6 Proven Ways to Fix High Ping in Overwatch 2

Rebooting Your Router & Internet Modem

One thing that can solve several network-related problems is rebooting your modem and router devices. This method also has the potential to fix your high Ping while you play Overwatch 2. Doing a proper power cycle can avoid the need for rebooting your devices all the time you have a network connection issue. So pay close attention to the following step-by-step guide:

1. Unplug both your modem and router from the power source.
2. Wait approximately 20 seconds, and plug just the modem back on its power source.
3. Wait 90 seconds more, and now plug the router back on its power source.
4. Wait for all green lights to be on before testing your connection.
5. Now, test if your connection is working and go back to play Overwatch 2 to see if your Ping has improved.

One thing to notice is that if you keep having heavy network connection issues, you should contact your internet provider to see if these kinds of issues are occurring because of problems on their end. If the problem is not on their end, you should consider changing your router or modem devices.

Opening Ports on Your Router

Opening your router's ports has the potential to fix network lag while you play Overwatch 2. Every game has a predetermined set of router ports that they function on, and you can find the list of ports for Overwatch 2 at the end of the following guide:

1. Before anything, you need to know your router's IP address and your PC's IP address. You can display both using the Command Prompt.
2. Go to the Windows search bar, search for cmd, and press Enter.
3. Now in the Command Prompt, type the command ipconfig and press Enter. The router's IP address will be displayed next to Default Gateway, and the PC's IP address will be displayed next to IPv4 Address.
4. Go to your browser and enter the router's IP address in the address bar.
5. The router program will probably ask you to log in with your Username and Password, do that to advance.
6. Now, this next step will vary depending on your router, but try to find the Port Forwarding option.
7. In the Port Forwarding section, first, enable both TCP and UDP in the protocol field and put your PC's IP address in the Internal IP field.
8. Put on both External Port and Internal Port all the Overwatch 2 TCP/UDP ports, and restart your router (In some router programs you'll have to put it one at a time):
   • PC: TCP: 1119, 3724, 6113 / UDP: 3478-3479, 5060, 5062, 6250, 12000-64000
   • PlayStation: TCP: 1119, 3478-3480, 3724, 6113 / UDP: 3074, 3478-3479, 5060, 5062, 6250, 12000-64000
   • Xbox: TCP: 1119, 3074, 3724, 6113 / UDP: 88, 500, 3074, 3478-3479, 3544, 4500, 5060, 5062, 6250, 12000-64000
   • Nintendo Switch: TCP: 1119, 3724, 6113, 6667, 12400, 28910, 29900-29901, 29920 UDP: 1-65535

This method works really well against a common Overwatch lost connection to game server error, so you might want to save these ports somewhere just in case.

Using an Ethernet Cable

Using a cabled connection isn't always an option due to physical barriers, but if there is the possibility in your space to change your WIFI connection for an Ethernet cable, do it, especially if you are using an external network adapter. The price of the Ethernet cable can differ, but this doesn't interfere with the quality of the internet network connection, so any cable you have can work just fine.

Changing a DNS Server Address

Picking an alternative DNS server can improve your network lag high ping while you play Overwatch 2. A more preferred DNS server address can enhance your Ping, especially if you suffer from a weak internet connection. This method will differ if you are using some kind of VPN service. Here's how you can do it:

1. Go to the Windows search bar, search for the Control Panel, and press Enter.
2. Click on Network and Internet, and then on Network and Sharing Center.
3. Go to the upper-right corner and click on Change adapter settings.
4. Right-click on the network connection that you want to change the DNS servers, and click on Properties.
5. Search for Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) in the list of items, and click on Properties.
6. In the General tab, Mark 2 the Use the following DNS server addresses option.
7. Now change the default for a alternate DNS server for one of the following DNS server addresses for Overwatch 2, and click OK:
   • Google: 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4
   • Cloudflare: 1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1
   • OpenDNS: 208.67.222.222 / 208.67.220.220

To make sure everything is running as intended. Open the Command prompt and type the following command: ipconfig/flushdns. Doing this will flush and reset the content of your DNS resolver cache.

Closing Background Apps

A simple but effective way for you to fix your high ping in Overwatch 2 is to close all background apps you are not using. Some communication apps like Discord or Skype and even your internet browser can consume a lot of bandwidth, taking away your connection with the Overwatch 2 servers. If you open the Task Manager, you can see the list of apps currently running on your PC, and find all the apps that interrupt your ranked climb in Overwatch. Follow this simple guide to learn how you can close these unnecessary programs:

1. Right-click on the Taskbar, and click on Task Manager.
2. In the Task Manager, click on the Network column. It will show the apps in descending order. The ones with the most bandwidth usage will be first on the list.
3. Select the apps that you want to dismiss and click on End task.

Using this method is especially important if you are recording your Overwatch gameplay, as randomly open apps can counter even the best graphics settings in Overwatch, causing a big lag in-game.

Updating Network Adapter Driver

Keeping your computer drivers up to date is always important, so make sure to use the latest network adapter driver version. There's a feature on Windows 10 that searches for updates for your drivers automatically. Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how you can use this feature:

1. Go to the Windows search bar, search for Device Manager, and press Enter.
2. Click on Network adapters to collapse the list, and right-click on the first option.
3. Click on Update driver, and choose the Search Automatically for drivers option.
4. The system will see if you are using the latest version of your Network driver. If not, it will download and install the latest free version of the driver.