You tried to hit a headshot, but the bullet didn’t even hit the body? There’s a high chance it is because of packet loss in the Valorant gameplay. Let’s solve it for your game!
Valorant is a multiplayer FPS game published and developed by Riot Games, and it is played over an online server provided by them. Due to these online servers, the game requires a stable connection between the host and the client-server. In this structure, the game server acts as a Host server, whereas the player machine acts as the client-server.
The game has dedicated servers in the world’s most renowned locations to cover most of the player base worldwide. These dedicated servers allow players to connect with friends from their region and compete. Moreover, this distributed structure helps network stability and performance over the internet.
The distributed structure allows the developers to have excessive control depending on the region to region. Though this structure allows better connectivity, the player must have a good internet connection and robust hardware. The internet connection influences the game’s outcomes critically.
The most prominent issues due to weak internet connections are high average ping, ping spikes, packet loss, disconnections, and much more. Moreover, these factors also affect the game’s performance on your machine, like frames drop and low client FPS. Thus, having a good and stable internet connection is a critical requirement for the game.
What is Packet Loss in Valorant❓
Packet loss is one of the prominent reasons for the performance drop due to the internet. Every time I play Valorant at a place with improper internet, the packet loss issue gets to me. The primary cause of packet loss is bullets failing to register on the enemy hit points.
Hit points are the various connection points on the character’s body, each with different damage. Hit points on the head cause more damage than the body hit points. During packet loss, the delay in the bullet impacts the missing packets, causing the registration issue.
Moreover, this packet loss causes lag and teleporting issues during crucial fights. This packet loss also affects the frames your GPU pushes for the game. Sometimes, this packet loss also causes the game to crash during the startup or mid-game. This is why I have created a habit of testing every internet connection with a Deathmatch to find out if packet loss is occurring.
What are the Reasons for Packet Loss❓
The reasons for packet loss depend on your machine, connection, and region. However, a few reasons are more prominent than others and are common across most issues reported. These reasons range from issues from the ISP side, hardware side, or software side. One or more reasons contribute to the packet loss on your machine and affect the gaming experience.
➡️ Issue from ISP
An issue from the Internet Service Provider includes improper wiring from the primary connection or the line coming into the router. It also needs better network coverage in your area or region.
➡️ An Issue with the Network Card
Network cards tend to deteriorate over a more extended period, and hence, there is potential for them to lose coverage capacity. This loss results in a poor network connection to your machine and packet loss.
➡️ An Issue with Ethernet cable
A broken or damaged ethernet cable is likely to be one of the reasons for the packet loss on a wired connection. It includes damages on the wire or the connector due to tangling-twisting or overheating on the connector/ wire.
➡️ Connection Overload
Connection Overload can cause packet loss due to heavy traffic on your connection. There are two reasons. Firstly, the sum of connections and data consuming capacity exceeds the data speed provided on your current plan. Secondly, your router cannot handle multiple devices because the number of connections on the router exceeds the recommended number.
➡️ Network Congestion
Network congestion is more likely to occur in urban areas or during peak hours. Depending on your city/state, these peak times may vary between 30 minutes to 3 hours. The reason behind network congestion is your ISP’s failure to accommodate services adequately. Your ISP may have likely exceeded the area’s connection or network limit.
➡️ Connection Interference
Connection Interference, also known as crosstalk, can impact packet loss, making playing games impossible. Due to this interference, you may experience packet loss between 20-80%. These interferences are caused by electrical wires around the internet wire, releasing electromagnetic waves that disrupt or degrade the internet connection.
➡️ Twisting in Cable (Fiber Optics)
Twisted cables can highly impact the network quality and speed. However, it’s more likely to occur in the fiber optics cable on your fiber connection. It has been one of the prominent causes of network degradation on multimode fiber optics cable.
➡️ Router Issue
Router can also affect the quality and performance of your network from the service point. It includes faulty or old routers that no longer support the required bandwidth. Moreover, it also includes issues due to the router being unable to support the new network drivers or not being updated for a long time.
Now, let’s take a look at the various fixes for packet loss in Valorant.
Internet Service Provider: Change/Repair
Internet Service Providers are liable for a good connection; hence, you should check your connection with them. If you are facing issues like packet loss while playing Valorant, request your ISP to check the service connection cable for any damage, network congestion, and the bandwidth provided on your connection.
If the issue persists, you should change your service provider. Moreover, always check with neighbors or reviews in your area while applying for a new connection.
Router Replacement
Router replacement is one probable solution for fixing the issue of packet loss. It might be due to the router being outdated or lacking the required speed. If an ISP provides the router, call them and ask for a replacement. If you are using a third-party router, consider the speed, bandwidth, and coverage required for your connection while buying a new one.
Network Card and Cable
If you use a wireless connection, try using a wired connection and vice-versa. Consider replacing the network card if the wired connection works fine and there’s no packet loss while playing Valorant. If there is packet loss with a wired connection, consider replacing the ethernet cable between your router and the machine. If the issues persist, consider either router replacement or changing ISP.
Cable Management
A lousy cable management with your setup can contribute to network degradation. To resolve this issue, check the internet cable running into your router or from router to machine. For the CAT5/ CAT6 cables, check the cable for any electrical cables overlapping or twisted around the network cable. For a fiber optic cable, check for any twists and turns in the cable and straighten the cable out. Removing these cable interference is likely to solve the issue permanently.
Conclusion
Valorant, being a multiplayer game, requires a good internet connection, and packet loss is one of the prominent issues due to a poor connection. Moreover, packet loss affects both the player’s and your machine’s performance. Packet loss contributes to failing to register bullets and results in losing most fights.
There can be numerous reasons for the packet, such as ISP issues, network cards and cables, router issues, or network congestion. Resolving these issues becomes critical for the best performance in the game. We have covered all solutions for all the significant reasons for packet loss. Let us know what worked for you, and follow us on our social media platforms for more updates.
In fact, a bad internet connection can also cause issues with the online chat in the game. So, make sure to check out our guide on how to fix the issue of Valorant voice chat not working!
