Ping spikes are short jumps in latency — from, say, 30 ms to 200+ ms — that cause sudden lag, rubber-banding and lost fights. They're usually caused by Wi-Fi, something else using your connection, router bufferbloat or background apps. The fastest way to find the cause is to look at the pattern of the spikes.
Step 1: Watch the pattern
Open Command Prompt and run:
ping 192.168.1.1 -t
(Use your router's address.) In a second window, run ping 1.1.1.1 -t. Leave both running while you play for a few minutes.
| Pattern | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Spikes to the router too | Your home network: Wi-Fi or the PC |
| Router steady, 1.1.1.1 spikes | Your ISP connection or bufferbloat |
| Spikes at regular intervals | Something scheduled: scans, sync, updates |
| Spikes when someone else is online | Bufferbloat or bandwidth |
| Spikes in the evening only | ISP congestion |
| Only one game spikes | The route to that game's servers, or the server |
Common causes and fixes
Wi-Fi interference
Wi-Fi is the number one cause of spikes. Neighbouring networks, microwaves, walls and distance cause retransmissions, and each one shows up as a spike.
Fix: use Ethernet. If you can't, switch to 5 or 6 GHz and move closer to the router. See Ethernet vs Wi-Fi.
Background Wi-Fi scanning
On some Windows PCs, the Wi-Fi adapter periodically scans for other networks, especially when location services are on. That can cause a spike every minute or so.
Fix: use a cable, update the Wi-Fi driver, or turn off location services while gaming.
Other devices on your network
A phone uploading photos, a console downloading an update or a smart TV streaming in 4K can all cause spikes.
Fix: pause heavy traffic while you play, and enable QoS or SQM on your router.
Bufferbloat
If ping jumps when someone else uses the internet, your router is queueing too much data. This is called bufferbloat.
Fix: enable SQM. See what is bufferbloat.
Background apps on your PC
Cloud sync (OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox), game launchers updating, Windows Update, and browsers with video tabs.
Fix: close them or pause syncing while gaming. Check Task Manager → Performance → Resource Monitor → Network to see what's sending data.
Outdated network drivers
Fix: download the latest LAN or Wi-Fi driver from your motherboard or laptop maker.
ISP congestion
If spikes happen every evening and disappear late at night, the bottleneck is your ISP or the route.
Fix: send your ISP the times and a pathping output. If the route is the problem, a ping booster may avoid the congested link. See our list of ExitLag alternatives.
FPS drops that look like lag
Sometimes a "lag spike" is actually a frame-rate drop. Turn on the game's FPS counter. If FPS drops while ping stays flat, see how to fix lag in games.
Fixing ping spikes on console
- Connect with a cable or powerline adapter.
- Pause automatic downloads and uploads.
- Enable QoS on the router with the console as the top priority.
More: how to lower ping on PS5 and Xbox.
Checklist
- Ping router and 1.1.1.1 side by side to find the layer.
- Switch to Ethernet.
- Pause uploads and downloads everywhere.
- Enable SQM/QoS.
- Close background apps and update drivers.
- Report evening spikes to your ISP, or test a booster trial.
