Multiplayer Tick Rate and Bandwidth Calculator for Unity
Calculate bandwidth requirements for your multiplayer game based on tick rate, packet size, and player count.
Tick rate is the frequency of server simulation updates. This estimate assumes each client sends and receives data once per tick, using the total bytes per direction you enter. Real send rates can differ from simulation tick rate. Include protocol overhead in the byte counts; monthly traffic assumes 1,000 sessions running continuously for 30 days.
30 Hz
1 Hz128 Hz
128 bytes
32 bytes1024 bytes
256 bytes
64 bytes4096 bytes
10
2100
Bandwidth Estimates
Upstream per player
3.84 KB/s
Downstream per player
7.68 KB/s
Total per player
11.52 KB/s
Per player per session
10.37 MB
Server bandwidth per session
103.68 MB
Monthly (1,000 concurrent sessions)
298598.40 GB
Packet Flow Visualisation
Upstream (client to server)Downstream (server to client)
Recommended Tick Rates by Genre
| Genre | Tick Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Turn-based | 1-5 Hz | State changes only |
| MMORPG | 10-20 Hz | Area of interest filtering essential |
| Co-op PvE | 20-30 Hz | Responsive but forgiving |
| Action PvP | 30-60 Hz | Standard for competitive shooters |
| Fighting games | 60 Hz | Frame-precise input needed |
| Competitive FPS | 60-128 Hz | Choose a rate using latency and server-load measurements |
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Frequently asked questions
What tick rate should my multiplayer game use?
Turn-based or slow-paced PvE: 5-10 Hz. MMOs and casual co-op: 15-20 Hz. Action games and shooters: 30-60 Hz. Competitive shooters: 60-128 Hz. Higher tick rates feel more responsive but cost proportionally more bandwidth and CPU per player.
How do I calculate bandwidth per player?
Multiply tick rate (Hz) by average packet size (KB) by 2 (one direction in, one direction out) by session length in seconds. A 30 Hz shooter at 1.5 KB packets uses about 90 KB/s per player, or roughly 5.4 MB per minute, in each direction.
Does a higher tick rate always mean better gameplay?
Higher tick rates can reduce simulation latency, but the benefit depends on the game and network conditions. Traffic grows with send rate when packet size stays constant; compute cost depends on the workload and spare capacity. Doubling tick rate does not necessarily double the bill.
How do tick rate and frame rate interact in Unity?
Frame rate is local rendering; tick rate is network simulation steps per second. They are independent. Run physics in FixedUpdate at your network tick rate (set Time.fixedDeltaTime to 1f / tickRate) so simulation matches what you send to clients.
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