What is the best upload speed for live-streaming games?

Most of us engage with videos from content creators who post on YouTube, Facebook, and other social media platforms. These videos often reach audiences days or weeks after being filmed, and in an edited format.

Live streaming offers content creators the opportunity to put themselves in front of their fans and engage with their responses in real time. Live streams of games are incredibly popular, and you as the creator can even ask the audience questions or get them to help you make decisions. Instantaneous engagement can help professional and aspiring online streamers grow their image and reach new audiences.

Fast and reliable broadband speed is an essential part of a successful stream, whether you stream your games to show your skills to friends, or broadcast popular games to the world. Your broadband connection can be the difference between keeping and losing your audience. Viewership can decline if your stream keeps pausing, lagging, or cutting out.

But how can you make sure your broadband can support gaming and live streaming at the same time? Whether you’re debuting a newly released game, or collaborating with another streamer on a multiplayer game, it ultimately comes down to the upload speed delivered by your broadband. 

What is upload speed?

When live streaming content, you are transmitting data from your network — this is where upload speed comes into play. Upload speed refers to how many bits of data your device can send to the internet per second. You’ll often see this data referred to as ‘bitrate’ or ‘Mbps’.

Download speed is the opposite, where data is transferred to your device from the internet. An example of this would be loading a new game. 

Advertised broadband speeds are not a guaranteed indicator of how fast your upload and download speeds will be. The advertised Mbps or Gbps refers to your speeds over a wired connection, over an Ethernet cable. 

Many providers deliver a much slower upload speed compared to download speeds over WiFi — which leads to your broadband playing catch up with itself. This is less than ideal for content creators who rely on fast uploads to stream videos directly to all their viewers, possibly while playing an online game at the same time. 

Community Fibre broadband packages guarantee symmetrical speeds, so you can stream in the highest quality while maintaining a reliable connection.

Live streaming on different platforms

Whatever platform you choose, the ideal upload speed will depend on the frame rate and resolution you want to stream in for the best quality. 

• Frame rate - how many images (or frames) can be shown within one second. The higher the frame rate, the smoother the visuals appear. Frame rate is measured in frames-per-second (fps). To give you an idea of how frame rates differ depending on content type, video games are often 60 fps while movies and shows on TV are usually 30 fps.

• Resolution - how many pixels are within each frame. The more pixels, the more details can be seen. You might see this displayed as (p), such as 720p, which means 720 pixels will be within each frame.

As a general guide, having an additional 5 Mbps of speed acts as a contingency during speed fluctuations. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the minimum upload speed suggestions for popular streaming platforms:

Streaming on Twitch

Twitch is an absolute must for anyone who wants to get serious about streaming games.

When you stream gameplay on Twitch, you’ll likely use a PC or laptop for your regular streams. These devices will allow you to make use of a wired connection, so definitely get hold of an Ethernet cable if you don't have one already to optimise your bitrate. 

You can also use your phone to stream on Twitch, ideal for giving your viewers a quick on-the-go update.

Your viewers will appreciate good quality video. Ideally, you should stream in HD, which uses a resolution of 1080p and 60 fps. This quality requires a minimum of 6 Mbps per second — if we take our 5 Mbps of extra speed in case of fluctuations into account, this brings our optimum upload speed to 11 Mbps. 

See the minimum upload speeds from Twitch:

1080p resolution with a frame rate of 60 fps
Minimum upload speed: 6 Mbps

1080p resolution with a frame rate of 30 fps
Minimum upload speed: 4.5 Mbps

720p resolution with a frame rate of 60 fps
Minimum upload speed: 4.5 Mbps

720p resolution with a frame rate of 30 fps
Minimum upload speed: 3 Mbps

Refer to Twitch’s broadcasting guidelines for full details on video and audio quality. Twitch’s Creator Camp has a lot of resources to help you get set up for streaming, so be sure to check it out to make sure you have all your bases covered.

Streaming on YouTube Live

Live streaming on YouTube is possible at pretty much any quality, thanks to clever transcoding that optimises the viewer’s experience automatically. 

YouTube helpfully provides recommendations for a broad range of video quality levels — though it may be best to aim for around 1080 (60 fps) as this will provide the best balance for your audience and your broadband. 

Streaming in this HD quality will require a minimum upload of 4 Mbps. Adding our 5 Mbps contingency, this brings the optimal speed to 9 Mbps.

See the minimum upload speeds from YouTube Live:

• 2160p resolution with a frame rate of 60 fps
  Minimum upload speed: 10 Mbps
• 2160p resolution with a frame rate of 30 fps
  Minimum upload speed: 8 Mbps
• 1440p resolution with a frame rate of 60 fps
  Minimum upload speed: 6 Mbps
• 1440p resolution with a frame rate of 30 fps
  Minimum upload speed: 5 Mbps
• 1080p resolution with a frame rate of 60 fps
  Minimum upload speed: 4 Mbps
• 1080p resolution with a frame rate of 30 fps
  Minimum upload speed: 3 Mbps
• 720p resolution with a frame rate of 60 fps
  Minimum upload speed: 3 Mbps
• 720p resolution with a frame rate of 30 fps
  Minimum upload speed: 3 Mbps

Refer to YouTube’s guidelines for detailed information on live streaming from any device.

Streaming on Facebook Live

Facebook Live streams tend to be slightly lower quality than other streaming platforms, but if you aim for around 1080p and 60 fps, this should be similar to quality delivered elsewhere. To achieve this quality, you’ll need a minimum upload speed of 4.5 Mbps. 

If we add 5 Mbps to allow for any speed challenges, this brings it up to 9.5 Mbps — similar to YouTube Live.

See the minimum upload speeds from Facebook Live:

• 1080p resolution with a frame rate of 60 fps
  Minimum upload speed: 4.5 Mbps
• 1080p resolution with a frame rate of 30 fps
  Minimum upload speed: 3 Mbps
• 720p resolution with a frame rate of 60 fps
  Minimum upload speed: 2.5 Mbps
• 720p resolution with a frame rate of 30 fps
  Minimum upload speed:  > 1 Mbps
• 480p resolution with a frame rate of 30 fps
  Minimum upload speed: > 1 Mbps
• 360p resolution
  Minimum upload speed: > 1 Mbps

Refer to Facebook’s guidelines to see their full technical requirements for live streaming, in addition to content requirements and policies.

Streaming on TikTok Live

TikTok doesn’t have any specific minimum upload speed recommendations for live videos. However, your TikTok Live streams will likely be from a smartphone or a tablet rather than a PC or laptop.

 It’s safe to assume that if your broadband speed is enough for live streaming your games from a computer, it should have no trouble handling your mobile updates, which will be much shorter and less intense. 

How can I improve my live stream quality?

Don’t settle for poor quality. There’s a lot you can check, optimise, and test to find the best setup for your streams. Try some of our tips:

Test your current speeds

Check your upload speeds before attempting live streaming to avoid any video disasters. A simple online speed test tool will let you know your upload and download speed, as well as ping and jitter, which could affect your overall gaming experience.

Choose a wired Ethernet connection

Upload and download speeds are much faster over a wired connection. When streaming your content, consider using an Ethernet cable for a more reliable connection with guaranteed speeds.

 Plug an Ethernet cable into the back of your WiFi router, and simply plug it into your PC or laptop. Most PCs should have this port available, though newer laptops might not — but you can easily get an adapter to enable this connection.

Reduce the pressure on your bandwidth

Your broadband speed is spread across all connected devices in your household — this is called bandwidth. While streaming, it would be beneficial to disconnect unused devices from the WiFi network so your streaming device can get a bigger portion of the bandwidth available.

Keep software and hardware updated

Your computer and devices should be able to cope with running high-quality video and fast-paced games, in addition to streaming. These are quite heavy demands, so it’s important to keep software updated.

Your PC and laptop should also be able to run the latest software. If you haven’t had a new computer since dial up internet was around, it’s definitely time to get an upgrade! 

Try a cloud-based streaming service

Consider utilising a multistreaming cloud based services, such as Restream and Streamlab. Multistreaming platforms reduce the pressure on your bandwidth and CPU, which is ideal if your broadband is struggling to keep up with your rapid gameplay. 

Additionally, these services allow you to broadcast your streams onto several platforms at once. Instead of choosing one primary platform to be live on, or doing several streams across different platforms, you can stream onto multiple platforms at the same time. Reaching new and existing audiences in this way could really be a gamechanger for anyone serious about making a name for themselves through streaming games.

Switch to a more reliable provider

If your current broadband just can’t support your streaming dream, it could be time to switch to a new provider that values reliability and speed.

For streamers based in London, Surrey or Sussex, we offer fast and reliable broadband at unbeatable prices. Our full fibre broadband delivers symmetrical upload and download speeds, 99.9% uptime, and no slowdown periods to keep your live streams up and running. 

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