Tick rate is the number of times per second a game server processes inputs, updates the simulation and sends state to clients. It is measured in ticks per second, sometimes written as Hz, and is separate from a player's FPS.
Why it matters
A higher tick rate means the server samples the world more often, which can reduce the delay before an action is registered and make hit detection more accurate. The cost is more CPU use on the server and more bandwidth. Many games pick a compromise, and the player's experience also depends on latency and how the game interpolates between updates.
Example
The time between ticks is 1000 divided by the rate:
- 20 ticks per second: 50 ms between updates
- 64 ticks per second: 15.6 ms
- 128 ticks per second: 7.8 ms
A server at 20 ticks cannot register your action sooner than the next 50 ms tick, even if your ping is 10 ms.
Common misconceptions
- Tick rate and frame rate are the same. Your client renders frames independently of server ticks.
- Higher is always better. Without the network quality and server hardware to support it, it can cause overload.
- Tick rate equals ping. Ping is the round-trip network time.
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