Console players get the short end of the networking stick: you cannot install ping-reducing software, tweak network drivers, or run command-line diagnostics the way PC players can. But you absolutely can learn how to lower ping on PS5 and Xbox with the settings and hardware changes that actually matter on console — wired connections, DNS, NAT and port forwarding, router QoS, and server selection. None of them cost much, and together they routinely cut 20–60ms off a laggy connection.
This guide is console-only from start to finish. If you also play on PC, our guide on how to fix high ping in online games covers the desktop side.
In This Guide
- Why Your Console Ping Is High in the First Place
- How to Lower Ping on PS5: Switch to a Wired Connection
- How to Lower Ping on PS5 With Faster DNS Settings
- How to Lower Ping on PS5 and Xbox With Port Forwarding and NAT
- Use Router QoS to Prioritize Your Console
- Pick the Closest Server Region
- Xbox-Specific Tweaks That Cut Latency
- Stop Background Downloads and Uploads
- Do Gaming VPNs Lower Ping on Console?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why Your Console Ping Is High in the First Place
Ping is the round-trip time for a packet to travel from your console to the game server and back. On console, high ping usually comes from four places.
First, Wi-Fi. Wireless adds 5–30ms of overhead plus jitter — random latency spikes from interference, walls, and competing devices. A console on Wi-Fi in a busy household will never have stable ping.
Second, bad routing. Your ISP chooses the path your packets take to the game server, and ISPs often choose cheap paths, not fast ones. You cannot change this directly, but DNS, server selection, and sometimes your router can work around it.
Third, a strict NAT type. NAT Type 3 on PS5 (or Strict on Xbox) means your router is blocking the ports games use for peer connections. Matchmaking slows down, voice chat breaks, and some games route you through relay servers that add latency.
Fourth, congestion at home. Someone streaming 4K video or uploading files can spike your ping from 30ms to 150ms mid-match. Consoles have no built-in way to fight for bandwidth — your router has to do it.
Good targets: under 40ms for competitive shooters, under 60ms for most online games, 0% packet loss, and jitter under 10ms.
How to Lower Ping on PS5: Switch to a Wired Connection
This is the single biggest improvement you can make, and it is not close. A wired Ethernet connection at 100Mbps will outperform a 500Mbps Wi-Fi connection for gaming every time, because ping cares about stability, not bandwidth.
Run an Ethernet cable directly from your router to the console. Cat5e is fine; Cat6 is cheap and future-proof. On PS5, go to Settings, then Network, then Settings, then Set Up Internet Connection, and choose the wired LAN option. On Xbox, plug in the cable and go to Settings, then General, then Network Settings — it should detect the wired connection automatically.
Then test it. On PS5: Settings, then Network, then Connection Status, then Test Internet Connection. On Xbox: Settings, then General, then Network Settings, then Test Network Connection, followed by Test Multiplayer Connection, which also shows packet loss.
If running a cable is genuinely impossible, the next-best option is a MoCA adapter, which sends the network signal over your home’s coaxial TV cables — far more stable than Wi-Fi. Powerline adapters (over electrical wiring) are a last resort: better than bad Wi-Fi, worse than everything else.
How to Lower Ping on PS5 With Faster DNS Settings
Your ISP’s default DNS servers are often slow, adding delay every time your console looks up a game server address. Switching to a fast public DNS takes two minutes and is free.
Use 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 (Google). Both are free and consistently benchmark faster than ISP defaults.
On PS5: go to Settings, then Network, then Settings, then Set Up Internet Connection. Select your connection, choose Advanced Settings, set DNS Settings to Manual, and enter the primary and secondary addresses. Leave everything else on automatic unless you know what you are doing.
On Xbox: go to Settings, then General, then Network Settings, then Advanced Settings, then DNS Settings, choose Manual, and enter the same addresses.
Be honest about what this does: faster DNS will not lower your ping to the game server itself, but it speeds up connection setup, matchmaking lookups, and store loading — and on some ISPs it noticeably improves connection stability.
How to Lower Ping on PS5 and Xbox With Port Forwarding and NAT
NAT type is the console networking setting most people ignore and should not. On PS5 you want NAT Type 1 or 2; Type 3 means blocked ports and relayed connections. On Xbox you want NAT Type Open; Strict causes the same problems.
Step 1: give your console a static IP. The easiest way is a DHCP reservation in your router: log into your router (usually at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 in a browser), find the DHCP or LAN settings, and reserve an address for your console’s MAC address. You can find the MAC address on PS5 under Settings, then Network, then Connection Status, and on Xbox under Settings, then General, then Network Settings, then Advanced Settings.
Step 2: enable UPnP first. In your router settings, look for UPnP and turn it on. For many people this alone opens the NAT type with no further work. Restart the console and re-run the network test.
Step 3: forward ports manually if UPnP is not enough. In the router’s port forwarding section, forward these to your console’s static IP:
- PS5: TCP 80, 443; UDP 3478, 3479, 3480
- Xbox: TCP and UDP 3074; UDP 88, 500, 3544, 4500; TCP 53, 80
After forwarding, restart the router and the console, then test again. If your NAT type is still strict, your ISP may be using CGNAT (carrier-grade NAT), which blocks port forwarding entirely — in that case call your ISP and ask for a public IP address, which sometimes costs a small monthly fee or is free on request.
Never put your console in the DMZ as a shortcut unless you understand the security trade-off. Proper port forwarding gives you the open NAT without exposing the console fully.
Use Router QoS to Prioritize Your Console
Quality of Service (QoS) tells your router which device gets first dibs on bandwidth when the network is congested. Without it, one person starting a 4K stream can ruin your match.
Log into your router admin panel and look for QoS, Traffic Management, Bandwidth Control, or Media Prioritization — the name varies by brand. Add your console (by its static IP or MAC address from the previous section) as the highest-priority device, or put gaming traffic in the top category.
Some routers let you prioritize by application or port instead. If yours does, prioritize UDP traffic on the gaming ports listed above. Save, and the router will now protect your gaming packets when someone else hogs the connection.
If your router is more than five years old and has no usable QoS, that is a legitimate reason to consider an upgrade — but try everything else in this guide first, because most high ping is fixed before hardware enters the picture.
Pick the Closest Server Region
This one is embarrassingly simple and people still get it wrong. In every online game, open the settings and check which server region or data center you are connected to. Pick the one physically closest to you with the lowest displayed ping.
Many games default to “Auto,” which is not always right — auto-selection can stick you on a distant server after a patch or when the local one is full. Manually choosing your region takes ten seconds and can cut 50ms or more if you were on the wrong continent.
Also play at the right times when you can. Ping to a server rises during peak evening hours when both your ISP and the game servers are loaded. This is not always controllable, but knowing it explains why your ping is fine at noon and terrible at 9 PM.
Xbox-Specific Tweaks That Cut Latency
A few settings matter specifically on Xbox.
Check detailed network statistics. Go to Settings, then General, then Network Settings, then Test Network Connection, then continue to detailed statistics. Note your ping, packet loss, and MTU. You want 0% packet loss. If MTU shows below 1400, something between you and your ISP is fragmenting packets — try a different cable or call your ISP.
Clear the alternate MAC address. Under Network Settings, then Advanced Settings, then Alternate MAC Address, choose Clear and restart. This forces a fresh network handshake and fixes a surprising number of “my Xbox was fine yesterday” cases.
Manage power mode. Under Settings, then General, then Power Options, note that background downloads behave differently by mode. For the lowest-latency gaming sessions, make sure nothing is downloading in the queue — press the Xbox button, open My Games & Apps, then Manage, then Queue, and pause everything before competitive play.
120Hz output. If your TV supports it, set Settings, then General, then TV & Display Options, then Refresh Rate to 120Hz. This does not lower network ping, but it cuts display latency, which makes the game feel more responsive — and on console, feel is half the battle.
Stop Background Downloads and Uploads
Consoles love downloading things quietly: game updates, system updates, cloud saves, capture uploads. Every one of them competes with your game for bandwidth and CPU.
On PS5, downloads in rest mode are controlled under Settings, then System, then Power Saving, then Features Available in Rest Mode. Before an important session, check Settings, then Network, and make sure nothing is actively downloading — the Downloads/Uploads section in the control center shows current activity.
On Xbox, open the guide, go to My Games & Apps, then Manage, then Queue, and pause all downloads and updates before you play. Also check that cloud save syncing is not running mid-match.
This applies to the rest of the household too. If someone starts a big download on their laptop mid-game, your ping will spike no matter what settings you changed. QoS from the earlier section is the real fix for that; pausing your own downloads is the free one.
Do Gaming VPNs Lower Ping on Console?
Short answer: usually not, and sometimes they make it worse. A VPN encrypts your traffic and routes it through an extra server, which normally adds 10–40ms.
There is one exception: if your ISP throttles gaming traffic or routes you terribly to a specific game server, routing around them can help. But consoles cannot run VPN apps directly — you would need to run the VPN on your router, which adds complexity and usually latency.
Gamer-focused routing services exist that work at the router level on some gaming routers, and they help in the specific case of bad ISP routing. But they are paid services — check current pricing before committing — and they only help when routing is actually your problem. For most console players, the free fixes in this guide deliver bigger gains.
If someone promises a magic ping-reducing app for PS5 or Xbox, be skeptical. Consoles do not allow the low-level network access such software would need.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good ping for PS5 and Xbox?
Under 40ms is excellent for competitive shooters like Call of Duty or Apex Legends. Under 60ms is fine for most online games, including sports and battle royale titles. Anything consistently above 100ms will feel laggy, and above 150ms becomes hard to play competitively.
Does DNS really lower ping on console?
It lowers DNS lookup time, not game-server ping. You will notice faster matchmaking, quicker store loading, and sometimes more stable connections — but if your ping to the game server is 90ms, a DNS change will not make it 40ms. The wired connection and server selection steps matter far more.
Why is my NAT type strict even after port forwarding?
The most common reason is CGNAT: your ISP shares one public IP among many customers, which makes inbound port forwarding impossible from your router. Call your ISP and ask for a public (non-CGNAT) IP address. Some ISPs provide it free on request; others charge a small monthly fee.
Is Wi-Fi 6 good enough for console gaming?
Wi-Fi 6 is better than older Wi-Fi, but wired still wins for stability. A perfect Wi-Fi 6 setup can game acceptably, but one interfering neighbor network or a wall in the wrong place brings the jitter back. If you must use Wi-Fi, use the 5GHz band close to the router — and treat a cable as the eventual goal.
Will a new router lower my ping?
Only if the router is the bottleneck. A modern router with working QoS helps in busy households. But if your ping is high because of Wi-Fi, a distant server, or ISP routing, a new router changes nothing. Work through the free fixes first — they resolve most console ping problems.
Final Thoughts
You now know how to lower ping on PS5 and Xbox the way console networking actually works: wire the connection, fix DNS, open the NAT type, prioritize the console in QoS, pick the right server, and stop background downloads from stealing your bandwidth. Do them in that order, testing your connection after each step, and measure the improvement. At Techvera we recommend writing down your baseline ping before you start — seeing the number drop is the best proof the work was worth it.
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