Valorant is one of the most popular online tactical first-person shooter games that require a stable and fast internet connection to provide a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience. However, if you're experiencing network lag, high ping, and packet loss while playing Valorant on Windows 11, it can be frustrating and ruin your gaming experience. These issues can be caused by a variety of factors, including your internet connection, computer settings, or the game's servers. Fortunately, there are several effective methods you can try to fix these issues and improve your gameplay. In this article, we'll guide you through some practical tips and tricks to help you overcome network lag, high ping, and packet loss issues in Valorant on Windows 11, so you can enjoy your gaming sessions without any interruptions.

Verify the Riot Service Status

Verify the Riot service status page to ensure your network issues are unrelated to the server you are playing on. On the page, click Valorant and select your region and language before clicking on Continue. You can then preview current messages for server issues and recently closed ones.

1 riot games service status.jpg — Riot Games Service Status

Test your Internet Connection

If you feel the issue is related to your network connection, then test your connection by visiting Speedtest.net. A normal Up & Download speed, without interruption, is important for a stable gaming experience. Especially your ping should remain below 100ms. Make sure to account for any VPN service running on your system. Or turn off your VPN while in-game. Use an ethernet cable to ensure the best possible connection. If you have to use a Wifi connection, restart your router or modem if you haven't done this in a while, and reduce the number of devices connected to the same network.

End Network-Intensive Processes

Open up your Task Manager by searching for it in your Start Menu search. In the Performance tab, click on Open Resource Monitor. In the Network tab, open the Processes with network activity, and after a few seconds, you will see every process using your network connection. This might be your browser running in the background, Steam, or a download bottlenecking your connection. We suggest you only end the processes you know won't break your operating system.

Resource Monitor > Network > Processes with Network Activity

Windows Command Prompt

Open up your Command Prompt, by searching for CMD and hitting enter. Use the following commands:

ping google.com

This command will check your latency and packet loss to google's servers. If your ping is higher than 100ms, or if you encounter any packet loss, you should make a few changes to your connection and follow the subsequent tweaks.

ipconfig /flushdns

This will flush and reset the content of your DNS resolver cache. Using this command can fix network-related issues with Valorant. If you still have latency and lag issues, then you should verify your connection to your ISP and ensure you are using a decent data plan. For example, you can troubleshoot this step by switching your connection to your personal hotspot.

Change the DNS Server Addresses

Change your DNS server addresses, if your network connection still causes the problem. Open your Control Panel by searching for it in your start menu search. Make sure to View by: Category, and click on Network and Internet.

Click on Network and Sharing Center, and here select your connection. This will open up this window, containing general information about your connection. Navigate to Properties, and lastly, double-click the Internet Protocol Version 4. Select to Use the following DNS server addresses option, and as your Preferred DNS server, use: 8.8.8.8, and as your Alternate DNS server, use: 8.8.4.4. This will fix network-related issues when playing Valorant, as these are the official public DNS server addresses from Google, which are safe to use.

Update Network Adapter Driver

We suggest updating your Network Adapter’s driver to further troubleshoot network-related problems. To do so, search for Device Manager in your start menu search to open it up. Expand your Network Adapters, right-click the one you are using, and select Update Driver. Finally, click on Search automatically for drivers. This will take a second to download and install the latest Network Adapter driver.

Device Manager > Network Adapters > Update Driver

Windows Operating System Update

Ensure your Windows 11 version is up to date. Search for Update to open up your Search for Updates system settings window. Your settings will open up. Click on Check for Updates, Download or Install Now, and restart your PC after making all of these changes to your OS.

End 3rd-Party Applications

If you still get network-related issues, then you most likely have software running on your system, hindering you from playing Valorant. To fix this, I suggest ending processes from running in your Task Manager of recently installed programs that can change your files or use up your available resources, such as OBS, Shadowplay, CCleaner, or Adobe applications, to troubleshoot which program is causing the issue.