Valorant Lag Fix Guide

ValorantValorant is a free to play FPS developed by Riot Games. The tactical shooter is meant to be a competitive experience. Each game has you play in 13 rounds of 5v5 combat. There is a variety of modes to play including competitive, unranked, deathmatch, and more. There are several different maps to choose from. Valorant also features unique agents that have different guns and abilities that makes none of them play like another. Valorant is an excellent game that requires skills. However, lag can mess up your gameplay. Nothing is more annoying than when you are unable to get a kill because of rubber banding or laggy connections. While some of this is caused by the server itself, the rest likely comes from your side. In this post we will teach you how to fix lag in Valorant with a VPN.

How to Fix Lag Spikes in Valorant

Here is the quickest way to improve Valorant lag on PC and Mac 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 Valorant and enjoy!

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

  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 Valorant Lag?

The popularity of Valorant has led to lag issues. As we mentioned, you will be playing with and against another 5 person team all with separate internet connections. Sometimes the lag you experience is actually due to your lack of bandwidth or others having poor connections, but this is less common. There are hundreds of other matches occurring at the same time. As you might imagine, all these players being on the Riot game severs at the same time cause some occasional issues. Playing at less popular times may help improve the lag that would occur due to the games popularity. If you have performance issues when using the Internet in general, then you can expect lag spikes when playing Valorant. On your end, 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 connection to the gaming server.

Valorant Server Locations

Valorant’s official servers have not been released. However, Riot games has announced that they will have 128 servers around the world. This is great as ExpressVPN has servers throughout the world.

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

  • United States – Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago
  • Europe – Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Turkey
  • Asia Pacific – Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore, and South Korea
  • South America – Brazil and Chile
  • 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 Valorant. The minimum requirements are often not enough to enjoy the game. Not having the right set up may lead to reduced performance. Those wanting to optimize their PC will want to be above or using the recommended specs for the game. If you cannot meet them, another method to increase your frame rates with lower specs is to reduce the graphics for the game. Many shooters will have a sliding bar for the quality of graphics. Playing at a lower mode will normally help everyone, even those who have gone above the required specs.

You will want to meet (or very likely exceed) these recommended system specs.

  • Operating system – Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10 (64-bits)
  • Processor – Intel i3-4150 or better
  • Memory – 4 GB RAM
  • Video card – GeForce GT 730 or better

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


How to Play Valorant with ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN Logo

ExpressVPN is our favorite VPN to fix lag. They allow you to receive a superior gaming experience by reducing ping and protecting your information. You will be able to connect to any of the server locations in 94 countries. ExpressVPN allows you to be closer to your game server and lowers the latency. It will do so while protecting your IP address. You will appear as if you are actually from the location you are connecting to. It gives you a kill switch and protects against DDoS attacks, while playing. You can reduce lag and play safer with ExpressVPN.

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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Why do I have High Latency and Ping Spikes?

High Latency and ping are problems for playing online. What it would actually cause in a game like Valorant is a delay between when you enter a command on your mouse or keyboard and when its executed in the game. The higher your latency is, the worst this problem will be. Problems like lag are directly connected to this issue. These problems are normally caused by your distance from the game server and the route your ISP takes to get there. Another factor may come from how far you are from your home router for wireless WiFi connections. Ping spikes are caused by a similar issue. It can be caused by interference between your router and the server you are connecting to. These will normally be more sporadic as the blockage may improve or diminish as you play. This is what normally causes rubber banding. Lag will occur occasionally, but it can be reduced. The goal with both ping and latency is to get them as low as possible. 

How to Lower Latency and Ping?

The major cause for problems with high ping and latency is normally the route your connection is taking. This can be changed through a few different methods. The first way to change it is through Smart DNS services like ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer. They will re-route specific parts of your Internet traffic to different regions. Changing the route that you take to the game server is key to reducing ping and latency. You will want to try to connect to a VPN location close to where the servers are hosted. We will go over this more in a later section. This is normally the faster method, but it is more vulnerable to DDoS attacks and doesn’t have as heavy of encryption.

If you would like privacy protection, then you will want to use the second method. A VPN will allow you to reroute your data in the same way, but with better encryption. The server you are trying to play on will believe you are located in another region. This provides extra protection from DDoS attacks and for your data. A VPN will be slightly slower, but you will be more protected from being detected as residing in a different region. Rerouting your path to the game server will reduce latency and ping spikes.

More Tips to Fix Lag Spikes in Valorant

Firstly, you should check with Riot game’s Valorant Twitter page to see if the servers are down. Game companies have unplanned outages. They also take servers down for maintenance from time to time. When gaming you will want to connect your system directly to the modem or your router with a LAN cable. It is faster and more reliable than WiFi for gaming. Those still utilizing their wireless router will want to move closer to it to ensure that your distance is reduced.

You will also want to check out the anti-virus software you are running because many have firewalls that will slow down your device to game interaction. Another way of reducing lag is setting your graphics settings for the game down. It will typically give you higher frame rates at the sacrifice of some appearance. Those playing on laptops will want to put their battery into better performance mode rather than best battery life. PC players can also improve their performance by giving their game priority in their task manager. Also close any programs that you do not need to have open.

Let’s look 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. Premium VPNs know it’s a competitive advantage if they can offer you a faster route to key locations. Most of the game developers host regional game servers in the same locations. This allows VPNs to offer better routes that give you a boost in performance.