Online multiplayer games have revolutionized the gaming industry, making it possible for gamers to play with friends and strangers from all over the world. But not all gamers have access to high bandwidth internet, and many still have to rely on metered data connections to play their favorite games. So, just how much data do modern multiplayer games use?
On average, playing online multiplayer games uses about as much internet data as streaming music. This means somewhere between 40 and 100 megabytes per hour. However, some modern games require more data than this, while others require less. For comparison, streaming HD video uses between 1 and 3 gigabytes per hour, and 4K video can easily require 7 gigabytes per hour.
To put it simply, online gaming is not as data-intensive as video streaming. You could game for about 15 hours with the data it would take to watch a single HD movie. However, there are exceptions. Some games, like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Destiny 2, use up to 300 megabytes per hour. On the other hand, card games like Hearthstone and Gwent require only 3-5 megabytes per hour.
To get a better idea of how much data your favorite games use, check out this table of online games and their data usage per hour. Keep in mind that the number will go up or down depending on the number of players or the map you’re playing on. However, you should quickly get a feel for how quickly it drains data if you remember to check how much you have left every now and again.
But having access to ample data does not guarantee you’ll be able to play games smoothly. Stability and latency tend to be more important in online gaming than bandwidth and connection speed. If the internet connection isn’t stable, your gameplay experience will be erratic and laden with latency, even if your connection speed is fast.
In summary, online gaming is not as data costly as streaming video. However, it’s important to check the data usage of each game and turn off any background processes that could eat away at your data. And always remember that metered connections don’t necessarily mean lag, but if the internet connection isn’t stable, you’ll likely experience lag, regardless of how much data you have.