8 Tips for Improving Reaction Time in Video Games

How fast are your reflexes when you are playing your favorite video games? Whether you are trying to speed up precision shots in an FPS game or solve timed puzzles faster, you might be wanting to work on your reflexes. How can you go about improving reaction time in video games? Here are some ideas for boosting your performance.

1. Warm up your hands.

If you are trying to play games when your hands are cold, your reaction time is going to be slower because your muscles are going to be stiffer.

Try and warm up your hands before a video game session whenever possible if you are gaming on a really cold day.

2. Remove distractions from your environment.

Something else that can reduce your reaction time is a distracting, chaotic environment. Distractions pull you out of the zone, reducing your focus and responsiveness to in-game events.

So, if you want to perform at your best, game in a controlled environment that is free of distractions. Turn the lights off or keep the lighting low, and think about putting on some noise-canceling headphones.

3. Make sure you are fully alert.

Get plenty of sleep each night if you want to have fast reflexes the following day. Maintain a consistent sleep schedule, going to bed and getting up at the same time every day.

If you are still feeling lethargic, you can either wait to game until you are more alert, or you can try to wake yourself up. Doing a few minutes of exercise or drinking a cold glass of water might help. You can also go outside in the sunshine for a few hours if it is daytime.

4. Practice the games you want to get good at.

One of the most obvious ways to improve your reflexes in your favorite video games is just to play those games more.

While you are playing them, don’t be completely casual about it. Take mental notes. For example, if you are playing a timed puzzle game that tests your reflexes, do you get better results if you always act a fraction of a second earlier than you think you need to? You may find little tricks to improve your reaction times.

Alternately, let’s say you are playing a first person shooter game. As you improve at other aspects of the game, you may free up the mental resources you need to react faster to threats in the moment.

5 Play other games that can help you train your reflexes.

Along with playing your usual games to practice, you can also hone your reflexes by playing different types of games.

One great example is bingo at online casinos. Wondering where you can play? Check out the best online bingo games to find fun opportunities to improve your reflexes. Research shows that playing bingo also can enhance cognitive capabilities.

When you play bingo offline, you manually daub the numbers as you go. What about when you play bingo at an online casino? In many cases, it is up to you. There is a feature called “auto-daub” that can do it for you. But using that feature takes the challenge out of online bingo. If you switch off the auto-daub feature, you can practice improving your concentration and reaction times.

In fact, you can even juggle a number of cards as you improve to give yourself more of a challenge. Each time you feel like you have mastered a certain number of cards, you can try adding another.

There are numerous bingo games you can play online, giving you a lot of variety to choose from. So, check out what is available at casino sites. Not only will playing bingo help you enhance your reflexes, but it may also become a new hobby that you love.

6.  Improve eye-hand coordination.

What slows down reaction times when you are playing video games? Well, part of it can just be natural slow reflexes, fatigue, or a distracting environment—but sometimes it is that you are struggling to line up the perfect shot.

Do activities that help you improve your eye-hand coordination. Some might be video games. Others might be sports. The easier it is for you to take aim accurately and precisely, the faster you will be able to react in video games.

7. Get the right technology.

A high quality monitor can boost your reaction time over a low quality monitor. The same is true of your peripherals and the quality of their connections to your computer or console. So, consider upgrading your technology if you think it might help. You can’t react quickly if your technology can’t do the same.

8. Keep cool, level-headed, and patient.

One last tip for keeping your reaction time fast is to maintain a level state of mind. You don’t want to be lethargic while gaming, but you do want to be fairly relaxed. And in some contexts, you may even need to be patient.

If you are tense and on edge the whole time, you are far more likely to lag in your reactions when it is time to take a shot. But if you are calm and in the zone, you will be able to react rapidly when opportunity presents itself.

With Practice, You Can Speed Up Your Reaction Times While Gaming

You now have a number of ideas for what you can do to speed up your reflexes and react more quickly when playing video games.

Some aspects are physical, like being more alert and making sure your hands are warm. Others are mental, like making sure your head is in the game and you are relaxed and focused. Still others involve playing games like bingo that help train reflexes.

Regardless, the key to improving reaction time in video games is consistency and dedication. Over time and with practice, you may be surprised by what you can accomplish in your favorite games.