Why is my PS5 lagging with good internet?
As an avid PS5 gamer, I know how frustrating lag can be, even with super fast internet speeds. In this detailed guide aimed at my fellow gaming buddies, I’ll dig into the most common reasons for PS5 lag and provide troubleshooting tips to resolve them based on my first-hand experience.
Overview of why PS5 lags despite good WiFi
At a high level, there are a few key things that can cause a PS5 to lag or stutter despite having a high bandwidth and low latency internet connection:
Insufficient storage space – Modern games have huge file sizes and can overwhelm the PS5’s built-in SSD. This causes long load times and texture pop-ins that manifest as lag.
Software and connectivity issues – Problems with PS5 firmware, settings, DNS, caches can disrupt connectivity. Interference from other WiFi devices also plays a role.
Hardware problems – Faulty components like GPUs and RAM can fail to render graphics fast enough. Overheating due to clogged vents reduces performance substantially.
Network congestion – Activity from other connected devices eating up bandwidth makes consistent high throughput gaming difficult despite good internet speeds.
I’ll now expand on each of these issues in detail, providing stats and tips I’ve picked up from analyzing gaming forums and my own extensive troubleshooting efforts on two PS5s.
PS5 storage space limitations
According to Sony documentation, the PS5 comes with a 825 GB internal SSD of which only 667.2 GB is actually usable.
Figure 1: PS5 SSD storage breakdown. Credit: iGameResponsibly
Considering that blockbuster titles like Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War take up over 250 GB once fully installed, you can see why storage space quickly becomes an issue.
Once your SSD fills up past the recommended capacity levels, games start lagging as they contend for space to load textures, maps, player skins and other graphical elements. A clogged up SSD can‘t keep feeding the GPU fast enough to maintain high FPS counts needed for responsive controls. Long load times when waiting for levels also manifest as severe lag.
Expanding storage via the M.2 SSD slot or adding separate high speed USB drives can help mitigate these problems. So consider upgrading storage if your PS5 frequently displays error messages about insufficient space.
Software issues hampering PS5 connectivity
I discovered that despite paying for an ultra-low latency 350 Mbps internet connection, my PS5 downloads would slow to a crawl at night when my family watched Netflix. Some traceroutes showed ping times spiking to 800 ms!
After some hair pulling troubleshooting on forums and calls with my ISP technicians, I narrowed it down to an issue with the PS5 firmware. Sony acknowledged a bug affecting wireless throughput which they fixed recently.
Sure enough, updating to the latest version instantly resolved my high ping times. This experience demonstrated to me the massive impact software and connectivity issues can have on perceived lag.
Here are some other common culprits:
Outdated drivers like wifi cards, LAN controllers and GPU firmware frequently lower throughput for high bandwidth activities like gaming or 4K video streaming. Always keep these updated!
ISP-provided modem/routers often use generic firmware that isn’t optimized for low latency activities. I upgraded to a gaming router like the ASUS RT-AC86U which improved my speeds.
DNS issues that fail to route traffic efficiently cause latency spikes. Try switching from your ISPs DNS to alternatives like Google DNS or OpenDNS which are tuned for performance.
Interference from other WiFi devices
If you use WiFi for connecting your PS5, your wireless throughput can decrease drastically if someone starts streaming YouTube videos or downloading files on another computer or phone connected to the same network.
Figure 2: Interference from different WiFi bands degrading performance. Image credit: Ekahau
Gaming requires a minimum of 25 Mbps of consistent bandwidth, which is impossible if your son starts a 1 GB iOS update on his phone! This manifests as severe lag in-game.
To rule out interference, try gaming when no other devices are connected to WiFi. Or better yet, use a wired LAN connection instead of wireless whenever possible. Deactivating WiFi on nearby gadgets helps too.
If you prefer WiFi, configure QoS settings on your router to always prioritize your PS5’s traffic over other wireless devices. Gaming routers have presets that automatically do this.
Upgrading to faster internet speeds also provides some headroom to absorb performance hits from interference.
Hardware issues lowering FPS
When playing a graphics intensive PS5 game like God of War: Ragnarok, the system has to render complex 3D environments at upwards of 60 FPS to feel smooth.
This means components like the GPU, RAM and processors need to work in perfect harmony. A fault in even one component can completely bottleneck performance.
For example, one gamer reported FPS drops and choppy cutscenes despite having a 1 Gbps fiber connection. After trying everything, he eventually opened up his PS5 to discover a faulty APU processor which Sony then replaced.
Similarly, accumulated dust or debris in heat sinks and fans can cause thermal throttling where clock speeds decrease to prevent complete shutdown. But the temporary slowdowns show up as severe lag.
Checking hardware diagnostics in Settings can reveal warning signs of impending hardware failures. Always keep your PS5 ventilation optimal and use compressed air to clean vents every 2 months.
Network congestion hampering consistent speeds
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), during peak evening usage times, actual internet speeds can be 30% lower than advertised due to simultaneous usage across the neighborhood.
So you might be paying for 100 Mbps but only getting 70 Mbps downloads when your neighbor starts watching Netflix. This normal contention for bandwidth applies equally to gaming traffic.
When lots of players log on to game servers in the evenings, everyone shares the available connectivity capacity. So each person gets lower throughput which translates to lag.
Upgrading to business class internet plans with dedicated bandwidth guarantees can help mitigate this issue. Gaming specific plans from most ISPs also help by prioritizing your traffic first.
But often, congestion is unavoidable. Using a wired connection gives you the best shot at consistent speeds during peak times. Reducing graphical settings and closing other apps also helps thin out traffic.
Summary
As we’ve explored, there are quite a few reasons why your PS5 might lag intermittently or run slowly even with super fast internet. Storage limitations, software bugs, interference from other devices, failing hardware and network congestion during peak times all play a role.
Getting to the bottom of lag requires methodically ruling out each potential culprit based on diagnostic tests. Isolating traffic often reveals the actual bottleneck. Don’t immediately blame plain old internet speeds without investigating thoroughly!
With some targeted troubleshooting to address the actual root cause – be it a DNS change, firmware update or simply switching to wired ethernet – you can eliminate lag for good and enjoy buttery smooth Demon‘s Souls boss fights!
Let me know in the comments if this guide to tracking down PS5 lag helped resolve your issues. Share your fixes if I’ve missed something! We’re all in this together against spotty WiFi. Game on!
