Game Over: 78% of Gamers Rage Quit Due to Lag, Says Liquid Web Study

ATLANTA, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Liquid Web, a leader in dedicated servers, WordPress, VPS, GPU, and cloud hosting solutions for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), today announced the release of their latest nationwide study, Latency and Rage-Quitting, which revealed that a staggering 78% of gamers have quit in frustration due to high latency during gameplay, emphasizing the growing urgency for infrastructure upgrades.

To help combat this widespread issue, Liquid Web has also introduced The Gamer's Survival Guide to Beating Lag, a practical checklist designed to help gamers improve their connectivity and performance, based on insights from the study.

As online gaming grows more competitive and fast-paced, low-latency performance is no longer a luxury, it's a requirement. Dedicated gaming servers have become essential for minimizing lag, maintaining smooth gameplay, and keeping players engaged instead of dropping out in frustration.

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👉 Get the Report: Latency and Rage-Quitting

🔎Key Findings from the Report

• 95% of gamers have experienced latency issues while playing.
• Xbox gamers are most likely to rage quit over lag (85%), followed by PlayStation (81%), PC (77%), and Nintendo (72%) users.
• Players of games requiring fast reactions and real-time performance have lower tolerance for latency issues.
• First-person shooter gamers were most affected by latency, followed by battle royale.
• Popular games like Call of Duty (58%), Fortnite (43%), and Counter-Strike 2 (42%) are among the most rage-quit-prone.
• Almost 1 in 5 gamers have missed a new product launch day as a result of latency.
• 16% of gamers report lingering frustration after lag-induced incidents.
• 8% have broken controllers, and 4% have damaged TVs or consoles due to lag-related rage.

Lag Across America

The study was based on a survey of 1,000 gamers across PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo platforms. It found that 100% of gamers in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Austin have experienced lag, emphasizing how widespread latency problems are, regardless of region, platform, or game title.

Who's to Blame?

• 72% blame their internet providers.
• Others point fingers at game developers (14%) and console platforms (10%).
• Average latency tolerance is 45 milliseconds, with PC gamers showing slightly more patience than Xbox users.

The Emotional Fallout

Latency doesn't just affect gameplay, it has a lasting emotional impact too.

• 1 in 4 gamers report frequent anger from lag.
• Gamers report anger lasting an average of 19 minutes post-session.
• Over half (55%) have abandoned a game completely due to latency frustrations.
• 5% of those surveyed have cried as a result of latency.

Solutions & Infrastructure Matter

Rage quitting isn't just an emotional reaction, it's often triggered by technical shortcomings. To combat this and elevate the overall player experience, the report highlights the importance of robust infrastructure solutions, including optimized network configurations and dedicated gaming servers.

Dedicated gaming servers are specifically engineered to meet the demands of modern gamers. By reducing latency and creating a stable, high-performance environment, these servers drastically cut down interruptions and deliver the seamless gameplay today's fast-paced, competitive titles require.

It's also critical for gamers to utilize a dedicated server close to their geographic location, which will reduce the time data travels, minimizing latency.

For game developers and platforms, investing in infrastructure isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. It's the key to sustaining player engagement, building community loyalty, and driving long-term success.

From Frustration to Investment: Gamers Drive Server Market Growth

Liquid Web's recent game study uncovered lag isn't just frustrating, many gamers are willing to invest in high-performance hosting to avoid it. In fact, over 25% of Minecraft players surveyed said they would willingly invest in high-performance hosting to enjoy smoother, more responsive gameplay.

Minecraft players aren't alone. In fact, demand for low-latency, high-performance online gaming experiences has caused the gaming server industry to significantly grow, and it's expected to continue skyrocketing.

Notably, the global game server hosting platform market is projected to reach $1.34 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 11.5% during this period, according to Business Research Insights.

The cloud game server industry is growing exponentially too, projected to grow to $6.5 billion by 2033, with a CAGR of 18.5%, according to Verified Market Reports. This growth is fueled by advancements in cloud computing and the rising demand for scalable, low-latency gaming solutions.

All of this underscores the demand of the overall gaming market, which is projected to surge $665.20 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 10.2%, according to Future Data Stats.

The Backbone of Competitive Play: Why Gamers Need Dedicated Solutions

With the expansion of the gaming industry, dedicated servers will be needed to quell the latency and performance issues that plague gamers today.

The research makes it clear: passionate gamers want performance they can count on. That's why low-latency environments like dedicated gaming servers aren't optional, they're essential for competitive play.

"Latency isn't just a minor tech hiccup, it's a deal-breaker. Gamers want smooth, real-time experiences, and when milliseconds stand between victory and defeat, lag can ruin the entire experience," says Ryan MacDonald, Chief Technology Officer at Liquid Web.

"At Liquid Web, we deliver the high-performance infrastructure gamers and developers need to power seamless, responsive gameplay, backed by industry-leading support and reliability. Our tailored hosting solutions are designed to meet the unique demands of gaming workloads, helping studios and platforms scale effortlessly while maintaining lightning-fast performance."

Liquid Web's dedicated gaming servers are purpose-built to deliver the speed, stability, and low latency modern gamers demand. Optimized for high-intensity multiplayer environments and real-time responsiveness, Liquid Web's infrastructure helps studios and gamers alike overcome the widespread performance issues plaguing the industry, and keeps players in the game, not rage quitting out of it.

To learn more about the performance issues gamers face, read the full study: Latency and Rage-Quitting, and download the Gamer's Survival Guide to Beating Lag, complete with an actionable checklist to cut latency and level up gaming experiences.

For more information on Liquid Web's dedicated game hosting and how it helps gamers maintain peak performance, visit LiquidWeb.com.

About Liquid Web

As a cornerstone of CloudOne Digital, Liquid Web leverages best-in-class infrastructure and cloud capabilities to provide unparalleled support and growth for businesses. Building on 25+ years of success, Liquid Web delivers industry-leading hosting for mission-critical sites, stores, and applications to SMBs and the designers, developers, and agencies who create for them. Liquid Web's expansive global reach and support for nearly 200,000 customers is a testament to its reliability and the trust it has garnered from its customers. Our foundation is built by a world-class team of technology and industry experts dedicated to delivering excellence 24/7/365. As a leader in customer service, the rapidly expanding brand has been recognized among INC. Magazine's 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies for 12 years.

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SOURCE Liquid Web