Input lag: where the delay comes from, and how to cut it
Input lag is the time between pressing a button and seeing the result on screen. It builds up in three places: your mouse or keyboard, the PC making the frame, and the display showing it. The biggest cuts usually come from a higher frame rate, V-Sync off or a G-SYNC or FreeSync display, the game's low-latency mode, and Game Mode on a TV. Ping is a separate delay, between you and the game's server.
Where your click waits before it reaches the screen
- Mouse or keyboardsenses the press and sends it to the PC
- PCthe game reads it, the graphics card draws the frame
- Displaytakes the frame and shows it
Together: your input lag, from click to screen
Ping the trip to the game's server and back: a separate delay, not part of input lag
What cuts input lag, biggest wins first
- Raise your frame rate. Every frame takes time to make, so at a higher frame rate your click reaches the screen sooner. Lower the graphics settings that cost the most frames before anything else.
- Turn V-Sync off, or use G-SYNC or FreeSync. With V-Sync on, a finished frame can wait for the display's next refresh. NVIDIA notes that V-Sync off gives the lowest latency, at the cost of tearing; a variable refresh rate display avoids the tearing.
- Turn on the low-latency mode. Use NVIDIA Reflex where the game has it. Otherwise the driver can help: NVIDIA Control Panel, Manage 3D Settings, Low Latency Mode set to Ultra, or Radeon Anti-Lag in AMD Software. They stop frames queuing up behind the graphics card.
- Play in fullscreen, or for DirectX 10 and 11 games in a window, turn on Optimizations for windowed games in Windows 11: Settings, System, Display, Graphics.
- Run the display at its highest refresh rate. In Windows: Settings, System, Display, Advanced display, Choose a refresh rate. A 144 Hz monitor left at 60 Hz shows each frame later.
- On a TV, turn on Game Mode. Samsung says its Game Mode reduces input lag; other makers' TVs have their own game mode.
- Check the mouse. A gaming mouse at 1,000 Hz sends a report every millisecond. Run the polling rate test to see how steadily reports arrive.
Frame rate and refresh rate in milliseconds
The time between two frames is 1,000 ms divided by the rate. A new frame can only show your click once it is made and on screen, so each step up in rate shortens the wait.
| Frame rate or refresh rate | A new frame every |
|---|---|
| 30 Hz or FPS | 33.3 ms |
| 60 Hz or FPS | 16.7 ms |
| 120 Hz or FPS | 8.3 ms |
| 144 Hz or FPS | 6.9 ms |
| 240 Hz or FPS | 4.2 ms |
| 360 Hz or FPS | 2.8 ms |
The mouse works the same way: at 125 Hz it reports every 8 ms, at 1,000 Hz every 1 ms. Past that, the frame rate and the display usually decide far more of the delay.
Not sure your monitor runs at its full refresh rate? Count the frames with the refresh rate test.
Is it input lag, or something else?
- Enemies jump around, or you snap back to where you were: that is the network (ping, lost packets), not input lag. A wired connection usually helps.
- The pointer freezes or stutters, also on the desktop: that is a connection or interference problem with the mouse. See why a mouse lags or stutters.
- The pointer travels further on fast moves: that is mouse acceleration.
- Everything feels slow only in one game: check that game's frame rate cap, V-Sync and low-latency settings first.
Can a website measure your input lag?
No. A browser can tell when it received your click, but not when the display actually showed the result, so no website can give you an input lag number. Measuring it takes a sensor on the screen or a high-speed camera, such as NVIDIA's Reflex Analyzer on supported monitors. Our reaction time test measures you plus this whole chain: a lower frame rate or a slow TV adds to your time.
Sources: NVIDIA, Introducing NVIDIA Reflex; AMD, How to configure Radeon Chill and Radeon Anti-Lag; Microsoft, Optimizations for windowed games in Windows 11 and Change the refresh rate on your monitor in Windows; Samsung, best settings for gaming on a Samsung TV.