Run the test above for at least 60 seconds. Here is what each
number means for this game specifically.
Red lines (packet loss)
Loss is the single worst metric for Tarkov. Anything above roughly half a percent is enough to produce visible rubber-banding and hits that never register, because the server never learns where you were when you fired. If the chart shows red lines while you are not even in a raid, the problem is on your line, not on Battlestate's.
Jitter (the desync metric)
Jitter is what turns a firefight into a slideshow of teleports. Tarkov interpolates between the position updates it receives; when they arrive unevenly, players snap between positions instead of moving between them. This is the number to watch if you die to enemies who were not on your screen.
Ping (peeker's advantage)
Under 50 ms is comfortable, 50-100 ms is playable, above 100 ms you lose most close-quarters trades before you see them. Tarkov has no ping-based hit rejection, so a high-ping opponent keeps their advantage - and so do you.
What you see in game, and which number on this page explains it.
Most competitive shooters are round-based and small: ten players, one map, a handful of objects that matter. Tarkov is the opposite. A raid can hold dozens of players and scavs across a large map full of persistent, physically simulated loot, and the server is authoritative over all of it. That means the amount of state your client has to be told about is not fixed - it grows as the raid gets busier, and it peaks exactly when a fight starts.
The practical consequence is that Tarkov consumes several megabits per second during active firefights. A connection with no headroom survives the quiet approach and then fails at the moment of the engagement, which is why so many players describe their line as "fine except in fights". It is not fine; it is saturated at the only point that matters. That is also why bandwidth-based speed tests keep telling people their connection is healthy - the peak is short, bursty and invisible to a throughput test.
There is a second, less obvious effect. Because Tarkov has no ping-based hit rejection, a badly connected opponent keeps every advantage their latency gives them. In a game with strict server-side validation, a high-ping player loses hits. In Tarkov they simply see you earlier and you see them later. Reducing your own loss and jitter is therefore not just about your own comfort - it is the only part of that exchange you have any control over.
Finally, the length of a raid changes the maths. A 40-minute raid means a connection that drops one burst every ten minutes will drop four during it, each one costing an engagement, and the loadout is gone with the raid. A round-based shooter forgives a bad 30 seconds; Tarkov charges you for it.
If the chart above shows packet loss or high jitter, work through
these in order.
How much packet loss is too much for Tarkov?
In practice anything above about 0.5% is already visible as rubber-banding and failed hit registration. Tarkov sends a lot of state per second, so a small percentage is a large absolute number of lost updates.
Is my desync my internet or the Tarkov servers?
Run this test for a few minutes and compare. If your line is clean here and raids are still desynced, the raid instance is the problem - turn on the IP display in Settings -> Game to see which server you were placed on.
Does a VPN fix Tarkov desync?
Usually not. A VPN adds a hop and therefore latency, and it cannot repair packets that your own line or your ISP's network dropped. It only helps in the rare case where your ISP routes badly to a specific region.
Why does Tarkov need so much bandwidth?
Large maps, persistent loot and detailed ballistics mean the client is told about far more objects than in a round-based shooter. During active fights several megabits per second is normal, which is why a congested line shows up here first.