What is the effect of DNS on gaming?

Internet forums say that changing your DNS on your PC, PS, or XBOX can reduce latency or lag for more reliable performance when playing video games online.

Various online forums and discussions claim that changing DNS can reduce game latency and ping. Is there any truth to this?

What is DNS?

DNS stands for Domain Name System, which is a decentralized naming system for computers, services, or other resources linked to the Internet or a private network.

The DNS consists of four numbers separated by dots. Additionally, there is a Primary and Secondary DNS server so that if the first DNS fails to look up a particular website, the secondary DNS will take over and direct the client.

This serves as a reinforcement for the Primary DNS.

Can DNS affect your Internet speed?

While DNS isn't directly related to your Internet speed, it can affect how quickly a page appears on your computer. Nevertheless, once a connection has been established, it shouldn't affect download speeds.

Do you need a DNS server?

The DNS server or name server can best be described as a telephone directory with all the public IP addresses and domain names associated with each other. 

A machine-coherent IP address is generated from domain names, such as XYZ.com.

Benefits of DNS

1. Avoid restrictions

If you live in a zone where certain websites are censored? Then DNS servers may come in handy. Usually internet restrictions are imposed by blocking access to specific sites through your ISP's DNS. A great way of avoiding this is by changing the DNS in your device.

2. Improve internet security

The internet has become a dangerous place these days. One such control is DNS servers. 

While this might not help that much, organizations are in a better position to protect themselves against external attacks by ensuring all queries go through a given DNS server.

Changing your DNS servers

You can easily change your DNS server. However, the steps will vary depending on the operating system or device you are using.

Windows

Step 1. Go to the Control Panel.

Step 2. Click Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.

Step 3. Select the connection for which you want to configure DNS. For example:

• Right-click the Ethernet interface and select Properties to change the settings.
• Right-click on the Wi-Fi interface and select Properties to change the settings for the connection.

When prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Step 4. Select the Networking tab. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) or Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) under This connection uses the following items, and then click Properties.

Step 5. Select the DNS tab under Advanced. Please write down any DNS server IP addresses listed there for future reference, and remove them from this window.

Click OK

Consoles

Playstation 4:

1. From the PS4 Menu, scroll right to Settings > Network > Set Up Internet Connection > Select either Wi-Fi or LAN cable (Wired) 

• Wi-Fi: Custom > Select Network > Enter Password (automatically saved if you are already using this network) > IP Address Settings (automatic) > DHCP Host Name (Do Not Use) > DNS Settings (Manual)
• LAN (Wired): Custom > IP Address Settings (Automatic) > DHCP Host Name (Do Not Use) > DNS Settings (Manual)

1. From there, you can change your dns.
2. Next > MTU Settings (Automatic) > Proxy Server (Do Not Use) > Test Internet Connection

Xbox One: 

1. From the Xbox One home screen, go to Settings > Network > Advanced settings > DNS settings > Manual. (If Settings doesn’t appear on the home screen, select My Games & Apps, then Settings.)
2. From there, you can change your DNS.

Best and most popular DNS.

• Google DNS – Primary DNS 8.8.8.8; Secondary DNS 8.8.4.4
• Open DNS – Primary DNS 207.68.222.222; Secondary DNS 207.68.220.220
• Cloudflare DNS – Primary DNS 1.1.1.1; Secondary DNS 1.0.0.1

Conclusion

We discussed in our article on the topic that latency and bandwidth (download and upload speeds) are two separate factors, and latency is more important for online gaming.

If you want to reduce lag for your online games, then it is questionable whether changing the DNS settings on your device will help.

You may be able to get faster download and upload speeds by changing your DNS server, however, which may be helpful when downloading games or other high bandwidth activities such as streaming or uploading videos to video platforms.

However, this is a different matter from latency or lag, and whilst some people have reported that changing their DNS also improved their ping, we couldn't find any source that has thoroughly examined this and proven it to be accurate.