For gamers in Cape Town, the real enemy isn’t a “slow” line it’s high latency, jitter, and bad routing. On decent fibre you’ll get 5-30ms to local SA servers but always see 150-200ms+ to Europe (physics won’t allow better). The trick is choosing the right ISP, fixing your home setup, and understanding which problems you can actually solve.
Why Gamers Care About More Than Speed
South Africa has over 26 million gamers, but only about 4 million play on PC or console. That means local servers are limited, and most competitive titles (Valorant, League, CS:GO, Apex) push us to European servers where undersea cables and physics set hard limits.
If you’re playing on EU servers from Cape Town, no amount of money or fibre upgrades will give you the same ping as someone in London. The speed of light through glass fibre is fixed. Cape Town to London is roughly 9,700 km of undersea cable. Even if your data travelled at the theoretical maximum (which it doesn’t), you’re looking at 140-160ms round-trip just for the distance.
But that doesn’t mean you’re powerless.
The difference between a frustrating 220ms with constant stuttering and a playable 160ms with stable connection comes down to three things:
- Your home setup (wired vs Wi-Fi, router quality, bandwidth contention)
- Your ISP’s routing and peering (direct paths vs cheap, congested routes)
- Understanding what’s actually broken (so you fix the right problem)
Let’s start with the concepts that actually matter for gaming.
The Gaming Trinity: Latency, Jitter and Packet Loss
Forget bandwidth for a moment. These three factors determine whether online gaming feels smooth or feels like you’re controlling your character through treacle:
Latency (Ping)
Latency is how long it takes a packet to travel from your device to the game server and back again, measured in milliseconds (ms). Lower is always better.
In practical terms: latency is the delay between clicking “shoot” and seeing it happen on screen. When you hear gamers complaining about “high ping,” they’re talking about latency.
Jitter
Jitter is the variation in latency over time – packets arriving with different delays instead of a steady rhythm.
Imagine one packet arrives in 30ms, the next in 90ms, then 40ms, then 120ms. Your average might look fine (70ms), but the game feels terrible because your inputs are arriving erratically. This causes rubber-banding, stuttering, and enemies “teleporting” across your screen.
Low jitter means consistent timing: 50ms, 51ms, 49ms, 50ms. Predictable. Smooth.
Packet Loss
Packet loss is when some data packets never arrive (or arrive too late to be useful), so the game has to guess what happened or ask for a retransmission.
Even 1-2% packet loss can feel catastrophic in competitive shooters. Your shot doesn’t register. Your movement stutters. The server thinks you’re somewhere you’re not.
Why these matter more than speed:
Once you have enough bandwidth (20-50 Mbps for most households), extra Mbps don’t reduce lag. Going from 50 Mbps to 200 Mbps won’t magically drop your EU ping from 170ms to 30ms.
But fixing jitter, eliminating packet loss, and optimising routing absolutely will make the game feel smoother, even if your average ping stays similar.
This is why gaming-focused ISPs in South Africa market “ultra-low latency” and “direct peering” rather than just “1 Gbps speeds.” They know what actually matters.
What Counts as Good, Bad and Ugly Ping?
Different games tolerate latency differently, but here are the generally accepted thresholds:
| Ping (ms) | Quality for Gaming | Typical Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 0–20 | Excellent / “LAN-like” | Competitive FPS, fighters, MOBAs feel crisp and responsive |
| 20–50 | Very good | Fine for almost all games; barely noticeable delay |
| 50–100 | Fair / Average | Occasional lag in fast titles; competitive disadvantage in high-level play |
| 100–150 | Poor | Noticeable delay; frustrating in PvP, especially reaction-based games |
| 150–250 | High latency | Only slow-paced or turn-based games feel acceptable |
| 250+ | Unplayable | Severe delays; competitive online gaming is essentially impossible |
The brutal reality for South African gamers:
- Local SA servers (Joburg, Cape Town): You should see 5-30ms on decent fibre. Gaming-optimised packages can get under 10ms.
- European servers (London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam): Typical is 150-200ms. Anything under 150ms is exceptional. Going below 140ms is physically impossible without teleportation technology.
- US servers (East Coast): Expect 200-250ms. West Coast is even higher.
This isn’t “bad internet.” This is physics. The undersea cables only go so fast, and Cape Town is 9,700+ km from London.
What you can control is whether you’re getting 160ms on a clean route or 220ms on a congested, poorly-routed path with packet loss.
Understanding Your Fibre Setup: FNO vs ISP (and Why It Matters for Gaming)
On an open-access network like FibreGeeks, your internet connection has two distinct parts, and understanding the split helps you diagnose lag correctly:
FibreGeeks (the FNO):
We build and maintain the physical fibre infrastructure:
- The fibre cable from the street to your house
- The ONT device on your wall
- The connection from your property to our core network
Our job is keeping your last-mile connection stable, low-latency, and reliable. If the physical line is damaged, the ONT is faulty, or there’s a problem between your house and our network, that’s on us.
Your ISP:
Your ISP sells you the internet package and determines:
- How traffic is routed from FibreGeeks’ network to game servers
- Peering arrangements (direct connections to game networks vs cheaper, indirect routes)
- Traffic shaping and prioritisation
- International bandwidth quality
- Customer support and fault handling
Your ISP’s routing decisions are what determine whether your data takes a clean, direct path to the game server or bounces through three extra countries because they chose the cheapest route.
The data flow looks like this:
Your device → Router → FibreGeeks line (last-mile) → ISP core network → Internet exchanges / peering → Game server (and back)
FibreGeeks controls the “last-mile” bit. Your ISP controls everything after that.
Why this matters for gamers:
If you’re getting 5-10ms to local SA servers but 220ms to EU servers with constant jitter, the problem isn’t your FibreGeeks line – it’s your ISP’s international routing.
The beauty of open-access networks is that you can switch ISPs without reinstalling fibre. If your current ISP routes traffic through congested or poorly-optimised paths, switch to one that advertises direct peering or gaming-optimised routing.
You keep the same FibreGeeks line, ONT, and physical infrastructure. You’re just changing who manages your routing and international connectivity.
Cape Town to Europe: Setting Realistic Expectations
Let’s be absolutely clear about what’s achievable and what isn’t.
What FibreGeeks can do:
- Keep your last-mile latency low (typically 1-5ms from your house to our network)
- Maintain line stability so you don’t get random dropouts or packet loss on the local segment
- Ensure you have enough bandwidth for gaming (which is typically 3-6 Mbps per game, far less than most people think)
What your ISP can do:
- Choose efficient routing to European servers (shaving 20-40ms by avoiding congested paths)
- Peer directly with game networks and CDNs (reducing hops and latency)
- Avoid traffic shaping that prioritises streaming over gaming
- Provide consistent international bandwidth without peak-time congestion
What nobody in South Africa can do:
Change the speed of light or the length of undersea cables. Cape Town to London is ~9,700 km through fibre, which sets a physical minimum of roughly 140-160ms round-trip in ideal conditions.
In practice, once you account for routing through internet exchanges, processing delays at each hop, and the fact that game servers aren’t sitting directly on the undersea cable landing point, you’ll see 150-200ms as “normal” for EU servers.
Real SA gamer experiences:
- MyBroadband reports typical round-trip latencies to UK/Europe of 160-200ms
- Reddit threads show Cape Town gamers consistently seeing 150-170ms on good ISPs, 170-220ms on cheaper ones
- Game-specific forums (Valorant, Apex) routinely show SA players stuck at 180-220ms when only EU servers are available
If you’re seeing 250ms+ to EU servers, something is probably wrong – likely poor ISP routing, congested international links, or problems with your home setup. But if you’re seeing 165ms, that’s… pretty much correct. You won’t get it down to 80ms no matter how much you pay.
Why “Just Upgrade to 100 Mbps” Won’t Fix Lag
This is the most common misconception we see: gamers paying for faster speeds hoping to reduce lag.
Here’s the truth: once you have 20-50 Mbps, extra bandwidth doesn’t reduce latency.
How much bandwidth does gaming actually use?
- Online gaming (FPS, MOBA, MMO): 3-6 Mbps during active play
- Voice chat (Discord, in-game comms): 0.5-1 Mbps
- Background downloads/updates: Variable (can saturate your whole line)
A single game session uses less bandwidth than streaming one HD video. Upgrading from 50 Mbps to 200 Mbps gives you more capacity for other devices or simultaneous activities, but it doesn’t make your ping lower.
What does affect latency:
- Physical distance to server (can’t be changed)
- ISP routing quality (can be changed by switching ISPs)
- Network congestion (affected by peak times and ISP capacity)
- Home setup issues (Wi-Fi interference, bufferbloat, QoS settings)
- Background traffic (downloads saturating your line whilst gaming)
If your local ping to SA servers is already 5-20ms and you’re still experiencing lag, the problem is almost certainly one of the last three items – all of which can be fixed without upgrading your speed.
Your Home Setup: Fix This Before Blaming Your ISP
Most lag problems in South African homes aren’t the fibre line or even the ISP – they’re Wi-Fi interference, bufferbloat, or bandwidth contention with other users.
Ethernet vs Wi-Fi (The Single Biggest Factor)
Every gaming latency guide recommends wired Ethernet connections. Here’s why:
Wi-Fi adds latency variation (jitter) because:
- Signals have to compete with neighbouring networks on the same channel
- Walls, metal objects, and microwaves cause interference
- Multiple devices on the same Wi-Fi band create contention
- 2.4 GHz especially struggles with congestion in apartment buildings
Practical impact:
- Wired Ethernet: Stable 160ms to EU servers with <2ms jitter
- 5 GHz Wi-Fi (good signal): 165ms with 5-10ms jitter
- 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (weak signal): 175ms with 20-40ms jitter and occasional packet loss
That jitter is what makes the game feel laggy even though your “average ping” looks fine.
Solution:
Run an Ethernet cable from your router to your gaming device. If that’s physically impossible, use 5 GHz Wi-Fi with clear line-of-sight to the router and as few walls as possible.
Bufferbloat and QoS Settings
Bufferbloat happens when heavy downloads or uploads saturate your connection, causing massive latency spikes for real-time applications like gaming and voice chat.
Scenario: You’re gaming smoothly at 160ms ping. Your housemate starts downloading a 50 GB game update. Suddenly your ping spikes to 350ms with constant stuttering, even though you’re only using 5 Mbps and there’s “plenty of bandwidth.”
This is bufferbloat. Your router’s buffer fills up with download packets, and your gaming packets get stuck in the queue waiting their turn.
Solutions:
- Enable QoS (Quality of Service) on your router to prioritise gaming traffic over downloads
- Pause large downloads during gaming sessions
- Schedule updates overnight or during times you’re not playing
- Use traffic shaping if your router supports it (prioritise low-latency applications)
Some gaming-focused routers have automatic QoS that detects gaming traffic and prioritises it. If you’re in a house-share with multiple heavy users, this can make a huge difference.
Background Applications
Modern games constantly communicate with servers, but background applications can sabotage this:
- Game clients auto-updating (Steam, Epic, Xbox app)
- Cloud sync services uploading large files (Google Drive, OneDrive)
- Windows updates downloading in the background
- Streaming services running on other devices
Check your bandwidth usage before blaming your ISP. If something’s saturating your upload or download, your gaming will suffer.
ISP Routing and Peering: Why Some ISPs Are Better for Gaming
If you’ve ruled out home setup issues and your local ping to SA servers is good (5-30ms) but EU/US pings are terrible (250ms+ with packet loss), the problem is likely your ISP’s routing.
What makes an ISP “gaming-friendly”?
1. Direct peering with game networks and CDNs
ISPs that peer directly with major content providers (Google, Valve, Riot, AWS game servers) avoid unnecessary hops and reduce latency. Instead of routing through three different carriers, your packets go straight from the ISP to the game server.
Some gaming-optimised ISPs in South Africa explicitly advertise “direct peering,” “low-latency routing,” or “optimised for gaming” because they’ve invested in these direct connections.
2. Unshaped data and no throttling
Some ISPs shape traffic to prioritise certain types of data. If they prioritise streaming over gaming (because streaming uses more bandwidth), your gaming packets might get lower priority during peak times.
Gaming-friendly ISPs typically offer unshaped data or explicitly prioritise low-latency applications.
3. Quality international bandwidth
Cheap international bandwidth is often congested, especially during evening peak times. Premium ISPs pay more for less-congested routes to Europe and the US.
This is why you might see 160ms during the day and 210ms at 20:00 – peak-time congestion on the ISP’s international links.
Can you test this?
Yes. Run ping tests to the same game server at different times of day:
- Morning (10:00): 165ms stable
- Evening peak (20:00): 195ms with jitter and packet loss
If there’s a significant difference, your ISP’s international bandwidth is probably oversubscribed.
Gaming VPNs and route optimisers:
Tools like ExitLag, WTFast, and Haste work by forcing your traffic through alternative routes. If your ISP is routing through a congested path, these services can sometimes shave 20-40ms by finding a cleaner route.
However, they cost extra money (R100-R200/month), add another layer of complexity, and only work if your ISP’s route is genuinely bad. If you’re already on a decent ISP with good routing, they won’t magically reduce your ping from 160ms to 80ms – physics still applies.
Better solution: On an open-access network like FibreGeeks, just switch to a gaming-optimised ISP. Same physical line, better routing, no extra VPN subscriptions.
Troubleshooting: What to Do When Your Ping Is Bad
Here’s a step-by-step approach to diagnosing and fixing lag:
Step 1: Determine if it’s a local or routing problem
Run ping tests to:
- Local SA game servers (Johannesburg, Cape Town)
- A South African website (MyBroadband, Takealot)
- Your game’s EU servers (if available)
Results:
- Local ping high (50ms+ to SA servers): Problem is local – either your home setup or the last-mile connection
- Local ping good (<30ms) but EU ping terrible (220ms+): Problem is ISP routing
Step 2: Test wired vs Wi-Fi
Plug directly into your router with an Ethernet cable and run the same tests.
- Ping drops significantly on wired: Wi-Fi is your problem
- No difference: Not a Wi-Fi issue
Step 3: Check for bandwidth contention
Pause all downloads, close background applications, and ensure no other devices are streaming.
- Ping improves dramatically: Bufferbloat or bandwidth contention
- No change: Not a local bandwidth issue
Step 4: Test at different times of day
Run the same tests at:
- 10:00 (off-peak)
- 14:00 (mid-afternoon)
- 20:00 (evening peak)
- 23:00 (late evening)
- Ping gets significantly worse during peak times: ISP congestion or oversubscribed international links
- Consistent at all times: Not a peak-time issue
Step 5: Contact your ISP or consider switching
If you’ve ruled out home setup issues and your ISP’s routing is consistently poor, it’s time to:
- Log a fault with your current ISP (they may be able to adjust routing)
- Ask if they offer gaming-optimised packages
- Consider switching to a different ISP on FibreGeeks
Remember: on an open-access network, switching ISPs doesn’t mean reinstalling fibre. You keep the same line; you’re just changing routing and service quality.
What Speed Do Gamers Actually Need?
Given that latency matters more than bandwidth, what speed package should you choose?
For a solo gamer:
20-50 Mbps is more than enough. You need:
- 3-6 Mbps for the game itself
- 0.5-1 Mbps for voice chat
- Headroom for background activity
If you’re downloading large games or updates, higher speeds save time, but they don’t reduce lag during active play.
For a house-share with multiple gamers:
50-100 Mbps prevents bandwidth contention. If two people are gaming simultaneously and a third person is streaming, you need enough capacity to avoid one person’s activity causing jitter for everyone else.
See our guide on what fibre speed you need for different activities for detailed breakdowns.
Symmetrical upload speeds matter more than you think:
Most fibre packages in South Africa offer symmetrical speeds (e.g., 50 Mbps down / 50 Mbps up). This matters for:
- Streaming on Twitch or YouTube
- Uploading gameplay clips
- Voice chat quality
- Hosting game servers
Asymmetrical packages (like some ADSL or LTE products) can cause lag if your upload is saturated.
Gaming in Student Houses and Shared Digs
If you’re gaming in a student house-share, you face unique challenges:
Multiple gamers competing for bandwidth:
Three people gaming on EU servers simultaneously = ~15-18 Mbps. Add streaming on other devices and you’re pushing 40-50 Mbps. This is why student house-shares should aim for at least 50-100 Mbps packages.
Wi-Fi congestion in multi-room houses:
If your router is in the lounge and your bedroom is upstairs at the back, Wi-Fi signal will be poor. Gaming over weak Wi-Fi adds 20-40ms jitter and causes packet loss.
Solution: Run Ethernet to gaming setups, or use mesh Wi-Fi systems for better coverage.
Competing traffic types:
If one housemate is downloading a 100 GB game whilst you’re trying to play Valorant ranked, bufferbloat will destroy your gaming experience even on a 100 Mbps line.
Solution: Set up QoS, schedule large downloads for overnight, or split the cost of a gaming-optimised package that includes traffic prioritisation.
For detailed advice on setting up fibre in student houses, see our student house-share guide.
Local SA Gaming Scene: Why We Need More Servers
South Africa has over 26 million gamers, but only about 4 million on PC or console. Most popular competitive games (Valorant, Apex Legends, League of Legends) still route SA players to EU servers because the local player base is too small to sustain dedicated SA servers 24/7.
Why this matters:
Even on perfect fibre with optimal routing, SA gamers will always be at a latency disadvantage against EU players. Someone in London gets 20ms ping; you get 160ms. That’s a 140ms reaction time penalty that no amount of skill can overcome.
The workaround:
- Play games with SA-hosted servers when possible (CS:GO, some MMOs)
- Choose games where latency matters less (strategy, turn-based, PvE content)
- Join SA gaming communities to find local servers and tournaments
- Accept that competitive ranked play on EU servers means playing at a disadvantage
This isn’t defeatist – it’s realistic. Knowing the limits helps you focus on what you can control: your home setup, ISP choice, and mechanical skill.
The Honest Gaming Fibre Checklist
Before you blame your fibre line or ISP, tick these off:
Local Setup
- Using wired Ethernet connection (not Wi-Fi)
- Router placed centrally with clear line-of-sight if using Wi-Fi
- QoS enabled and gaming traffic prioritised
- No large downloads running in background during gaming sessions
- Game clients (Steam, Epic) not auto-updating during play
Speed & Package
- At least 20-50 Mbps for solo gaming, 50-100 Mbps for house-shares
- Symmetrical upload/download speeds (not asymmetrical like ADSL)
- Unshaped data package (no traffic throttling for gaming)
Testing & Diagnosis
- Tested local SA server ping (should be 5-30ms)
- Tested EU server ping (realistic expectation: 150-200ms)
- Compared wired vs Wi-Fi latency
- Tested at different times of day to identify peak-time congestion
- Checked for packet loss (should be 0% on good connections)
ISP Evaluation
- ISP advertises gaming-optimised routing or direct peering
- Customer reviews mention low latency and stable connections
- No complaints about peak-time congestion in gaming communities
Already on FibreGeeks?
- Confirmed last-mile is stable (no dropouts, packet loss, or ONT faults)
- Considered switching ISPs for better routing if current ISP has poor EU/US pings
FAQ
What is good ping for gaming in South Africa?
For local SA servers (Johannesburg, Cape Town), 5-30ms is typical on fibre, with gaming-optimised packages achieving under 10ms. For European servers, 150-200ms is normal due to undersea cable distance (Cape Town to London is 9,700+ km). Anything under 50ms is excellent for competitive play; 50-100ms is fair; above 150ms creates noticeable disadvantage. No ISP in South Africa can give you 30ms to EU servers – physics won’t allow it.
Why is my ping high even though I have fast internet?
High ping despite fast speeds means latency isn’t a bandwidth problem. Common causes: Wi-Fi interference and jitter (use wired Ethernet instead), ISP routing through congested paths (switch to gaming-optimised ISP), bufferbloat from downloads saturating your line (enable QoS, pause updates), or peak-time congestion on your ISP’s international links. Once you have 20-50 Mbps, extra speed won’t reduce lag – fix routing and home setup instead.
How do I reduce lag when gaming from Cape Town?
Home fixes: Use wired Ethernet (not Wi-Fi), enable QoS on your router to prioritise gaming, pause large downloads during gaming sessions, and test at different times to identify peak-time congestion. ISP fixes: Switch to ISPs advertising “gaming-optimised routing” or “direct peering” if your current provider has poor EU pings. Realistic expectations: You’ll always see 150-200ms to EU servers due to undersea cable physics – focus on eliminating jitter and packet loss instead.
What’s the difference between latency, jitter and packet loss?
Latency (ping) is the round-trip time for data packets, measured in milliseconds – lower is better. Jitter is variation in latency over time; packets arriving at 30ms, then 90ms, then 40ms cause stuttering even if average ping looks OK. Packet loss is when packets never arrive or arrive too late, forcing the game to guess or retransmit – even 1-2% loss feels terrible in competitive shooters. All three matter more than raw speed once you have 20-50 Mbps.
Can I switch ISPs to get better gaming ping on FibreGeeks?
Yes. On FibreGeeks’ open-access network, you can switch ISPs without reinstalling fibre. If your current ISP routes traffic through congested or poorly-optimised paths, switch to one advertising “gaming-optimised routing,” “direct peering,” or “low-latency packages.” Your physical line and ONT stay the same; you’re just changing routing and international connectivity. This is particularly useful if your local SA ping is good (5-30ms) but EU ping is terrible (220ms+).
Do I need 100 Mbps internet for gaming?
No. Online gaming uses 3-6 Mbps during active play – far less than streaming HD video. Once you have 20-50 Mbps, extra speed doesn’t reduce latency. However, faster packages help with: downloading large game updates quickly, preventing bandwidth contention in house-shares with multiple gamers, and providing headroom for simultaneous activities (someone streaming whilst you game). Focus on low latency, wired connections, and good ISP routing rather than raw speed.
Why do South African gamers have high ping to EU servers?
Physics. Cape Town to London is roughly 9,700 km through undersea fibre cables, setting a physical minimum of 140-160ms round-trip even under perfect conditions. Once you account for routing through internet exchanges and processing delays, 150-200ms is normal. ISPs can optimise routing to achieve the lower end of this range (160ms vs 220ms), but nobody in SA can get 30ms to EU servers. Most competitive games only host servers in EU, so SA gamers are permanently at a latency disadvantage.
What is bufferbloat and how does it affect gaming?
Bufferbloat happens when heavy downloads or uploads saturate your connection, causing massive latency spikes. Scenario: You’re gaming at 160ms ping; someone starts downloading a 50 GB update; your ping spikes to 350ms with stuttering, even though gaming only uses 5 Mbps. Your router’s buffer fills with download packets, and gaming packets wait in the queue. Solutions: Enable QoS to prioritise gaming traffic, pause large downloads during sessions, or upgrade to a gaming router with automatic traffic management.
TL;DR (80 words)
Cape Town gamers get 5-30ms to local SA servers but 150-200ms to EU (undersea cable physics limit). Latency, jitter and packet loss matter more than raw speed once you have 20-50 Mbps. Fix home setup first: wired Ethernet, QoS enabled, no background downloads. If local ping is good but EU ping is terrible, your ISP’s routing is the problem. On FibreGeeks’ open-access network, switch to gaming-optimised ISPs without reinstalling fibre. Focus on what you can control: setup and routing, not physics.
