DNS Gaming Benchmark — User Guide

What the DNS Gaming Benchmark tests

The benchmark measures four properties of each DNS server from your specific network location:

• Latency — average round-trip time in milliseconds. Lower is better. This is the raw speed of DNS resolution.
• Jitter — the standard deviation of latency across multiple test rounds. Lower is better. High jitter means inconsistent response times that create unpredictable connection behaviour.
• Reliability — the server's uptime percentage from our continuous monitoring data. Servers are probed every 72 hours from multiple global locations.
• NXDOMAIN Integrity — whether the server returns honest error responses for non-existent domains. Servers that hijack NXDOMAIN can cause issues with game mod servers, custom server lists, and anti-cheat systems.

The tool tests 24+ public DNS servers including Cloudflare, Google, Quad9, OpenDNS, and regional providers. The server list is refreshed from our live monitoring data.

How to run a benchmark

Open the DNS Gaming Benchmark page. Click Start Benchmark (or press R).

The tool goes through these stages:

1. Preparation — loads the server list and initialises test infrastructure
2. Batch testing — sends timed requests to each server in parallel batches, running multiple rounds per server. The progress bar shows overall completion.
3. Calculation — computes average latency, jitter, and composite Gaming Score for each server
4. Results — displays the optimal DNS pair, Gaming Score breakdown, platform setup instructions, and share card

The entire process takes 30–60 seconds depending on the number of servers and your connection speed. A progress bar and status text keep you informed throughout.

For best results, close other bandwidth-heavy applications before running the benchmark. A clean network gives the most accurate latency measurements.

Understanding the Gaming Score algorithm

The Gaming Score is a composite of four weighted metrics, designed to reflect what matters for gaming DNS:

Scores are normalised to 0–100. A score above 85 is excellent for competitive gaming. Between 70–85 is good for most games. Below 70 suggests you would benefit from switching to a faster, more consistent resolver.

The weighted approach means a server with 15ms latency and 2ms jitter can outscore one with 10ms latency but 10ms jitter. For gaming, the consistent server wins because you need predictable behaviour during fast-paced matchmaking and server switches.

Reading the results

Live Leaderboard

During the benchmark, the leaderboard updates in real time. Each row shows the server name, IP, a latency bar, and the measured time in milliseconds. Colour coding:

• Green — under 20ms. Excellent for competitive gaming.
• Yellow — 20–50ms. Good for most games.
• Orange — 50–100ms. Noticeable delay on server connections.
• Red — over 100ms. Poor. This server is too far from your network.

The leaderboard re-sorts after each test round, so the ranking stabilises as more data comes in. The final ranking reflects the average across all rounds.

Bar Chart Race

The Speed Race animation shows servers competing in real time as results come in. This is a visual representation of the leaderboard data. Servers that respond fastest extend their bars further. The animation makes it easy to see which servers are consistently fast versus which spike occasionally.

Optimal DNS recommendation

After the benchmark, the results panel shows your recommended Primary and Secondary DNS. The Primary is the server with the highest Gaming Score. The Secondary is the highest-scoring server from a different provider, ensuring you have genuine redundancy.

A speed comparison panel shows how the optimal DNS compares to your current configuration, expressed as a percentage improvement or confirmation that you are already on the fastest option.

Gaming Score Breakdown

Four cards display the individual scores for Latency, Jitter, Reliability, and No-Hijack, each showing the raw value and its weight in the composite. This helps you understand why the top server won. If two servers have similar latency, the one with lower jitter and higher reliability will score higher.

How to apply the fastest DNS on each platform

After the benchmark, expand the setup accordion for your gaming platform. The instructions include your recommended DNS IPs pre-filled. Here is a summary for each platform:

PlayStation 5

Settings → Network → Settings → Set Up Internet Connection. Select your connection, press Options, Advanced Settings, set DNS to Manual. Enter your Primary and Secondary DNS. Test the connection to confirm.

Detailed guide: Best DNS for PS5

Xbox Series X|S

Settings → General → Network Settings → Advanced Settings → DNS Settings → Manual. Enter your DNS IPs. Press B to save, then test multiplayer connection.

Detailed guide: Best DNS for Xbox

Nintendo Switch

System Settings → Internet → Internet Settings. Select your network, Change Settings, set DNS to Manual. Enter your DNS IPs and save.

Detailed guide: Best DNS for Switch

Windows PC

Settings → Network & Internet → your connection → Hardware properties → DNS server assignment → Edit → Manual. Enter your DNS IPs. Flush cache: ipconfig /flushdns

Detailed guide: Change DNS on Windows 11

macOS

System Settings → Network → your connection → Details → DNS. Remove existing entries, add your Primary and Secondary. Flush cache: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Detailed guide: Change DNS on Mac

Linux

Edit /etc/systemd/resolved.conf or use NetworkManager GUI. Set your DNS IPs. Restart systemd-resolved.

Detailed guide: Change DNS on Linux

Router (all devices)

Access your router admin panel (usually 192.168.1.1). Find WAN or Internet DNS settings. Enter your Primary and Secondary DNS. Save and reboot. This applies DNS to every device on your network.

Detailed guide: Change DNS on your router

After changing DNS on any platform, flush your local DNS cache to ensure queries use the new resolver immediately. On Windows: ipconfig /flushdns. On Mac: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache. On Linux: sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved.

Historical tracking and trends

Every benchmark result is saved to your browser's local storage. The Test History section at the bottom of the benchmark page shows all your previous runs with:

• Date and time of the test
• The top-scoring DNS server and its latency
• The overall Gaming Score

Use history to spot trends:

• Consistent top server — your network path to that DNS is stable. Keep using it.
• Rotating top servers — routing changes between tests. Pick the server that appears most often at the top.
• Increasing latency over time — your ISP may have changed peering arrangements or your network has new congestion. Test at different times of day to isolate the cause.
• Sudden latency spike — could be a temporary routing issue, ISP maintenance, or DNS provider incident. Retest the next day.

You can clear your history using the Clear button if you want to start fresh, for example after changing ISPs or moving to a new location.

When to re-test

Network conditions change. Here is when re-testing is most valuable:

• After changing ISP or plan — different ISPs have different peering to DNS providers. Your optimal DNS may change.
• After moving to a new location — geographic proximity to anycast nodes directly affects latency.
• Monthly during gaming hours — routing changes gradually. A monthly check catches shifts before they become problems.
• When you notice slow matchmaking — if game connections feel sluggish, DNS may be a contributing factor.
• After router firmware updates — some updates reset DNS settings to ISP defaults.
• When a DNS provider reports an incident — if your primary DNS has an outage, retest to verify fallback is working.

Test at the time of day you typically game. DNS latency can vary between peak and off-peak hours due to network congestion and anycast routing shifts.

Sharing results and the competitive element

The benchmark includes a Share feature that generates a branded results card. After the benchmark completes, click Generate Results Card in the Share section. The tool renders a PNG image with:

• Your top 3 DNS servers and their latencies
• The composite Gaming Score
• Your recommended Primary/Secondary DNS pair
• The date and publicdns.info branding

The image is generated entirely in your browser using a canvas element. No results are uploaded or transmitted. You can save the PNG or share it on Discord, Reddit, gaming forums, or social media.

Keyboard shortcuts for power users: R to retest, C to copy the best DNS, S to share results.

Sharing is useful for comparing setups with friends on the same ISP, helping clan or team members optimise their DNS, or contributing data to community discussions about the best DNS for a specific region or game.

How the test works technically

The benchmark runs entirely in your browser. Here is what happens under the hood:

Measurement technique

For each DNS server, the tool creates timed HTTP requests (image resource loading) and measures the round-trip time using performance.now(), which provides sub-millisecond precision. Multiple rounds run per server to build a statistical sample. The average and standard deviation (jitter) are computed from these samples.

Batch testing

Servers are tested in batches rather than all at once. This prevents overwhelming your network connection, which would inflate latency measurements. Batch size adapts based on the total number of servers — typically 4–6 servers are tested simultaneously per round.

Server list

The tool tests 24+ servers drawn from our live monitoring database. The list includes global anycast providers (Cloudflare, Google, Quad9, OpenDNS), regional providers, and ISP DNS servers from major providers. Servers must meet our minimum reliability threshold (80%+) to be included in the benchmark.

Reliability and hijack data

Reliability percentages and NXDOMAIN hijack status come from our backend monitoring infrastructure, not from the browser test. Our probe servers query every DNS server in our database every 72 hours from multiple geographic locations, checking response correctness, DNSSEC validation, NXDOMAIN handling, and uptime. This data is baked into the server list the benchmark uses.

Local storage

Results are stored in your browser's localStorage. Nothing is sent to our servers. You can clear history at any time. The benchmark works offline after the initial page load (though results would only reflect cached server data).

Frequently asked questions

Does DNS really affect in-game ping?

DNS affects connection setup, not frame-by-frame gameplay. Once your device has resolved the game server IP, subsequent packets go directly to that IP without DNS involvement. Where DNS matters is matchmaking, server browser lookups, voice chat connections, update checks, and anti-cheat verification. Faster DNS means faster transitions between these stages.

Why do my results change between tests?

Network conditions fluctuate. DNS servers use anycast routing, so your queries may reach different physical nodes depending on current network load and routing decisions. ISP peering arrangements, time of day, and background traffic on your network all affect results. This is why the tool saves history — run multiple tests during your typical gaming hours to identify consistently fast servers.

Should I use the fastest single server or the recommended pair?

Always use both Primary and Secondary. The Primary is the fastest server tested; the Secondary is the fastest from a different provider. If the Primary goes down or becomes slow, your device automatically falls back to the Secondary. Using two servers from the same provider gives no real redundancy.

Is a lower Gaming Score always worse?

The Gaming Score weights latency at 40% and jitter at 30%, which means a server with 15ms average but 1ms jitter can outscore a server with 10ms average but 12ms jitter. For competitive gaming, consistency (low jitter) matters more than absolute speed. A stable 18ms server is better for gaming than an erratic 12ms server.

How does the benchmark test work technically?

The benchmark sends timed HTTP requests (image timing) to each DNS server and measures round-trip latency using performance.now() precision. Multiple rounds run in batches to avoid overwhelming your connection. Reliability scores come from our backend monitoring infrastructure, which probes every server in our database every 72 hours from multiple locations. All processing happens in your browser.

Does changing DNS on my router affect all devices?

Yes. Router-level DNS applies to every device that uses DHCP on your network — consoles, phones, smart TVs, and PCs. However, devices with manually configured DNS override the router setting. Browsers with DoH enabled may also bypass router DNS. For guaranteed coverage, set DNS on both your router and your primary gaming device.

Related tools and resources

Run the DNS Gaming Benchmark now — test latency to 24+ DNS servers directly from your browser.

Best Gaming DNS Servers — our curated rankings of DNS servers optimised for gaming.

DNS Privacy Check — audit your DNS for leaks, encryption, and DNSSEC. Privacy and speed are not mutually exclusive.

DNS Servers by Country — find DNS servers geographically close to you for the lowest latency.

PS5 DNS Guide | Xbox DNS Guide | Switch DNS Guide | PC DNS Guide

Windows DNS Guide | Router DNS Guide | Linux DNS Guide

DoH vs DoT Explained — if you want fast DNS and privacy, encrypted DNS protocols can deliver both.