Have you ever avoided playing your ranked match during peak hours because you knew the internet wouldn’t hold up? If the answer is yes, you are not alone. In a survey conducted by Minha Conexão, in partnership with ExitLag, several habits of online gamers were revealed.
In addition to avoiding playing during peak hours, many players spoke about their main problems—from instability issues to other technical hurdles. Check out the results of the survey conducted by Minha Conexão below, highlighting these habits of online gamers.
The Impact of the Internet on the Habits of Online Gamers
An exclusive survey conducted by Minha Conexão, one of the country’s largest internet speed test platforms, in partnership with ExitLag, pointed out certain habits of online gamers.
It showed that approximately 20% of people (1 in 5) choose specific times of day to play online. The goal? To avoid headaches caused by connection issues.
According to the data, nighttime is the favorite for this strategy, chosen by 10.2% of users. Right behind, the morning comes in with 9.5% of the preference, while the afternoon is the least popular window to “escape the lag,” at just 1.5%.
Approximately 30% of players experience connection instability daily while playing online.
Lag and Disconnections: The Main Villains
For online gamers, every millisecond counts. The survey dove into the main obstacles that ruin the gamer experience. Furthermore, it provided clear explanations for each of them:
- Lag (High Latency) – 33.3%: The undisputed top complaint. Lag occurs when there is a delay in communication between the player’s computer/console and the game server. In competitive gaming, this means your character might react too late.
- Match Disconnections – 27.4%: The frustrating, sudden drop that, in addition to disrupting the match, often results in penalties (temporary bans) within the games.
- Bugs – 16.2%: Flaws in the game’s own programming that disrupt matches, often exacerbated by synchronization issues with the server.
- Freezes or FPS Drops – 12.5%: “Frames Per Second” is tied to hardware performance (Graphics Card, Processor), but many users experience screen freezes and associate them with an unstable network experience.
- Loading Times – 10.7%: Excessive delays when entering matches, which can be caused by both slow storage drives and difficulties downloading data from the server in real time.
Whose Fault Is It? Perception vs. Reality
When a match freezes, fingers are immediately pointed at the ISP. 62.8% of respondents blame the internet for poor performance. In second place, the Wi-Fi signal is cited by 19.8%. This is an important data point, since gaming over Wi-Fi is naturally more unstable than using a network cable (Ethernet).
Game servers themselves (13.3%) and Console or PC limitations (4.3%) complete the list of “culprits.” This illustrates how these problems can negatively impact online gamers’ habits.
The Ultra-High-Speed Paradox in Online Gamers’ Habits
Despite nearly 30% reporting daily problems, the technical data collected by Minha Conexão reveals a surprising scenario. The average speed recorded by survey participants was 358.04 Mbps for download and 235.31 Mbps for upload. In addition, a median latency of just 14 ms was found.
ExitLag highlights that latencies under 20 ms are ideal for high-performance gaming—a standard that has become well-known within online gamers’ habits. After all, the lower the response time, the faster your reaction will be.
Furthermore, Minha Conexão classifies these speeds in the “ultra-high-speed” bracket. This indicates that the problem is often not a lack of raw subscribed bandwidth, but rather technical issues such as:
- Spot latency spikes (jitter)
- Packet loss (packet loss)
- Routing bottlenecks (lag)
The Search for Solutions: Does Switching ISPs Help?
Tired of lag, many gamers open their wallets in search of improvements. The survey reveals the main actions taken:
- Switching Internet Service Provider: 29.4% have already switched broadband companies. Of these, the vast majority (25.6%) were satisfied, but 3.8% state that the problem persisted.
- Replacing the Router: Around 30% invested in a new router seeking signal stability (especially Wi-Fi).
- Hardware Upgrade: To combat freezes and FPS drops, 26.9% upgraded their computer or console and were satisfied, while 2.2% continued to face issues.
Interestingly, the majority still prefer not to tamper with what is “working”: 51.4% have never switched ISPs, and 47.3% have never changed their router.
About the Survey (Methodology)
Conducted in August 2026 by the Minha Conexão platform in partnership with ExitLag, the survey gathered 3,219 responses nationwide. The study has a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 5 percentage points.
Minha Conexão is one of Brazil’s largest internet speed tests, with more than six million monthly visits.
About Minha Conexão
Available in web and mobile versions, Minha Conexão is currently one of the largest internet speed test platforms in the country. The speed test, which has more than six million monthly visits, allows users to freely assess important metrics regarding the quality of their connections.
Such as ping (latency), download speed, and upload speed. Since 2020, the website has been maintained by MelhorPlano.net, a platform specialized in the unbiased comparison of phone and internet plans in Brazil.
