Online gaming spikes by 75% on Verizon networks thanks to quarantines

Video game traffic on Verizon networks spiked by 75% in March as consumers stay indoors due to coronavirus lockdowns.

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As COVID-19 wrecks whole industries and pauses the global economy, social quarantines are boosting other markets like gaming. Consumers are downloading, buying, and playing more games to stay entertained and connected. This influx puts tremendous stress on infrastructures, leading Sony and Microsoft to artificially slow download speeds on their networks. Now ISP Verizon gives some insight on the huge gaming usage spikes.

According to a recent report, Verizon saw a massive 75% uptick in gaming across its mobile and home internet services in March. There's no info on the current data numbers, but we'd expect them to be even higher in April.

Check out new updates on Verizon networks with this link here.

"The latest week-over-week numbers during peak hour usage showed many people are turning to gaming as a way to pass the time, with the technology leader seeing a 75% increase over its networks. Video streaming increased by more than 12% and overall web traffic by just under 20%," reads the report.

"Verizon's fiber optic and wireless networks have been able to meet the shifting demands of customers and continue to perform well. In small pockets where there has been a significant increase in usage, our engineers have quickly added capacity to meet customers' demand."

Last updated: Apr 22, 2020 at 02:52 pm CDT