How 5G Will Change Gaming in the Near Future

If you keep up with technology news, chances are you’ve heard some lofty claims about 5G. Promises of break-neck speeds and near-zero latency sound perfect for gaming, but when will these changes come? 5G gaming could revolutionize the industry in the future, but what about the next few years?

Thanks to the COVID-19, 5G may not roll out as soon as some would have hoped. Still, even in their early stages, these networks could bring some marked improvements to gaming. You may even notice some of these within the year.

Let’s take a closer look at what 5G gaming will look like in the near future.

Mobile Gaming Becomes a Serious Contender

Traditionally, mobile games haven’t lived up to the standard of the rest of the industry. Limited hardware prevented developers from bringing AAA titles and next-gen experiences to mobile devices. That’s starting to change, and 5G’s improved speeds and latency will push it further.

Xbox recently brought Game Pass to Android phones through Project xCloud, letting mobile users play games like Halo. While this service is impressive, it does have some issues with lag. 5G provides an obvious solution to that problem since it’ll make mobile networks far faster.

With faster, more reliable networks, more developers may be willing to make mobile ports of their games. Mobile enthusiasts could get access to the same titles as console and PC users. 5G gaming would make mobile gaming a more serious side of the industry.

Improved Online Matches

Since 5G applies to cellular networks, mobile users will experience its advantages first. Still, 5G will benefit more than just smartphones as more products include cellular network support to take advantage of 5G. As this happens and more networks improve, online gaming will be better than ever.

Lag has been an issue for online games as long as games have been online. With 5G’s drastic latency reduction, though, lag could become a thing of the past. You could play with friends across the world without worrying that your connection will affect your gameplay.

Game servers themselves will improve, too. Thanks to 5G’s speeds, it won’t take nearly as long to find online matches. You could boot up a game and start playing online almost instantly.

Better, More Reliable Cloud Gaming

Cloud gaming is one of the most exciting developments to come to video games. Right now, unreliable or slow internet connections limit its performance, but 5G will change that. As faster networks start to roll out, cloud gaming will become a more viable replacement for console gaming.

When cloud gaming is more reliable, it will make gaming as a whole more accessible. Right now, if you can’t afford a console, you can’t play the newest games. If you could get the same performance from the cloud, that barrier would become a thing of the past.

Cloud gaming has always had this potential, but it doesn’t always work on today’s networks. Since 5G will bring massive improvements to speed and latency, those problems would disappear. When these networks are more accessible, gaming will be too.

Social Gaming on the Rise

The gaming community has exploded over the past few years, so gaming has become more social. Streaming has a big hand to play in that, and this trend will continue as 5G improves streaming. In the next couple of years, you can expect more involved streaming and multiplayer experiences.

Twitch is the heart of social gaming, with “Just Chatting” being one of the most-watched content types on the site. With faster networks, Twitch can go beyond letting you watch your favorite gamers play. 5G would enable viewers’ input to affect the streamer’s game in real-time.

Think of the iconic Twitch Plays Pokemon experiment, where viewers input commands to influence the game. 5G could make that process easier and more accessible, allowing streamers to give their audience power over their game. It would bring a new, exciting dimension to social gaming.

5G Promises Big Changes for Gaming

It’s hard to say everything that 5G could do for gaming in the long run. The technology is still new, so we don’t know everything it can do yet. Even with our limited knowledge, though, it’s clear that it’ll bring some remarkable changes.

While some of 5G’s changes will take years, some will come sooner. You’ll start seeing the improvements listed here before you know it.