Why does the picture breaking up and pixelating?
The reason for the distortion and fragmentation of the image is network problems: packet loss, improperly functioning network equipment (network card, router), and unoptimized internet traffic routing.
To check if the image problem is caused by unstable internet connection, please open the streaming data panel (Ctrl+F1) and verify:
Bitrate - displays the bandwidth and capacity of your internet channel.
Frames - displays the number of network packet losses and the percentage of lost frames on your device.
Ping - it's a connection delay between your PC/laptop and the server running the game.
All these values are extremely high in the example above, so we can observe very poor quality of the graphics.
How to improve the image quality and stabilize the Internet connection?
Sometimes, the following recommendations may not be able to fully fix network quality issues as the problem may be on the side of the Internet provider. If you still experience a really high percentage of network losses after making all the changes, please contact your provider for more detailed diagnostics.
- If you are connected by cable:
1. Reboot router (unplug for 10-15 seconds from socket).
2. Reconnect the cable to the network card on the PC and connect it to any other port on the router.
3. Check cable integrity for physical damage, kinks and knots.
4. Change the cable through which you connect to the router.
5. Update the network card drivers.
6. Disable downloading files and stop watching video online, close unnecessary tabs in your browser, disable antivirus (antivirus can scan traffic, thereby reducing bandwidth).
7. Turn off the update of operating system.
8. Check your device with antivirus: DrWeb CureIt or Eset Online Scanner.
9. Set\change the password to Wi-Fi network, since all devices connected to router use resources of the same internet channel.
10. Disable other devices connected to your network (laptops, phones, TV, etc.).
- If you are connected to a Wi-Fi network:
1. Connect to the router via cable if possible.
2. Reboot your device and router (unplug for 10-15 seconds from socket).
3. Put your router closer or get closer to it.
4. Disable downloading files and stop watching video online, close unnecessary tabs in your browser.
5. Turn off the update of operating system.
6. Check your device with antivirus: DrWeb CureIt or Eset Online Scanner.
7. Set\change the password to Wi-Fi network, since all devices connected to router use resources of the same internet channel.
8. Disable other devices connected to your network (laptops, phones, TV, etc.).
9. Disable all devices connected via Bluetooth to your PC/laptop. Connected speakers, headphones or gamepads can create additional interference for Wi-Fi connection.
9. Change the frequency of the W-Fi network (2.4 GHz -5 GHz and vice versa) verification instruction.
In my example, I turned off everything from my Wi-Fi network, closed the browser, and reconnected to the 5GHz frequency. The image quality improved significantly:
Sometimes, the following recommendations may not be able to fully fix network quality issues as the problem may be on the side of the Internet provider.
If you still experience a really high percentage of network losses after making all the changes, please contact your provider for more detailed diagnostics.