How To Fix Overwatch Packet Loss, Lag Spikes & Rubberbanding
Annoying throttles and packet loss are connected to your ISP
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Key notes
- Overwatch is a vividly-colored intense team-based first-person shooter developed by Blizzard and Iron Galaxy.
- You get to join a 6-player team and tear your way through your enemies, and that can become laggy.
- By far, the most annoying issue you can encounter in Overwatch is packet loss.
- It seems to occur randomly and it seems that there's no immediate fix for it, but it's better to look for a long-term solution.
Overwatch is a vividly-colored intense team-based first-person shooter developed by Blizzard and Iron Galaxy. You get to join a 6-player team and tear your way through your enemies.
Each hero has its own special power and you can make use of it to defeat your opponents. Alongside using firepower such as pistols, cannons, rocket hammers, particle cannons, and such.
Bottom line is Overwatch can be quite enjoyable if you have the hardware. However, sometimes you might experience certain issues that could make your game experience downright awful.
By far, the most annoying one is packet loss. The fact that it seems to occur randomly and that there’s no immediate fix for it can definitely ruin your session.
Why do I keep getting Overwatch packet loss?
There’s no precise answer to this question, really. There are a lot of reasons why you might experience packet loss in Overwatch. One thing is certain, though: network congestion seems to be the common denominator for every packet loss scenario.
If that’s the case, then solving the issue would be quite simple: avoid peak hours. Or, if the congestion occurs on your ISP’s side, you could just use a VPN.
But truth be told, unless you run a packet loss test, there’s no way to identify the leak’s location.
Why is Overwatch lagging so badly?
Overwatch lag caused by hardware issues can be difficult to diagnose because they all revolve around the same premise. Your PC is incapable of producing a high framerate, thus you can set the best FPS settings for Windows 11 to change the tides.
The cause of this can range from as simple as your computer system not meeting the game’s system requirements to having too many applications running in the background and causing unnecessary stress.
When it comes to Overwatch rubberbanding, it’s always the ISP throttling, and rebooting your PC doesn’t help. Rubberbanding is a bad internet connection that causes Overwatch ping packet loss and spikes in packet loss, resulting in slow internet in Windows.
Turn on the ping visual indicator in the game to see what’s going on and why there’s constant packet loss. Overwatch 100 packet loss and permanent packet loss are also helped by port forwarding.
If anyone else on your network is using Spotify, it will consume all of your bandwidth for some reason, according to most players, resulting in packet loss only on Overwatch.
How do I fix Overwatch packet loss?
1. Use a VPN that bypasses ISP throttling
To fix Overwatch constant packet loss, you need to get access to other servers that are closer in range to your location. This can be done with a VPN that supports intensive gaming on your PC.
- Download ExpressVPN.
- Install it on your PC.
- Launch it and log into your account.
- Connect to the server. (Preferably the one ExpressVPN recommends.)
- Launch Overwatch.
- Check if the issue still persists after 2 hours of playing.
ExpressVPN is an excellent all-around VPN from Kape Technologies. You can use it to bypass various issues such as packet loss, network congestion, and even geoblocking.
When your ISP detects that you are streaming or gaming, it may decide to throttle your bandwidth. ISPs limit download speeds for bandwidth-intensive games to reduce network bandwidth usage.
As a result, the ISP can serve more internet users without increasing network capacity, resulting in a sluggish Overwatch experience.
ExpressVPN can help you avoid throttling because it prevents your ISP from determining where your traffic is coming from.
Aside from that, ExpressVPN can also help you keep your privacy safe, and secure your connection. More so, it can unblock geo-restricted websites and services so you can enjoy a censor-free Internet regardless of your location.
ExpressVPN
Connect to servers less crowded, and enjoy hassle-free Overwatch sessions with more stability.2. Troubleshoot your connection manually
- Use the guide below to run a packet loss test.
- Identify the location of the packet leak.
- Take any of the following actions, depending on where the packet loss occurs:
💻Check/replace/repair/update/upgrade any faulty component on your side (PC, router, cables).
📶Use a wired connection instead of wireless (if possible).
🌐Contact your ISP and inform them if there’s something wrong on their side.
🌐Ask your ISP to contact the network distribution company if the issue is on their side.
🎮Contact Blizzard and inform them of your findings if there’s something wrong server-side.
As you can see, it’s not exactly difficult to troubleshoot your connection manually. However, some of our suggestions’ success rate depends on your ISP’s/network company’s/Blizzard’s willingness to solve the problem.
How to check packet loss in Overwatch?
- Launch CMD with administrator rights
- Go to Blizzard’s traceroute guide page
- Select Overwatch from the dropdown menu
- Type pathping x.x.x.x in the CMD window (x.x.x.x = IP address of the server you chose)
- Wait for the test to complete
If you’re a bit tech-savvy, it’s quite simple to run a pathping test. If you follow the instructions above, you’ll get the results in no time and with minimum effort.
Once the Overwatch packet loss troubleshooting is completed, you’ll know whether you, your ISP is throttling or the Overwatch server leaks packets.
Remember that using a VPN is not a guaranteed fix, although it can improve packet loss if your ISP is throttling your bandwidth.
You can also visit our Gaming Hub if you want to discover more reviews, guides, and news.
Use a VPN if you suspect your ISP is throttling your connection. Try switching to a wired connection. Make sure your connection is in its top shape to reduce packet loss in Overwatch.
How do I reduce input lag in Overwatch?
Checking for packet loss in Overwatch is not necessarily complicated. Check out our guide on how to use pathping and you’ll be able to pull it off in no time.
The bottom line is even packet loss in Overwatch can be fixed. More often than not, it’s caused by network congestion and fixes itself without you even noticing it’s there.
Still, we highly recommend using a VPN for all the other reasons: improving ping, reducing jitter, improving your privacy, and securing your connection.
