For many Halo Infinite multiplayer players, the launch of the game has been a relatively smooth experience, with the game's primary issues stemming from players' complaints about the battle pass progression or a lack of game mode playlists. However, some players are reporting server connectivity issues that are rendering their game unplayable due to high ping and lag. Halo Infinite's multiplayer beta does not currently offer the option to change players' server regions, unlike the series' predecessors. Luckily, there is a fix, but it can get a bit confusing.
Lag and high ping are detrimental in any PvP first-person shooter game, but having both in Halo Infinite can make the game downright unplayable on online servers. Hitting consistent shots is the only way to get kills in Halo, but the first step in doing so is having a good WiFi connection. Even players with great WiFi and low ping are reporting lag in certain matches. The reason for this is, even though a player's WiFi isn't having connectivity issues, Halo Infinite is putting the player in servers that are nowhere close to their region. Many European players who live in regions with a lower density of players are also reporting that their games have been laggy due to being put into servers with higher player counts, like North America's.
There is a fix for players who are looking to lock their server region to the region in which they live so they can have a smoother gameplay experience when it comes to connection. Since there is no way to change servers in-game, unlike in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, players will have to resort to more complex measures to choose their server region in Halo Infinite multiplayer. Xbox players will need to head into their router settings, while PC players will have to fix the issue in their files.
How to Change Servers in Halo Infinite Multiplayer
Here’s how to change server regions and reduce lag in Halo Infinite multiplayer on Xbox and PC:
For PC:
- Open Notepad as administrator.
- Open the hosts file in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. (select All Files down in the bottom right file type filter).
- Add these entries to the hosts file from the below list, leaving out the servers the player wants to play on:
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.australiaeast.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.southafricanorth.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.westeurope.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.southcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.japaneast.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.japanwest.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.northeurope.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.westus.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.westus2.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.eastus2.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.eastus.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.southeastasia.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.centralus.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.brazilsouth.cloudapp.azure.com
0.0.0.0 pfmsqos.eastasia.cloudapp.azure.com
At this point, players can save the file and close Notepad. They can then launch Halo Infinite multiplayer normally.
For Xbox:
- Log in to the router's Settings page. Players can Google the address for their router.
- Check the router's static routing.
- Choose subnet mask: 255.255.255.0 or 255.255.255.255
- Do not change the default IP address.
- Change the destination IP address that players want to block with one of the following:
australiaeast - 20.53.213.241
southafricanorth - 102.133.196.95
westeurope - 20.82.62.217
southcentralus - 40.74.160.107.
japaneast - 20.89.85.19
japanwest - 104.46.232.223
northeurope - 20.93.96.74
westus - 13.73.33.93
westus2 - 20.99.161.82
northcentralus - 20.98.11.58
eastus2 - 52.184.222.204.
eastus - 52.152.253.13
southeastasia - 20.43.154.231
centralus - 20.84.128.18
brazilsouth - 20.201.11.149
eastasia - 13.75.49.198
These are the only ways to change server regions in Halo Infinite at this time. This is unlikely to change soon, as developers are focused on much grander Halo Infinite issues. Players who do complete this fix should be able to see drastic differences in their connection to servers and stability while playing.
If this does not entirely fix issues with connection in Halo Infinite multiplayer matches, then the player's WiFi connection is also having an effect on gameplay. Hopefully, some kind of server browser will be added to Halo Infinite as more playlists arrive later this year.
Halo Infinite multiplayer is available for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.