We've all been there. You're either playing a game online with others or on a call on Discord and the latency spikes. If you're encountering this more often than not, it's time to do something about it. Luckily, you have a few options, ranging from moving where you're currently stationed to swapping the wireless connection for wires. Here's a short list of ways you can improve the latency of your game or call.

5 Close software and other background tasks

A common cause of performance issues, be it lag or reduced frames is CPU time being dedicated to background tasks. This could consist of an anti-virus software running a quick scan, YouTube playing in a browser tab, or Steam downloading a game. I suggest giving your task manager a check to see if anything stands out once you've completely closed everything unrelated to your current foreground task. It's generally good practice to set your PC up for maximum performance.

4 Switch from wireless to wired

Wireless performance has come a long way over recent decades but it's still not quite there yet compared to wired connections. You simply cannot beat an Ethernet link ... yet. Should you be struggling with your router's wireless performance, it may be time to utilize one of the available LAN ports. Increased wireless latency could be caused by too much traffic on the network, too many clients connected on the same channels, or simply because you're in a different room and the wall is thick.

3 Move closer to your wireless router

Speaking of walls! Wireless signals do their very best to pass through physical objects, but they're not as powerful as the Death Star laser. Unfortunately, should you (literally) be hitting a brick wall your only option may be to move physically closer to the router. Try to be in the same room at least, or as close to the room it's in as possible. In our own router reviews, we test a variety of connection distances, from right next to the device, to a different room, and finally outside the building. The further you are, the weaker the signal.

2 Disconnect your VPN

Although I typically wouldn't recommend disconnecting your VPN, it can cause issues with gaming and calls whereby you're being routed through different servers and regions. By removing the middle-man, you'll have a cleaner connection to the end server, which should reduce latency. Just remember to re-enable the VPN once you're finished. If possible, try switching servers on your VPN to see if this makes a difference, one closer to your location or the location of the destination.

1 Select a different server

Like the VPN, you could always try a different in-game or video call server. Playing against people living halfway around the world will always have some degree of latency due to the distance and number of locations your data has to pass through. Switching to a server nearer to your physical location is a sure way to improve the latency. I found this to be especially true as a young lad playing too much RuneScape. We'd usually switch between US and UK servers and the ping difference was noticeable.

It could be outside of your control

Sometimes, it may not be you. Your geographical location and how far you are from the game or call server may affect the connection, especially if the networks in between are experiencing difficulties. Your internet connection type can also play a role here. If you're on older connections, you may experience higher latency than fiber links. Finally, your router may simply be on its way out, which would require a new one from the ISP or an aftermarket solution. I do recommend building your own, if possible.