TickRate

Tick rate is the frequency at which a game or simulation updates its core state. Measured in hertz, it indicates how many times per second the game logic advances. This is distinct from the display refresh rate, which controls how often frames are drawn on screen.

In online multiplayer games, tick rate often refers to the server tick rate: how many times per second the server processes input, runs physics, and synchronizes world state with clients. A higher tick rate can reduce input latency and improve synchronization, but requires more CPU processing and more bandwidth to distribute state updates.

Clients render frames at their own frame rate and use techniques such as client-side prediction and interpolation to hide network latency. The server remains the authoritative source of truth. When tick rate is low, prediction errors can become noticeable, leading to lag or desynchronization between players.

Tick rates are commonly fixed (for example, 20, 60, or 128 Hz) rather than tied to the frame rate. Some systems allow higher tick rates on dedicated servers. The practical maximum depends on network protocol, server hardware, and the typical round-trip time between client and server, as well as the amount of state that must be synchronized each tick.

In summary, tick rate measures how often game logic updates per second and is a key factor in online responsiveness and synchronization. It is not the same as frame rate, which measures rendering frequency.