What Is Rubber Banding in Video Games (and Why Does Everyone Hate It)?

You might’ve heard complaints about “rubber banding” in video games, but what does that mean? Rubber banding actually refers to two separate phenomenons that can be found in many games, but both types are equally frustrating.

Rubber Banding in Racing Games

In racing games, rubber banding refers to the ability for AI opponents to suddenly slow down or speed up in ways that aren’t possible for human players. Rubber banding usually occurs when there is a significant gap between you and an AI racer. These sudden speed changes help close this gap.

Rubber banding isn’t always a bad thing. In many cases, it can make racing games more challenging or accessible. When implemented properly, rubber banding is hardly noticeable and makes up for the AI’s shortcomings.

Games like Burnout 3: Takedown and Mario Kart: Double Dash use rubber banding to ensure the AI opponents can match your skill and punish careless mistakes. However, the rubber banding isn’t severe enough to feel unfair, allowing you to secure a spot in the first place without worrying about the AI cheating to get ahead.

In contrast, AI racers in Split/Second and Need For Speed: Underground are capable of driving faster than their car’s top speed and will seemingly break the sound barrier to win. You’ll often notice that AI opponents suddenly shoot into first place after they were stuck in last place less than a minute ago. The intensity of the rubber banding increases as you tackle tougher races, meaning the final races will have you relying heavily on luck and praying the AI isn’t out to get you.

It’s frustrating to do well in a race, only to lose to a “cheating” opponent. This poorly implemented rubber banding is unfortunately common in the genre and drags down a lot of otherwise fantastic racing games.

Rubber Banding in Online Multiplayer

Rubber banding also refers to an issue in online-multiplayer games that causes players to suddenly experience jerky movements and be pulled in random directions. This form of rubber banding affects many online multiplayer genres, though it’s most commonly seen in competitive shooters and MMOs.

Rubber banding is the result of an online game’s servers de-syncing and losing track of your current placement on the map. This problem is usually caused by server connection issues such as a high ping rate or packet loss. You may also experience rubber banding if a game’s servers are overwhelmed by a high player count—a problem that’s commonly seen in popular MMOs.

To correct this issue, the game will constantly return you to the last position it registered until your client re-syncs with the server, resulting in the jerky movements associated with rubber banding.

For many online games, severe rubber banding is enough to make the game unplayable. Quick reactions and the ability to make split-second decisions are essential to enjoying most multiplayer titles. However, it’s nearly impossible to compete against other players while they’re warping to random positions or if you start experiencing sporadic movements.

If you continue to encounter rubber banding while playing online, your best option would be to log off the game. This will not only save you from further frustration but also give you a chance to diagnose connection issues.

Check your internet connection to see if it’s experiencing problems that may cause rubber banding. You can also improve your online experience by switching to a wired connection or playing on a different server.

Rubber banding is a pain to deal with, but there are ways to avoid it. You’ll rarely encounter rubber banding in online games if you play with a reliable connection, and the rare moments it does occur can usually be attributed to server-side issues.

Even rubber banding in racing games can be alleviated by adjusting difficulty settings to fit your preferences. Although you always have a chance of running into rubber banding, it’s worth taking these precautions to have a smooth gaming session.