step 3: You should see a big toggle inside the WARP window. Enable the toggle to connect to Cloudflare’s WARP VPN.

Step 4: Wait till you get the Connected message inside the WARP window.

Now that you’re connected to Cloudflare’s WARP, try launching Valorant and see if you get a better ping.

10. Turn Off Wi-Fi Scanning

If you use Wi-Fi, try turning off Wi-Fi scanning to see if it improves your ping and latency in Valorant. Wi-Fi scanning can sometimes cause problems with your internet connection. While Windows offers a native way to do that, it’s not as effective. Instead, you can use Command Prompt or PowerShell to disable Wi-Fi scanning.

Note: We have used PowerShell for demonstration.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon and select Terminal (Admin) from the list.

Step 2: Select Yes when the User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears.

Step 3: Type the following command in the console and press Enter.

netsh wlan show settings

Step 4: You should now see various network settings. There should be a line stating, ‘Auto configuration logic is enabled on interface “Wireless Network Connection”.’ Here, ‘Wireless Network Connection’ is the name of your Wi-Fi connection. So, it can differ from user to user. Note down the name.

Step 5: Next, type the following command and press Enter. Replace ‘Wireless Network Connection’ with the connection name you noted earlier.

netsh wlan set autoconfig enabled=no interface="Wireless Network Connection"

You should now get a response stating ‘Auto configuration has been disabled on interface “Wireless Network Connection”.’

And that’s it. Your Windows PC will stay connected to the Wi-Fi network you’re already on but will not search for wireless networks in the background.

Note: If you wish to enable Wi-Fi scanning later, enter the below command and press Enter.

netsh wlan set autoconfig enabled=yes interface="Wireless Network Connection"

FAQs on High Ping and Lagging Issues in Valorant

Enjoy a Smooth Valorant Experience

So, there you have it! These are some of the best ways to fix high ping and lagging issues in Valorant. By following these strategies to tackle high ping and lag, you’ll be well-equipped to elevate your gameplay experience. Let us know which method did the job for you in the comments below.