How to Fix Second Life Lag

Second LifeSecond Life (SL) is an online platform in which you can interact with others and create things in the virtual world. It is on PC, Mac, and Linux. The game has a major community that has its own market. On the market you can do in game jobs and create things for real life money. Second Life is a great game for meeting with others and do activities like watching movies and going to bars. You are also able to won your own land and control how you use it. Each sever holds many people on it and this can cause lag spikes. While some of the lag is caused by the sever, the rest of it is caused by a users connection to the game. In this post we will show you how to fix lag spikes and lower ping times with a VPN.

How to Fix Lag Spikes in Second Life

Here is the quickest way to improve Second Life lag on PC, Mac, or Linux with a VPN.

  1. Sign up for ExpressVPN (includes a 30-day money back guarantee)
  2. Download the ExpressVPN app and connect to a server in the region you wish to play in.
  3. Test to see if your ping has lowered from your normal response time.
  4. Launch Second Life and enjoy!

You can also use ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer service for a faster experience.

  1. Sign up for ExpressVPN (includes a 30-day money back guarantee)
  2. Log into Expressvpn.com and go to the “DNS Settings” tab.
  3. Click the button to register your IP address.
  4. You can also set dynamic DNS (more technical users)
  5. Click on the “Dashboard” tab
  6. Look for the “Set up on all your devices” section and click on the “see all devices” link.
  7. Click on the set up guide for your system.
  8. Make note of the IP address given in the set up box to the right of the screen.
  9. Set the DNS on your system to the IP given on the ExpressVPN site.

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Why Does Second Life Lag?

The popularity of Second Life is both a blessing and a curse. As we mentioned, you will be socially interacting with people with differing Internet connection speeds. If you have performance issues when using the Internet in general then you can expect lag spikes when playing SL. The two main considerations for lag are your Internet speed and hardware. PC gamers will want to focus on CPU, memory, and graphics card. Everyone needs a fast Internet connection.

More tips to Fix Lag Spikes in Second Life

Let’s start by looking at the best way to increase your Internet speed and lower ping times. In doing so you can expect less lag and a better gaming experience. We recommend testing a VPN to improve ping and reduce your lag. The key is to find a better route between your system and the game server. Your ISP isn’t focused on this issue as much as VPN providers. They know that it’s a competitive advantage if they can offer you a faster router to key locations. Most of the game developers host regional game servers in the same locations. This allows VPNs to offer better routes and will give you a boost in performance.

Second Life Server Locations

Linden Lab appears to use Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host Second Life. This is great as AWS servers are located very close to ExpressVPN’s servers.

Here is a list of the recommended VPN server locations for each region.

  • United States – Washington DC and Seattle
  • Europe – London, Frankfurt, Stockholm
  • Asia Pacific – Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney
  • South America – Sao Paulo
  • China – Hong Kong

System Requirements and Recommendations

This section is mainly for PC gamers. You will want to make sure you have the proper system specs for Second Life. The minimum requirements are often not enough to enjoy the game.

You will want to come as close as possible (or above) these recommended system specs.

  • Operating system – Windows Vista, 7, 8.1, or higher
  • Processor – 2-GHz or better
  • Memory – 3 GB RAM
  • Video card – NVIDIA GeForce 9600, ATI Radeon HD 4850, or better

Here is a little more information on using a VPN for gaming.


How to Play Second Life with ExpressVPN

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ExpressVPN is our pick for best VPN to reduce lag. It will allow you to improve your gaming experience on a variety of devices. You will be able to install an easy to use app for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch users can enhance their game play by using the ExpressVPN app on compatible routers or taking advantage of MediaStreamer. The MediaStreamer service is available for all ExpressVPN users and it works on many devices. It allows you to increase your speed even further. However, it does not give you the extra privacy protection a VPN will offer you. ExpressVPN will allow you to make your game faster on many devices.

ExpressVPN app

ExpressVPN has an exciting exclusive discount of 49% off a year subscription of VPN with an extra 3 months for all our readers. You can play online with less lag and improved privacy. Take advantage of regional exclusives and play with friends internationally through the over 160 server locations. It is easy to use and available across a variety of devices. ExpressVPN offers a 30 day money back guarantee. This gives you a full month to see how a VPN can help your gaming experience.

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