21 Ways to Fix Internet Keeps Disconnecting When Playing Games on Windows 11

Imagine you are deeply engaged in an adrenaline-pumping death match. Suddenly the internet connection of your PC goes for a toss, which gives enough leeway to your rivals to surge ahead in the game, firing you out of the battle royal. What initially seemed to be a rare occurrence turned out to be a frequent affair, ruining not just your amazing gameplay but also throwing you out of the leaderboard. Wouldn’t you curse your below-par internet for letting you down? 

But fret not! This has been more or less the same story with a large number of PC folks who have recently complained that the internet keeps disconnecting when playing games on Windows 11. Having run into this game destroyer a few times as well, I know what sort of culprits trigger it. Based on my personal experience and the tips that have rescued me, I’ve jotted down the 21 most effective ways to fix this Windows 11 issue. Keep reading to…

Fix Internet Keeps Disconnecting When Playing Games on Windows 11

So, what causes the internet connection to automatically disconnect while you are playing games on your Windows 11 device? There are multiple reasons why this issue crops up including – 

• Weak Wi-Fi Signal
• Outdated Drivers
• Network Congestion
• ISP Issues
• Background Apps
• High Latency

• Faulty Router
• Overloaded Router
• Wired Connection Issues
• VPN Interference
• Firewall Settings
• Antivirus Software

• DNS Problems
• Interference from Devices
• Bandwidth Throttling

With a clear understanding of the roadblocks, let’s try out the viable solutions to get rid of the problem. As always, make sure to go ahead with the discussed tips meticulously.

1. Check Your Internet Connection

First and foremost, fix your internet connection as a weak or unstable connection could be at the heart of this issue. Therefore, it would be a good idea to run a speed test to check whether or not your internet speed is up to the mark. If it is a minor glitch that is hurting the internet performance, turning off/on Wi-Fi may help you get rid of the issue. 

2. Restart Your Router and Modem

Bear in mind that a temporary network glitch in your router or modem can cause the connection to drop during gaming. Hence, restarting the router can let you clear memory leaks, refresh the connection, and troubleshoot minor firmware issues.

1. To begin with, unplug the power cable from your router and modem.
2. After that, wait for about 30/40 seconds. 
3. Then, you have to plug the modem back in and wait for it to fully restart,
4. Next, plug in the router.
5. Next up, try to reconnect to the internet and launch the game again.

3. Use a Wired Connection Instead of Wi-Fi

Note that wireless networks are prone to interruptions from walls, other devices, and even signal congestion. As compared to the Wi-Fi connection, a wired connection offers a stable and faster connection.

1. Therefore, get an ethernet cable and connect one end to your router and the other to your Windows device. 
2. After that, you need to turn off Wi-Fi by clicking on the network icon in the taskbar and choosing “Disconnect” from Wi-Fi networks.
3. Make sure your Ethernet connection is enabled by checking Settings > Network & Internet > Ethernet.
4. Then, you can check the connection by playing a game on your PC.

4. Update Network Drivers

Outdated network drivers might be at the forefront of this issue and could be causing unstable internet connections and frequent disconnections while gaming. Therefore, updating the driver will likely resolve the issue and bring the malfunctioning internet connection back on track. 

1. To do so, press Win + X and choose Device Manager.
2. Then, you have to expand Network adapters and right-click on your active network adapter.
3. Click Update driver > Search automatically for drivers and then proceed to update the drivers > Then, reboot your PC. 

5. Reinstall Network Drivers 

If your Windows device continues to disconnect automatically, reinstalling the network drivers would be a viable way to flush out the corrupted drivers and reinstall the latest ones.

• Fire up the Device Manager > Expand the Network adapters and right-click on your network adapter > “Uninstall device.”
• After you have uninstalled the network driver, restart your PC. 

6. Reset Network Settings

Keep a close eye on your misconfigured network settings as they could be interfering with gaming connections. Resetting your network will let you restore the default settings and clear the connection issues.

1. Launch the Settings app and head over to Network & Internet.
2. Scroll down and click Advanced network settings.
3. Under More settings, choose Network reset.
4. Click the Reset now button and then restart your PC after the process completes.

7. Contact Your ISP for Network Issues

Should your internet connection continue to malfunction, the problem might be on your ISP’s end. Culprits like a faulty modem, network congestion, or service limitations might be triggering the problem. 

1. To get going, open a browser and head over to Speedtest.
2. After that, hit Go and check your download/upload speed.
3. Then, compare them with your ISP’s offered download/upload speed.
4. Up next, contact your ISP’s customer support and report frequent disconnections.
5. Additionally, you can request a line check or a modem/router replacement – if required. 

8. Flush DNS Cache

A corrupted DNS cache can not only slow down your connection but also derail it entirely. Flushing the DNS cache will let you clear the outdated records and enhance connectivity.

• Open Command Prompt as an administrator > Input the following command and press Enter:

ipconfig /flushdns

• After that, close the Command Prompt -> restart your PC, and try to connect to your game again.

9. Change DNS Server

Be warned that the unreliable DNS server also tends to cause slow or dropped connections. Therefore, switching to a public DNS like Google or Cloudflare can help boost stability.

1. Open Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi (or Ethernet).
2. After that, click Hardware properties > choose DNS settings.
3. Click Edit > Manual.
4. Then, enter:
   • Preferred: 8.8.8.8
   • Alternate: 8.8.4.4 (Google DNS)
5. Make sure to click Save and restart your connection.

10. Disable Power Saving for Network Adapter

Do you know that Windows may disable your network adapter in order to save power, which can cause disconnections? Thus, turning off this setting may troubleshoot the uninterrupted connection.

1. Press Win + X > Device Manager > Network adapters and double-click your active adapter.
2. Head over to the Power Management tab.
3. Uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power and click OK.

11. Run the Internet Troubleshooter

Windows comes with a powerful built-in tool to diagnose and fix network issues. Running the troubleshooter can automatically detect and resolve problems.

1. Open Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
2. Click on the Run button next to Internet Connections.
3. Go through the on-screen instructions and apply any fixes suggested.
4. Restart your device and check if the issue persists.

12. Disable Background Apps Consuming Bandwidth

It’s also important to mention that background applications like updates, cloud syncing, or streaming services can gobble up a ton of bandwidth, causing lag or disconnections in games.

1. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch the Task Manager.
2. Next, click on the Network tab to sort apps by bandwidth usage.
3. Right-click on the high-consuming apps and hit the End task button.
4. Next up, disable auto-updates in apps like Steam, OneDrive, or Windows Update.

13. Check for Router Firmware Updates

Be warned that the outdated router firmware can invoke connectivity issues. Updating firmware can bolster performance and security.

1. Launch a browser and enter your router’s IP address (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1).
2. Log in with your router’s credentials and head into the Firmware Update or Software Update section.
3. Up next, check for updates and proceed to install the update -subject to availability. 

14. Disable Large Send Offload (LSO)

As LSO aka Large Send Offload can slow down network performance, disable it. 

1. Press Win + X > Device Manager > expand Network adapters.
2. Now, double-click your active adapter > Advanced tab.
3. Choose Large Send Offload v2 (IPv4 and IPv6).
4. Next, set both to Disabled and click OK.

15. Disable Windows Auto-Tuning

Windows Auto-Tuning can cripple the entire network performance, leading to instability during gaming.

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Type the command:

netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled

Reboot your Windows device and check if the issue is resolved.

16. Disable IPv6

Not all routers and ISPs support IPv6, which might be creating trouble and causing the internet connection to malfunction.

1. Open Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
2. Navigate to Hardware properties.
3. Toggle IPv6 off and reboot your PC.

17. Enable Quality of Service (QoS) in Router Settings

QoS is designed to prioritize gaming traffic to get rid of lag and interruptions.

1. First off, log in to your router’s settings page.
2. Look for QoS Settings under Advanced settings.
3. Activate the QoS and prioritize gaming applications or your device’s MAC address.
4. Save changes and restart your router.

18. Close Peer-to-Peer Updates in Windows Update

Windows Update takes advantage of the peer-to-peer aka (P2P) sharing technology to download updates, which can not only eat into a lot of bandwidth but also derail online gaming. Turning off this feature can boost connection stability.

1. To get it done, launch the Settings app > Windows Update.
2. Click Advanced options and navigate to Delivery Optimization.
3. Toggle Allow downloads from other PCs to Off.

19. Enable High-Performance Power Plan

A balanced or power-saving mode can throttle your network adapter, resulting in a number of unexpected performance issues during gaming. Switching to a high-performance plan makes sure your network is able to run optimally.

1. Press Win + R to launch the Run dialog.
2. Type powercfg.cpl, and press Enter.
3. Choose High performance from the list.
4. If it’s not available, select Create a power plan.
5. Choose High performance, and then make sure to save the settings.

20. Disable Network Throttling in Windows Registry

At times, Windows tends to limit network speed to balance system performance. Turning off the network throttling can enhance your internet connection while gaming.

1. Press Win + R to bring up the Run dialog > type regedit, and press Enter.
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile
3. Double-click NetworkThrottlingIndex (If not found, make sure to create a new DWORD with this name).
4. Next up, set the Value data to ffffffff and click OK.
5. Reboot your PC for changes to take effect.

21. Check for Windows Updates

If none of the tips has brought your internet connection back on track, updating the software would be the right way to go. There is a decent chance that a software bug could be behind this chaos.

1. Open Settings > Windows Update.
2. Click Check for updates and install any available updates.
3. Restart your PC once the updates are installed.

Wrapping up…

There you go, folks! I guess your internet is back to its best and so is your gaming. Now, be sure to share your feedback and the tips that have allowed you to troubleshoot the frustrating problem. Did I miss out on any pivotal solution? If yes, do not forget to let me know that as well via the comments section below.