League of Legends High Ping Fix – 10 Solutions That Work (2026)

If your League of Legends ping is consistently above 80ms or spiking randomly during teamfights, something is wrong. Normal ping in LoL should be 20-60ms depending on your distance from the server. High ping makes the game feel unresponsive and can cost you fights you should have won. Here are 10 fixes that bring your ping down, tested as of February 2026.

Quick Fix

Three steps that fix high ping for most players:

1. Close every browser tab and background application. Chrome alone can use hundreds of megabytes of bandwidth.
2. If you are on Wi-Fi, switch to a wired Ethernet connection. Even a cheap $10 USB Ethernet adapter is better than Wi-Fi for LoL.
3. Open Command Prompt as Admin and run: ipconfig /flushdns then restart League.

What Causes High Ping in League of Legends?

High ping in LoL comes from three sources:

Your local network is congested. Other devices downloading, streaming, or updating on the same network eat into your available bandwidth. Even smart home devices constantly pinging servers can add latency.

Your ISP routing to Riot servers is inefficient. Your connection might take a longer path to reach the Riot Games server than necessary. This is common in certain regions and with certain ISPs.

Background applications are consuming bandwidth or CPU. Steam updating games, Windows downloading updates, Discord streaming video – all of these add latency.

Fix 1: Use a Wired Connection

Wi-Fi adds 5-30ms of latency compared to Ethernet, and it introduces packet loss that causes ping spikes during teamfights.

1. Connect your PC directly to your router using an Ethernet cable (Cat 5e or Cat 6).
2. Disable your Wi-Fi adapter: Open Settings, then Network, then Change adapter options. Right-click your Wi-Fi adapter and select Disable.
3. Restart League of Legends.

If your PC is too far from the router, use a Powerline adapter ($30-50). It sends internet through your home electrical wiring and typically provides 10-20ms lower ping than Wi-Fi.

Fix 2: Close Background Applications

Every application that uses the internet adds latency.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Go to the Network column and sort by highest usage.
3. Close anything that is using bandwidth: browsers, Steam, Discord (or switch Discord to text-only mode), game launchers, cloud sync services like OneDrive or Dropbox.
4. Check for Windows Update: Settings then Windows Update. Pause updates if one is downloading.

Common bandwidth culprits: Steam auto-updates, Windows Update, Google Drive sync, Spotify streaming, and OBS recording to cloud.

Fix 3: Flush DNS Cache

Stale DNS entries can slow down your connection to Riot servers.

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Run these commands in order:

• ipconfig /flushdns
• ipconfig /release
• ipconfig /renew
• netsh winsock reset

1. Restart your PC.
2. Launch League of Legends.

This clears your DNS cache and resets your network stack, forcing your PC to establish fresh connections to Riot servers.

Fix 4: Change DNS Servers

Your ISP default DNS might be slow at resolving Riot server addresses.

1. Open Settings then Network and Internet then Change adapter options.
2. Right-click your active network connection and select Properties.
3. Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
4. Select Use the following DNS server addresses.
5. Set: Preferred: 1.1.1.1 and Alternate: 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare DNS).
6. Click OK.

Cloudflare DNS is typically faster than Google DNS (8.8.8.8) for gaming because it has lower average resolution times.

Fix 5: Disable Nagle Algorithm

The Nagle algorithm bundles small network packets together to reduce overhead, but it adds latency to real-time games.

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, hit Enter.
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\
3. Click through each subfolder until you find the one containing your IP address (visible in the IPAddress or DhcpIPAddress value).
4. Right-click in the right panel, select New then DWORD (32-bit) Value.
5. Name it TcpAckFrequency and set value to 1.
6. Create another DWORD named TCPNoDelay and set value to 1.
7. Restart your PC.

This forces Windows to send network packets immediately instead of batching them. Players on r/leagueoflegends report 5-15ms improvements from this change alone.

Fix 6: Use the Hextech Repair Tool

Riot provides an official repair tool that fixes corrupted game files and network configuration.

1. Download the Hextech Repair Tool from Riot support (search: “Hextech Repair Tool League of Legends”).
2. Run the tool.
3. Select Force Repatch and Firewall and Network Operations.
4. Click Start and let it complete.
5. Relaunch League.

The tool resets League network settings, repairs corrupted files, and configures Windows Firewall rules automatically.

Fix 7: Change In-Game Server Region

Make sure you are playing on the correct server for your location.

1. Open the League of Legends client.
2. Go to Settings (gear icon).
3. Check your Server Region under the connection tab.

Optimal server regions by location: NA (North America) for US and Canada, EUW (EU West) for UK and Western Europe, EUNE (EU Nordic and East) for Eastern Europe, KR for South Korea.

If you are on the correct server and still have high ping, the issue is between your ISP and Riot servers, not your local setup.

Fix 8: Disable Windows Network Throttling

Windows throttles network traffic for non-system applications by default.

1. Open Registry Editor (Win + R, type regedit).
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile
3. Find NetworkThrottlingIndex and set its value to ffffffff (hexadecimal).
4. Restart your PC.

This removes the default 10-packet throttle that Windows applies to network traffic from games and other non-system applications.

Fix 9: Update Network Adapter Drivers

Outdated network drivers can cause intermittent ping spikes.

1. Press Win + X and select Device Manager.
2. Expand Network adapters.
3. Right-click your network adapter and select Update driver.
4. Choose Search automatically for drivers.
5. Restart your PC after updating.

For gaming-specific optimization, also check your adapter manufacturer website (Intel, Realtek, Killer) for the latest driver package.

Fix 10: Contact Your ISP About Routing

If none of the above fixes work and your ping is consistently high, your ISP may be routing your traffic inefficiently.

1. Open Command Prompt and run: tracert 104.160.131.3 (NA LoL server).
2. Note where the ping jumps significantly. If the big jump happens at your ISP hop (usually hop 2-5), they are routing inefficiently.
3. Call your ISP and request better routing to Riot Games servers, or ask about gaming-optimized plans.
4. As a workaround, a gaming VPN like ExitLag or NoPing can force a more direct route.

FAQ

What is a good ping for League of Legends?

Under 40ms is excellent, 40-60ms is good, 60-80ms is playable, and above 80ms starts to feel laggy. Competitive ranked players aim for under 30ms.

Does a gaming router reduce LoL ping?

A gaming router with QoS (Quality of Service) can help if your network is shared with multiple users. QoS prioritizes game traffic over streaming and downloads. But it will not reduce ping below what your ISP connection allows.

Why does my LoL ping spike during teamfights?

Teamfights generate more network data due to multiple ability effects, champion movements, and damage calculations happening simultaneously. If your bandwidth is limited or network is congested, this surge causes momentary spikes.

Will a VPN lower my League ping?

Only if your ISP has poor routing to Riot servers. A VPN can provide a more direct path, potentially reducing ping by 10-30ms. However, if your ISP routing is already efficient, a VPN will add latency instead.

Does my Internet speed matter for LoL ping?

League of Legends uses very little bandwidth (around 30-60 Kbps). Even a 5 Mbps connection is plenty. Ping depends on latency (distance and routing), not bandwidth (speed). A faster plan will not help unless your current plan is extremely slow.