Whats a Good Upload Speed for Game Server

Intro

Alive streaming requires two things: powerful hardware and a practiced cyberspace upload speed.

You can find hardware that handles encoding for live video (and playing video games simultaneously) in a smartphone or a decent reckoner. Getting a good upload speed for streaming is trickier.

Before yous start calling your Isp to ask about more bandwidth, yous need to know what a good upload speed for streaming is. Unfortunately, in that location'southward no straightforward answer to this question.

A skillful upload speed allows y'all to stream the content you want to the platform of your option without any major issues. It should as well be capable of delivering your content at a quality that will non disadvantage you or make your stream less appealing than others.

Basically, anything between 672 kbps and 61.5 Mbps is ideal.

A good upload speed for streaming is between 672 kbps and 61.5 Mbps

Not a great answer, right? At that place are some more often than not accustomed values for good upload speeds, which are worth knowing. But nosotros'll too dig a flake deeper to discover a practiced upload speed for your item live stream needs.

🤓 Understanding download/upload speeds

What do y'all call up people do the about online? We know that the most popular website in the world is Google. It's followed past YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia. So that's one search engine, an encyclopedia, two social networks, and a video platform/social network.

People eat content online. They seek information technology out, place information technology, and then read, listen, or lookout man it. To be able to practise that, their devices need to ingest data, which comes to them in the form of bits. Your internet connection's download rate shows yous how many bits of data your computer or device can take in from the internet using that connectedness. Usually, the charge per unit (also referred to as bitrate) is expressed in millions of bits — or megabits — per second (Mbps).

It's your connection'southward upload rate that matters the most.

When y'all create content and desire to share information technology online, it'south your connection'southward upload rate that matters the most. Information technology'south the same as the download rate; it only works the other way around, showing how many bits of information you tin can share per second. It's too expressed in Mbps. Data shows that, globally, upload rates are slower than download rates.

👀 What is a good upload speed for streaming?

Streaming alive video can have up a lot of bandwidth. Merely how much will depend on several factors. Encoding matters, simply and then does the type of content you want to stream. Platforms play a function, as exercise the resolution (expressed in pixels, or p) and the frame rate (frames per 2nd, or fps) of your stream.

Say you desire to live stream a video of yourself interviewing someone. You're choosing between Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and Twitch. Since all these platforms support live streaming video resolution of 720p, we'll apply the bitrate recommendations from each platform:

Facebook Live recommends a max bitrate of four,000 kbps, plus a max audio bitrate of 128 kbps.
YouTube Live recommends a range betwixt i,500 and 4,000 kbps for video, plus 128 kbps for sound.
Twitch recommends a range between two,500 and 4,000 kbps for video, plus up to 160 kbps for audio.

If you're streaming live video at a resolution of 720p, at xxx frames per second, you volition upload up to 4,160 kilobits, or four.xvi Mbps, of data per second. And so having an upload bandwidth of around 4 Mbps should cover you, right?

Not quite. You will need to upload up to 4,160 kilobits of information per 2d constantly. Considering these speeds fluctuate, it'due south a expert idea to have a 35% to 40% buffer. That puts us at an upload rate of around 5,700 kilobits per 2nd, or v.seven Mbps. However, if yous are sure your internet connexion is stable, such a buffer might non be needed. Recollect, a stable connection is as of import every bit upload speed!

It's generally a good idea to have a 35% to 40% buffer

For diverse reasons, your Isp's declared upload bandwidth and the bodily upload speed you tin achieve with your connection can exist very dissimilar. That's why you should e'er exam your upload speed using online speed tests. The number you get from these tests should be up to v.7 Mbps if you want to stream 720p video at 30 frames per 2d.

Read later on: The only multistreaming guide you'll ever need 📍

💁‍♂️ The many variables affecting upload speed requirements

The 5.7 Mbps upload speed for 720p video at xxx frames per second is the upper limit. Y'all can yet live stream 720p video with a lower upload speed. If the whole video is a single shot of you talking, 4,000 kbps might be too high of a bitrate. Yous would probably be fine if yous reduced information technology by one-half.

If, on the other hand, y'all desire to stream video games or events with tons of visual information, iv,000 kbps is necessary. The faster the footstep of the visuals, the higher your bitrate should exist. The type of content you stream affects what a good upload speed is for you.

Let'south stay with video games. If you're streaming games with fast-paced action, you should ensure that your viewers see what'south going on every bit clearly as possible. You might want to stream at more than thirty frames per 2nd.

However, more frames per second requires a college bitrate. For Twitch, it pushes the range for 720p video to between iii,500 and 5,000 kbps. YouTube Live recommends ii,250 to 6,000 Kbps. When you cistron in these requirements, that's a 6.2 Mbps upload speed for Twitch and 7.4 Mbps for YouTube Live if you want to stream 720p video at sixty frames per second. Also, keep in mind that these are but the highest optimal values.

A skillful upload speed for your alive streaming will vary from one platform to some other.

On Facebook, beginning streamers can only stream upwardly to 720p video, then there's no need to have more than v Mbps. In order to live stream Full Hd videos, you need to employ for their Level Up chapter program.

Twitch allows up to 1080p video at 60 frames per 2nd. Yous'll need an upload speed of upwardly to seven.4 Mbps to support that.

YouTube Alive supports 4k live streaming at 60 frames per 2d. It recommends a bitrate in the range of 20,000 to 51,000 kbps. You'd need an upload speed of 68.8 Mbps to pull that off. That'south simply higher up the boilerplate upload speed in the District of Columbia, the area with the highest median upload speed in the United States.

Finally, your competitors might bear upon your upload speed requirements. Twitch and YouTube are crowded with streamers trying to use the platforms to generate income. If you're streaming too, you cannot afford to fall behind on video quality. Better quality requires higher upload speeds, and so the competition will somewhen push you to increase your upload charge per unit.

🤩 What upload speeds should I be aiming for?

With all these variables in mind, you lot shouldn't ask what a "skilful" upload speed is. Instead, it's better to enquire which speed y'all should aim for in your circumstances.

Which bitrates and corresponding upload rates do the iii major streaming platforms advise streamers to apply? We'll segment by platform, resolution, and frames per second, where applicative.

Facebook Alive:

Recommended max bitrate of 4,000 kbps for video.
Recommended audio bitrate is upward to 128 kbps.
Maximum resolution is 1080p, with sixty frames reproduced per second. Aim for an upload speed of half-dozen to 7 Mbps (although Facebook limits nearly accounts to 720p resolution).
For 720p video at thirty or 60 frames per 2d, aim for an upload speed of roughly 3 to iv Mbps.

Twitch:

For 720p video at 30 frames per 2nd, bitrate should be between ii,500 and 4,000 kbps. That requires upload speeds between iii.two Mbps and 5 Mbps.
For 720p video at 60 frames per second, the bitrate should exist between 3,500 and 5,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 4.4 Mbps and 6.two Mbps.
For 1080p video at 30 frames per 2nd, the bitrate should be 3,500 to 5,000 kbps – aforementioned as for 720p video at lx fps. The required upload speeds are the same also, between 4.4 Mbps and 6.2 Mbps.
For 1080p video at 60 frames per 2nd, the recommended bitrate is betwixt 4500 and 6000 kbps. The required upload speeds are betwixt v.half dozen Mbps and 7.iv Mbps.

YouTube:

For 720p video at thirty frames per 2d, the range is i,500 to four,000 kbps. That'south an upload speed between roughly two Mbps and v Mbps.
For 720p video at threescore frames per 2d, the range is 2,250 to half dozen,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between ii.ix Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.
For 1080p video at 30 frames per 2nd, the bitrate range is 3,000 to half-dozen,000 kbps. Required upload speeds are between 3.viii Mbps and 7.4 Mbps.
For 1080p video at 60 frames per second, the bitrate range is iv,500 to 9,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that means betwixt 5.vi Mbps and 11 Mbps.
For 1440p video at thirty frames per second, the bitrate range is 6,000 to 13,000 kbps. That's between 7.4 Mbps and 15.8 Mbps in recommended upload speeds.
For 1440p video at sixty frames per second, the range is nine,000 to 18,000 kbps. In upload speeds, that's between eleven Mbps and 21.8 Mbps.
If you lot really want to live stream 4k video, doing it at thirty frames per second volition require a bitrate between 13,000 and 34,000 kbps. In terms of upload speed, that's 15.8 Mbps and 41 Mbps.
To stream 4k video at lx frames per second, the recommended bitrate range is 20,000 to 51,000 kbps. You'll demand an upload speed between 24.2 Mbps and 61.five Mbps.

As you tin can see, YouTube offers the highest-quality live streaming. Facebook is the almost attainable, while Twitch is still the gamer's haven.

What is a good upload speed for streaming on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch?

👉 How to get a good upload speed for streaming

Calculating your desired upload speed is one thing, simply getting access to that speed is something completely different.

The upload speed you can achieve depends on the service packages your Isp offers. For residential users, the download speed will always be higher than the upload speed. The all-time way to become symmetry betwixt the ii is to sign up for a business organization-level service if possible. Information technology will guarantee yous the Internet service provider's alleged upload speed at whatsoever time. This, in turn, provides stability and reliability to ensure smooth live streams.

In terms of sheer speed, the proficient news is that cyberspace connections are condign faster beyond the board. Technologies such as fiber-optic internet are bringing college speeds to your workplace or dwelling house — if fiber is offered in your expanse, that is.

So, the first pace in obtaining a good upload speed for streaming is to switch to an Internet access provider that offers the speed you need. Be prepared to pay more for more speed, though. Besides, brand sure y'all inquire around about the quality of their service.

If you're stuck with a provider that offers suboptimal speeds, yous can still practise a couple of things to improve your situation:

Get a wired connection. Your WiFi might be groovy when it comes to watching YouTube videos on your smartphone or checking social media. But when alive streaming, a wired connexion with an ethernet cable is ameliorate. It gives yous less interference and more stability, which leads to better stream quality.
Remove excess devices from your network. You lot don't want your internet connection to be crowded when you start streaming. Don't permit any other device hog your upload speed, and disconnect them from your network or plow off their WiFi capabilities during your stream.
Shut excess programs and apps on your computer. The just thing that should be uploading when you lot stream is your encoder. Peer-to-peer networking has probably ruined its fair share of alive streams, and so wait until you lot're off the air.
Use cloud-based multistreaming. Multistreaming, or streaming live to several platforms at the same fourth dimension, is incredibly useful for content creators. It helps attain new audiences, saves time, and offers slap-up tools from various platforms. Unfortunately, it tin also be demanding on your CPU and bandwidth. To bargain with it, use a cloud-based multistreaming service to acquit some of that load.
Remove malware; utilize ad blockers and privacy tools. Malware, ads, and online tracking tin use up some of your upload bandwidth. Remove, stop, or cake whatsoever of these speed-leeching undesired programs.
Use up-to-date software and hardware. Former drivers can deadening your figurer down, and old modems tin bottleneck your upload speed. Make sure your hardware and software are up to the task of streaming live video.

🔥 How to stream with a depression upload speed

With Restream Events, yous tin bypass the upload speed inconveniences. How? Our feature allows you to upload your pre-recorded videos, schedule them, and set them to get live later equally if they were regular streams. With this method, your upload speed doesn't matter. After yous upload your video, Restream volition broadcast it at the scheduled fourth dimension automatically, so y'all don't fifty-fifty have to be online.

Larn more than 👉 Restream Events: Everything yous demand to know

Bonus tip: Thanks to our multistreaming technology, you can schedule and live stream your pre-recorded content to top platforms, like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and more, all at the same time.

restream

Multiply your views and engagement

Attain a wider audience by streaming to multiple platforms simultaneously.

Become Started

Conclusion

As a live video streamer, the quality of your content will depend on the quality of your broadcast. That's a fact. You can have the all-time skills in the virtually popular games, or the all-time banter, or the greatest humor. But if people can't come across and hear you well, they're not going to stick around to lookout your stream.

Upload speeds tin can significantly affect the quality of your broadcasts. Utilise a connexion with enough upload speed for the type of content you circulate.

Think, yous shouldn't go for the highest possible upload speed by default. Yous only need information technology if yous're planning to stream at a very high bitrate. A good upload speed is the one that's appropriate for your goals.