{
  "id": 7390443,
  "title": "Choosing a Game Server Location Based on Ping",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/choosing-a-game-server-location-based-on-ping",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-14T19:44:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/aeza__net/choosing-a-game-server-location-based-on-ping-3dhi"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Selecting the best game server location based on ping is not determined solely by distance, but by the networks used by the players who will connect to it. A nearby city might perform poorly if packets are routed through an overloaded interconnection. To accurately compare server locations, measurements must be taken from several networks, at different times of day, and during actual gameplay sessions, as service-level ping requests may not accurately reflect real game traffic.\n\nIt's essential to gather these measurements not just from your own network, but from players themselves across various cities and ISPs. They should run the same test multiple times to provide a comprehensive dataset. Comparing latency, jitter, and packet loss during different times of day can help evaluate the server's performance under varying conditions.\n\nThe players you choose for testing should represent different countries, cities, ISPs, and connection types, as these factors can impact network routes to the server. Each player's results should be recorded under a unique code, along with their city, ISP, and connection method. If one player's results significantly deviate from the rest, an additional wired test can help determine if the issue lies in their home network or the route itself.\n\nBefore conducting ping tests, define acceptable thresholds for latency, packet loss rate, and session disconnects, as these depend on the specific game and player expectations. The test VMs used for comparison should have matching CPU resources, network limits, game version, and firewall settings. This ensures that any observed latency is due to network factors rather than resource limitations on the test machine.\n\nWhen selecting candidate servers, the only difference between them should be their location. Use domain names, IP addresses, game ports, and access periods to create a test environment. Some providers offer a test IP that can be pinged before renting a location, but it's not sufficient to choose between nearby regions. Reach out to the provider's support to confirm if the address belongs to the appropriate site and whether it uses the same DDoS protection pathway as your future VM.\n\nOn the rented machine, conduct final measurements of ping, jitter, and packet loss. While low average ping might seem favorable, it's crucial to consider spikes and packet loss, as they can adversely affect gameplay. Test both IPv4 and IPv6 routes separately if both protocols are supported, as they may yield different results.\n\nTo collect comparable measurements, every participant should perform the same scenario for all candidate servers. A few five-minute test series during different times of day can provide initial insights. If results are close, further observation may be necessary. The provided Bash script automates the testing process using ping and MTR utilities. After running the script, the results and utility versions will be saved in a timestamped folder for analysis.",
  "summary": "Choosing a game server location based on ping is determined not by distance alone, but by the networks used by future players. A nearby city may perform worse if packets reach it through an overloaded interconnection between operators. A proper comparison requires several networks, different times of day, and a test gameplay session, because service-level ping requests may behave differently from…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}