Game Dev Cheat Sheet

Tick Rate and Bandwidth Calculator for Multiplayer Games

Calculate bandwidth requirements for your multiplayer game based on tick rate, packet size, and player count.

Tick rate determines how often your game server sends updates to clients. Higher tick rates feel more responsive but consume more bandwidth and CPU. This calculator helps you find the right balance by showing exactly how much bandwidth each tick rate costs per player, per session, and per month.

30 Hz
1 Hz128 Hz
128 bytes
32 bytes1024 bytes
256 bytes
64 bytes4096 bytes
10
2100

Bandwidth Estimates

Upstream per player
3.75 KB/s
Downstream per player
67.50 KB/s
Total per player
71.25 KB/s
Per player per session
62.62 MB
Server bandwidth per session
626.22 MB
Monthly (1,000 concurrent sessions)
1761245.73 GB

Packet Flow Visualisation

Upstream (client to server)Downstream (server to client)

Recommended Tick Rates by Genre

GenreTick RateNotes
Turn-based1-5 HzState changes only
MMORPG10-20 HzArea of interest filtering essential
Co-op PvE20-30 HzResponsive but forgiving
Action PvP30-60 HzStandard for competitive shooters
Fighting games60 HzFrame-precise input needed
Competitive FPS60-128 HzCS2 uses 64 Hz; some servers run 128 Hz