Why is my game laggy?
"Lag" is three different problems that feel alike. Find yours first.
| What you notice | Probably | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Everything is slow, the picture stutters, even in a game against nobody | your computer | Your computer |
| Your orders happen a moment after you click, units jump | the connection | Your connection |
| Everybody in the game has it, at the same time | the server | The server |
How an online game works
In an online match the server runs the game. Your computer sends your orders (move, attack, build) and shows what the server sends back. The server steps the game 30 times a second and sends each player a new picture 10 times a second, with only what that player can see. Your own game window draws that picture smoothly in between.
So there is always a small delay: your click travels to the server, the server applies it on its next step, the next picture travels back. On a good connection to a nearby server that is a tenth of a second or less, which feels instant. The official server is in Germany. From far away the travel time grows, and nothing you change on your computer can make light faster.
Your computer
If the frame rate is low (the number at the top right, F3 hides it), the problem is not the network. Close other programs, lower the settings, and check the settings page. A game that draws slowly also looks laggy because your orders are shown late.
Your connection
- Use a cable if you can. Wi-Fi adds delay that jumps around, which feels worse than a steady higher delay.
- Pause downloads and streams on your network, yours and your family's. A big download fills the line and every game packet waits behind it. This is the most common cause.
- Restart the router if it has not been for weeks.
- A VPN or a proxy adds a detour. Try without it.
- Mobile data and public Wi-Fi lose packets more than home lines.
- Distance. If the delay is steady but high, you are far from the server. Nothing fixes this except a server closer to you.
Packet loss makes things jump: the picture arrives late and the units snap to where they are. The server sends a complete picture every five seconds, so a lost update heals by itself within a few seconds.
What the game does for you: a connection that stays silent for five minutes is closed; one that breaks can be taken up again with the same name, see You can always come back.
The server
If everyone has lag at once, it is the server or the route to it. The Server status page shows whether the service is up and how many players are on the official server. It is a small machine shared with other things, so a heavy moment can slow it. Wait a few minutes. If it does not pass, tell us in the chat.
A server also protects itself: a player whose connection falls too far behind (the server keeps a short queue per player) is disconnected instead of slowing everybody. If this happens to you often, your connection cannot keep up with the picture; try a cable, or ask the server owner to lower the data limit per player.
What the game cannot do yet
The game window does not show a "ping" number or a connection-quality icon yet; it is on the list. Until then, the frame rate and how quickly a click is answered are your gauges. Faster transports (QUIC over UDP, which copes better with packet loss) exist on the server side and are not used by the game window yet.
Still laggy?
Write down: when it happens, whether it is every game or only some, Wi-Fi or cable, and what the Server status page says at that moment. That is what is needed to find it.