Try shutting down and restarting your game

This can help resolve a situation where you were allocated a different Game Data Center than usual for this session due to an error or an internet issue, potentially resulting in a higher ping than normal.

Try restarting your router

For a variety of reasons, restarting your router can help clear up some common and sudden network problems that could be resulting in slower speeds (higher ping) or network instability (packet loss or jitter).

Check what else is happening on your network

If there are network intensive activities taking place on your connection while you’re playing, this can result in decreased speed (higher ping) or network congestion, potentially leading to packet loss or jitter.

Some of these activities could include downloading large files, streaming HD/4K videos, or using a shared network with a large group of people at the same time.

Play on a wired connection

Playing with a wired connection is almost always going to result in a faster (lower ping) and more stable (less packet loss and jitter) connection than when you are playing on WiFi.

WiFi is much more susceptible to network interference due to the nature of WiFi moving the packets of game data through the air versus them moving through an ethernet cable.

Change your Wi-Fi network connection (band)

If you are unable to use a wired connection, and your router supports it, you can choose between 2.4GHz and 5GHz connections, also known as bands.

2.4GHz connections tend to have longer range, meaning you can sustain a connection further away from your wireless router. But, 2.4GHz generally is slower, potentially leading to higher ping. This band is also used by many other electronic devices, meaning that it is more susceptible to interference, potentially leading to network instability (packet loss and jitter).

5GHz is generally a faster connection (lower ping) and will generally provide a Wi-Fi connection that is less impacted by interference from other electronics and is thus more stable (less packet loss and jitter). But, it does have a reduced range when compared to a 2.4GHz connection. If you can, set up your router as close to where you game as possible.

Ultimately, which setting is right for you will depend on your unique setup.

Change your WiFi channel

If you are playing in an area that has many other WiFi connections or electronic devices, you may end up having overlapping channels, which can lead to slower speeds (higher ping) and network instability (packet loss and jitter).

Changing your WiFi channel to one that doesn’t overlap with others may provide a faster (lower ping) and more stable (less packet loss and jitter) connection.

If you are using the 2.4GHz band, selecting a non-overlapping channel may be your best bet: channels 1, 6, and 11. But in some cases, trial and error may be needed to identify the best option for you.

All of the troubleshooting from the previous section can help here as well.

Check router firmware

Firmware updates can help resolve issues or bugs with your router, so performing an update may resolve some network issues. Follow the steps in your router’s manual for specific instructions for your hardware.  Depending on your router, this can be a highly technical change, so proceed with caution.

Don’t use a VPN

Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to play can cause a variety of networking and connection problems and should not be used.

Enable Quality of Service (QoS) on your router

QoS is an option on some routers that allows you to set up priorities for certain network traffic. Setting this up to prioritize the network traffic from FIFA can help to ensure it goes as fast (lower ping) as possible, and that it’s not impacted by other traffic on the bandwidth (less packet loss and jitter).

If you are sharing your network with others, or are using it for a variety of things at the same time, this can help ensure that you have the appropriate bandwidth available for the game data packets that are required for playing.