About ping spikes League of Legends (LOL), Internet connection is the number one suspect so you should take a look at it. Other solutions include closing background processes, updating the drivers, changing in-game settings and using Hextech Repair Tool. Not exactly tech-savvy and have a hard time carrying out the solutions? In that case, this article is going to be of use to you.
Ping Spikes In LOL: Causes
Internet Connection
All in all, LOL is a multiplayer game so Internet connection affects its performance in most of the cases. If you have a stable Internet connection, you should be able to enjoy LOL to the fullest. On the other hand, in the case your Internet connection is less than ideal, it’s only natural for ping to spike at times.
Background Processes
You have a habit of running multiple processes in the background as you play LOL? Then it’s possible that the spiking of ping is the result of background processes. Fortunately, if that is the case, it won’t take too much time and effort to fix ping spikes League of Legends.
Drivers
Generally speaking, drivers play a key role in the communication between your computer and its devices. Needless to say, if drivers run into issues, devices would go haywire and complicate the running of programs including games like LOL.
Game
If there is nothing out of the ordinary on your computer, it’s highly likely that LOL is the root of the problem. Unless you take action, ping is going to spike from time to time which ruins your gaming experience.
What Must Be Done
Check Out The Internet Connection
Compared to wireless connections, wired ones have superior stability so they could minimize packet losses, ping spikes and so on. Hence, if your Internet connection is currently wireless, it’s suggested that you switch to a wired one. All you have to do is to connect your router to your computer using an Ethernet cable. After you finish, launch LOL, play a match and see how things turn out.
Depending on the situation, it’s also a good idea to clear your router’s cache. All you have to do is to go through the steps down below:
- Step 1: Locate a small reset button on your router. The location of the button varies between models but it is usually somewhere in the back.
- Step 2: Grab a small thin object (paperclip, pencil, etc) then use it to push and hold the reset button for several seconds.
- Step 3: If the router does not automatically restart, turn it off manually. Next, unplug the router, wait for about thirty seconds and turn it back on. The moment the indicators light up, play a match in LOL and determine whether the issue persists.
Close Non-Essential Background Processes
All processes on Windows computers require resources to run and Internet bandwidth is not an exception. If you cannot get good pings in LOL, it’s widely advised that you close background processes that you don’t need. Search the taskbar for unimportant programs then close them. Besides that, you should also open Task Manager (shortcut: Ctrl + Alt + Delete), locate redundant processes, click each of them and pick End task.
Update Drivers
If you suspect that the obsolescence of the drivers is responsible for ping spikes, update drivers. You could update drivers via Device Manager: press Windows key, type devmgmt.msc and press Enter. Next, right-click each of the devices, pick Update driver and hit Search automatically for updated driver software. Considering the characteristics of ping spikes League of Legends, make sure that you pay special attention to the driver of GPU, Network adapter, etc,
Note: Frustrated by the time and effort that manual driver updates require? Then feel free to take advantage of driver managers – programs designed to automatically scan for drivers and update them. There is no shortage of driver managers at the moment but for good measure, you should stick to DriverBooster, DriverEasy, Drivers Cloud, … After you finish downloading and installing the driver manager you like, launch it and scan for driver updates.
Change In-Game Settings
Once it comes to ping spikes in games, lowering in-game settings is an effective and efficient fix.
- Step 1: Open the League of Legends launcher and enter a training room.
- Step 2: Proceed to press Esc to open Options menu.
- Step 3: Go to the Video tab and lower the settings according to your taste.
- Step 4: Click Okay and witness the result.
Use Hextech Repair Tool
Riot Games have developed an automated troubleshooter built for LOL called Hextech Repair Tool. It can tackle many problems encountered by players including spiking ping.
- Step 1: Download Hextech Repair Tool from League of Legends support site.
- Step 2: Run the tool as an administrator.
- Step 3: Check all checkboxes except those beside Force Repatch, Reinstall, Automatically Assign and Disable Firewall.
- Step 4: Press Start and wait for the process to complete.
- Step 5: Launch LOL then observe the ping. Remember that the tool is able to make logs which you can use to get additional support from Riot Games.
I am Anshul Rana, an experienced author specializing in PC gear reviews and Windows 10 software tutorials. With a strong passion for technology and an in-depth understanding of the PC industry, I provide insightful and detailed analyses of computer peripherals, gaming gear, and software solutions. My writing style is concise yet informative, making complex topics accessible to both beginners and advanced users. Through my reviews and tutorials, I aim to offer valuable guidance, helping readers make informed decisions to enhance their PC experience and explore the vast possibilities of Windows 10 software.
