Best DNS Servers for Gaming: Lower Ping Fast

Why DNS Affects Your Gaming Ping

Every time you connect to a game server, your device first has to resolve a domain name into an IP address. That lookup goes through your DNS server. If you’re still using your ISP’s default DNS — which most people are — you’re probably hitting servers that are slow, overloaded, and geographically far from you. That overhead adds latency before your game data even starts moving.

This isn’t a massive fix for everyone, but for a lot of players it’s a genuine 10–30ms improvement with zero cost and about 90 seconds of work. In games like Warzone, Valorant, or Rocket League where sub-50ms ping is the difference between a clean shot and a desync death, that matters.

The Best DNS Servers for Gaming in 2024

These are the specific values to use. Test each one — the best choice depends on your location and ISP.

Cloudflare DNS — 1.1.1.1

Primary DNS: 1.1.1.1
Secondary DNS: 1.0.0.1
Average response time: 11ms globally

Cloudflare is consistently the fastest DNS resolver in independent benchmarks. Their network has over 300 data centers worldwide, which means the lookup happens close to you almost everywhere. This is the one I’d set first and test before trying anything else.

Google Public DNS — 8.8.8.8

Primary DNS: 8.8.8.8
Secondary DNS: 8.8.4.4
Average response time: 20–25ms globally

Google DNS is reliable and well-distributed. It’s not always the fastest, but it’s one of the most stable options available. If 1.1.1.1 gives you inconsistent results, try 8.8.8.8 as your primary.

OpenDNS — 208.67.222.222

Primary DNS: 208.67.222.222
Secondary DNS: 208.67.220.220
Average response time: 25–35ms

OpenDNS is owned by Cisco and has solid uptime. It’s particularly good if you’re in North America. It also includes optional content filtering, which doesn’t affect gaming performance either way.

Quad9 — 9.9.9.9

Primary DNS: 9.9.9.9
Secondary DNS: 149.112.112.112
Average response time: 15–20ms

Quad9 blocks malicious domains at the DNS level, which adds a small layer of security. Performance is solid, particularly in Europe. Worth testing if you’re in the EU and Cloudflare isn’t giving you the numbers you expected.

How to Change DNS on PC (Windows 11 and Windows 10)

This takes about 60 seconds. Do it at the network adapter level, not just in your browser settings.

Open Settings → Network and Internet → Advanced network settings
Click on your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
Scroll down and click Edit next to DNS server assignment
Switch the dropdown from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual
Toggle on IPv4
Set Preferred DNS to 1.1.1.1
Set Alternate DNS to 1.0.0.1
Click Save

After saving, open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /flushdns to clear your old DNS cache. Then run ping 1.1.1.1 to confirm you’re getting responses under 20ms on a wired connection.

How to Change DNS on PS5

Go to Settings → Network → Settings → Set Up Internet Connection
Select your current Wi-Fi or LAN connection and press Options
Choose Advanced Settings
Set DNS Settings to Manual
Primary DNS: 1.1.1.1
Secondary DNS: 1.0.0.1
Leave MTU on Automatic and Proxy Server on Do Not Use
Save and run the connection test

The PS5 connection test doesn’t show ping directly, but check your NAT Type — you want Type 2. If you’re getting Type 3 after the change, the DNS swap didn’t cause it; check your router’s UPnP settings instead.

How to Change DNS on Xbox Series X and Series S

Press the Xbox button → Profile and System → Settings
Go to General → Network settings → Advanced settings
Select DNS settings → Manual
Primary DNS: 1.1.1.1
Secondary DNS: 1.0.0.1
Press B to save, then run a full network test

Xbox actually shows you a latency figure in the network test results. Before you change DNS, write down your current number. After changing, run the test again and compare. Most players see a 5–20ms improvement on the Xbox network test when switching away from ISP default DNS.

How to Change DNS on Your Router (Best Option for All Devices)

If you change DNS at the router level, every device on your network gets the benefit automatically — including your PC, console, phone, and anything else connected. This is the cleaner approach.

Open a browser and go to your router’s admin panel. Common addresses: 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, or 10.0.0.1
Log in — the default username and password are usually printed on a sticker on the router itself
Find the DNS settings. This is usually under WAN, Internet, or Advanced settings depending on your router brand
On ASUS routers: WAN → WAN DNS Setting → Connect to DNS Server Automatically → No → Enter 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
On Netgear routers: Advanced → Setup → Internet Setup → Use These DNS Servers
On TP-Link routers: Advanced → Network → Internet → DNS
Save and reboot the router

How to Test If the DNS Change Actually Helped

Don’t guess — measure it. Here’s how to get a real before-and-after comparison.

On Windows

Open Command Prompt and run: nslookup google.com — this shows which DNS server handled the lookup and how fast it responded. Then run ping 8.8.8.8 -n 20 to get a 20-packet average ping to Google’s servers. Do this before and after the DNS change and compare the numbers.

Still lagging after trying everything?

WTFast reroutes your game traffic through optimized servers — cutting ping by 30-50% for most players.

Start Your Free WTFast Trial →

Using DNS Benchmark Tools

Download DNS Benchmark by GRC (free, Windows) and run a full nameserver benchmark. It tests over 70 DNS servers from your location and ranks them by actual response time. This tells you definitively which server is fastest for your specific ISP and region — the answer isn’t always Cloudflare.

In-Game Testing

In Valorant, open the settings and check your ping counter under Video → Statistics. In Call of Duty, enable the network debug info in settings. In Apex Legends, the ping display is in Performance settings. Write down your average ping on your usual servers before and after the DNS change to see the real-world impact.

What DNS Cannot Fix

DNS changes affect the lookup phase of your connection, not the actual game data routing. If your problem is high in-game ping caused by a bad network path between you and the game server — lots of hops, routing through distant data centers, or congested backbone links — DNS won’t touch that. You’ll still see 120ms in Final Fantasy XIV on a North American server if you’re connecting from Southeast Asia, regardless of which DNS you use.

Similarly, DNS does nothing for packet loss caused by a degraded cable, Wi-Fi interference, or ISP throttling. If you’re dropping 5–15% of packets during your Warzone sessions, the DNS server isn’t the problem.

For those situations — bad routing paths, high base latency due to geography, or inconsistent ping spikes caused by inefficient network hops — you need something that actually optimizes the route your game traffic takes, not just the lookup phase.

When Free DNS Fixes Aren’t Enough: Try WTFast

If you’ve changed your DNS, you’re on Ethernet, your ISP isn’t throttling you, and you’re still sitting at 90ms in Lost Ark or getting rubber-banding in New World — the issue is routing. Your game packets are taking an inefficient path through the internet before they reach the game server.

WTFast is a gaming-specific network that routes your traffic through optimized servers to find the fastest path between you and the game server. It works for over 1,000 games including Valorant, World of Warcraft, PUBG, Fortnite, Genshin Impact, and most major online titles. Players regularly report dropping from 140ms to 60ms on cross-region servers after switching to WTFast routing.

It’s not a VPN in the traditional sense — it’s purpose-built for game traffic routing, which is why it works differently than consumer VPNs that often make ping worse. You can test it without paying anything first. Start your WTFast free trial here and run a before-and-after comparison on your worst-performing game server.

Quick Reference: Best DNS Servers for Gaming

Fastest overall: Cloudflare — 1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1
Most reliable: Google — 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4
Best in North America: OpenDNS — 208.67.222.222 / 208.67.220.220
Best in Europe with security filtering: Quad9 — 9.9.9.9 / 149.112.112.112
Best approach: Set DNS at the router level, not just on one device
Always do: Flush DNS cache after changing — run ipconfig /flushdns on Windows

While changing your DNS server can significantly reduce ping, gamers experiencing persistent high latency should also address other network bottlenecks covered in our comprehensive High Ping Fix Guide.

If you’re still experiencing stuttering or connection drops after switching DNS servers, you might be dealing with packet loss issues that require different troubleshooting steps.

If you’re still experiencing high ping after switching DNS servers, you might also need to configure port forwarding for your specific games to ensure optimal connection routing.

If changing DNS servers doesn’t improve your ping as much as expected, you might want to investigate whether your ISP is throttling your gaming traffic, which can cause persistent lag issues even with optimal DNS settings.

Once you’ve optimized your DNS settings, the next logical step is configuring QoS settings on your router to prioritize game traffic over other network activities like streaming or downloads.

While you’re optimizing your DNS settings, don’t overlook the fact that switching from Wi-Fi to a wired Ethernet connection can often make an even bigger difference in reducing your ping times.

If you’re still experiencing connectivity issues after switching DNS servers, your router’s NAT settings might be the culprit—here’s how to fix NAT type issues and get an Open NAT for optimal gaming performance.

While DNS changes can reduce connection delays, sometimes a gaming VPN can actually improve your ping in specific situations where your ISP’s routing is inefficient.

Still lagging after trying everything?

WTFast reroutes your game traffic through optimized servers — cutting ping by 30-50% for most players.

Start Your Free WTFast Trial →

Frequently Asked Questions

Does changing DNS actually reduce ping in games?

It can reduce ping by 10–30ms in some cases, specifically by speeding up the DNS resolution phase of your connection. It won’t reduce in-game latency caused by your physical distance from the server or bad routing paths. Test it — it’s free and takes two minutes, so there’s no reason not to try it.

What is the best DNS server for gaming on PS5?

Set primary DNS to 1.1.1.1 and secondary to 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare) as your starting point. Go to Settings → Network → Settings → Set Up Internet Connection → Advanced Settings → DNS Settings → Manual, and enter those values. Run the connection test before and after to compare.

Is 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 better for gaming?

1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) is faster in most benchmark tests, with an average global response time around 11ms versus 20–25ms for 8.8.8.8 (Google). However, the actual best option depends on your location and ISP. Use DNS Benchmark by GRC to test both from your specific connection and go with whichever gives you lower response times.

Why is my ping still high after changing DNS?

DNS only affects the lookup phase, not the full game connection. If your ping is still high after changing DNS, the issue is the routing path between you and the game server, your physical distance from that server, packet loss on your local network, or ISP congestion. Check for packet loss using ping -n 100 [server IP] in Command Prompt and look for any lost packets in the results.

Can I change DNS on Xbox to reduce lag?

Yes. Go to Settings → General → Network settings → Advanced settings → DNS settings → Manual. Set primary to 1.1.1.1 and secondary to 1.0.0.1. Xbox’s built-in network test will show you a latency figure — compare it before and after the change to see the exact difference. Most Xbox players see a 5–15ms improvement when switching from ISP default DNS.

Best DNS Servers for Gaming: Lower Ping With One Setting Change