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If an online game lags, disconnects, or takes an unusually long time to connect, traceroute shows the route to the game service at one moment, while MTR repeatedly measures that route so you can see loss and latency over time. Run both against the exact game server hostname or IP, then look for the first hop where degradation begins and whether it continues through the final destination. A single router showing loss or * * * is not, by itself, proof that your traffic is being dropped.
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What traceroute and MTR actually measure
Traceroute is a path snapshot
Traceroute is designed to diagnose problems in a network path. It sends probes with a low time-to-live (TTL). The first probe expires at the first router, which normally returns an ICMP “Time Exceeded” message. The tool records that router and the probe’s round-trip time (RTT), increases the TTL, and sends another probe. Repeating this process reveals successive hops until the destination responds or the trace ends.
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MTR is repeated measurement
The Linux mtr(8) manual describes MTR as combining “the functionality of the traceroute and ping programs in a single network diagnostic tool.” MTR first discovers the route and then continues sending probes. Its report includes, for each hop, the number sent, percentage lost, last response, average, best, worst, and standard-deviation values.
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That repeated sampling is why MTR is usually the better choice for game lag that comes and goes. It can show whether a loss or latency change persists for minutes instead of relying on one set of probes. The result still describes only the path from your tested network to that destination during the collection period; it is not a permanent rating of the game or its hosting provider.
Before testing: choose the right endpoint
Test the address associated with the symptom, not an arbitrary popular website. If a game displays a server hostname, matchmaking endpoint, or regional service name, use that exact hostname. If the game exposes a server IP, test the IP as well.
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- Record the path context: write down whether you are on wired Ethernet, Wi-Fi, mobile broadband, a VPN, or a home connection shared with other users.
- Repeat DNS-dependent tests: a hostname can resolve to different addresses. Capture each result if successive runs show different destinations.
- Test during the fault: a clean run taken hours before a disconnect does not explain the disconnect.
Use a terminal or Command Prompt. You do not need administrator privileges for ordinary traceroute or MTR runs, although local security software or a network firewall can still affect diagnostic replies.
Run traceroute on your platform
Linux
- Open a terminal.
- Run
traceroute example.com, replacingexample.comwith the game service hostname or IP. - For an IPv6 test, run
traceroute -6 example.com. - Save the complete output and note the UTC time, your source network, and the destination used.
Windows
- Open Command Prompt.
- Run
tracert example.com. - For IPv6, run
tracert -6 example.com. - Copy the full result, including any rows containing asterisks.
Cloudflare Support lists these platform-specific forms for timeouts, slow connections, and locating where a path problem occurs. The exact probe protocol and the replies permitted by each network can vary, so an incomplete trace is not automatically evidence of a failed link.
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Read a traceroute row correctly
Each row represents a TTL level, normally corresponding to a router that returned a diagnostic response. The address or hostname identifies the responding device when reverse DNS is available. The millisecond values are RTTs for the individual probes in that row.
- Small variations are normal: one probe can take longer because of queueing or scheduling. Compare the overall pattern rather than treating every millisecond difference as an incident.
- A name is not proof of ownership: reverse-DNS labels can be missing, generic, or misleading. Do not assign blame from a hostname alone.
- The final destination matters most: an intermediate router may handle forwarded game traffic normally while giving low priority to diagnostic responses.
A row containing * * * means that no displayed response was received for those probes. Routers can filter, rate-limit, or ignore traceroute packets, and a protocol mismatch can produce the same appearance. Check later rows and the destination before deciding that transit traffic is being lost.
Run MTR for a sustained view
Standard Linux report
For a shareable report, run:
mtr -rw example.com
The same form works with a destination IP, for example:
mtr -rw 1.1.1.1
-r produces report mode instead of an interactive screen, and -w requests a wide layout so hostnames and columns are easier to read. Let MTR run long enough to include the intermittent symptom, then save the entire report. There is no universally correct cycle count; the collection must cover the period in which the game actually lags or disconnects.
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Match MTR to TCP game traffic when needed
ICMP or UDP diagnostic replies can be filtered even when the application works, or the game may use TCP while ordinary probes take another path. Cloudflare documents a TCP-port form:
mtr -P 443 -T destination-ip
Replace destination-ip with the tested address and use the destination port relevant to the service when it is known. Port 443 is an example for HTTPS-based services, not a universal game port. Compare a normal report with the TCP-mode report when filtering or protocol differences are suspected.
Understand MTR’s columns
| Column | Meaning | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Loss% | Percentage of probes for which that hop did not return a response. | Consider it significant when similar loss continues at every later hop and at the destination. |
| Last | RTT of the most recent response. | Useful for seeing the latest sample, but not enough for a trend. |
| Avg | Average RTT over the collected probes. | Compare averages before and after a route change or suspected problem. |
| Best | Lowest observed RTT. | Shows the path’s fastest observed response during the run. |
| Wrst | Highest observed RTT. | A large value can reveal spikes; check whether they affect later hops too. |
| StDev | Variation around the average RTT. | Higher variation indicates instability during the sample window, not necessarily packet loss. |
A practical diagnosis workflow
- Define the endpoint and symptom. Write down the exact hostname or IP, the game region or server if shown, the type of failure, and whether it is continuous or intermittent.
- Capture a baseline traceroute. Run the platform-appropriate command and save the route and RTTs. If DNS may return multiple addresses, repeat the trace for each address that the game actually uses.
- Collect MTR while the problem is happening. Start report mode before or during a lag spike and keep it running until the event appears in the samples. Use TCP mode when application traffic is TCP or when ICMP/UDP filtering is suspected.
- Find the first change. Mark the first hop where loss rises or average RTT steps upward. Then inspect every subsequent hop and the final destination.
- Separate reply behavior from forwarding behavior. Loss at one router that disappears at the next hops commonly means that router is rate-limiting or deprioritizing diagnostic replies. Persistent loss through the destination is much stronger evidence of a path problem.
- Repeat from the affected network. Run the same test over the connection that experiences the game fault, at the time it occurs. A test from a different ISP, VPN exit, or location answers a different question.
- Escalate reproducible evidence. Send the complete outputs with your source location or network, destination, UTC timestamp, command and options, cycle duration or count, protocol and port, and a clear description of what happened in the game. When possible, obtain a test from the opposite end or from another network for comparison.
Interpret common MTR and traceroute patterns
| Observed pattern | Likely meaning | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| All hops and the destination show 0% loss with stable averages. | The tested path looks healthy during that window. Small differences in worst or standard-deviation values are normal. | If the game still fails, test the exact server address, application port, local Wi-Fi, device load, and game service status; the path sample does not reproduce the fault. |
| One intermediate hop shows loss, but later hops and the destination do not. | Most often a response-rate limit or filtering policy on that router. Forwarded traffic may be unaffected. | Do not report that hop as the confirmed fault. Check whether the destination shows matching loss. |
| Loss begins at one hop and remains at similar levels through every later hop and the destination. | Evidence points to the link or segment beginning at that hop. The MTR manual notes that a sudden increase in packet loss or response time often indicates a bad or overloaded link. | Repeat the run to rule out a short-lived event, then give the complete evidence to the responsible ISP, transit provider, or network administrator. |
| RTT rises sharply at one hop and remains higher afterward. | A real distance, provider transition, queue, or congestion point may begin there. A geographic route change can create a legitimate step. | Compare averages over repeated samples and correlate the step with the game’s symptom. |
| RTT spikes at one hop, then returns to earlier levels on later hops. | That router likely delayed its own diagnostic reply while forwarding traffic normally. | Use the later hops and destination to judge impact, not the isolated spike. |
The trace ends with several * * * rows. |
Responses may be filtered, ICMP errors may be disabled, probes may be rate-limited, or the chosen protocol may not be accepted. | Test IPv4 and IPv6 separately, try TCP-mode MTR where appropriate, and probe the final destination directly. |
Why one-hop loss is often misleading
Routers have to forward user traffic before answering diagnostic probes. Many deliberately give ICMP or other control-plane responses a lower priority, impose a response limit, or suppress them entirely. In that situation, MTR can display loss at the router’s own row even though packets continue successfully to the next router and the destination.
The decisive question is not “Which row has a percentage?” but “Where does the impairment start, and does it persist?” If a later hop receives responses at the expected rate, the earlier router’s missing replies are weak evidence. If the same loss starts at a hop and propagates through all following hops, including the destination, the finding is materially stronger.
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Handling incomplete traces and protocol differences
Filtering can affect IPv4 and IPv6 differently, and a game’s traffic can use a different protocol or port from your diagnostic probes. Run the IPv4 and IPv6 forms separately when both are available. If ordinary MTR does not resemble the application’s behavior, collect a TCP-mode report with the service’s relevant port. Always test the final destination directly; an unnamed or non-responding intermediate hop cannot establish who is dropping game traffic.
Do not infer an outage merely because a trace does not reach the destination. Some destinations suppress diagnostic responses while still serving the application. Conversely, a destination that responds to traceroute does not guarantee that every game port is reachable.
Use the results for gaming-specific troubleshooting
Lag that affects everyone in the household
Run MTR from the affected device during the lag. If loss or latency begins at the first hop inside the home network, investigate Wi-Fi signal quality, interference, cabling, and local router load before contacting an upstream provider. If the first hop is clean but a later impairment persists through the destination, preserve the report for the ISP or network operator.
Only one game region is affected
Test the exact server address for the affected region and compare it with a working region. Different destinations can take entirely different paths, so a healthy trace to one game region does not clear the route to another.
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Short disconnects that are hard to reproduce
Start MTR before the expected play period and let it collect through the event. A single traceroute taken after reconnecting may show a normal route and miss the transient fault. Include the precise UTC time of each disconnect so the operator can correlate logs.
High ping without reported loss
Compare the average and worst RTT values across hops. A persistent latency step can reflect distance or congestion even when Loss% remains zero. A large value isolated to one router is less persuasive when later hops return to normal.
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Network teams can act on reproducible evidence. Provide:
- the source city or ISP and whether a VPN, mobile link, or home gateway was used;
- the exact destination hostname and resolved IP address;
- the game region, symptom, and UTC start and end times;
- the complete traceroute and MTR output, not a cropped row;
- the operating system and the exact command, options, protocol, and port;
- the MTR sampling period or cycle count and whether the report was captured during the fault;
- any comparison run from another network or from the opposite endpoint.
Keep the original text files. Screenshots can omit columns, wrap hostnames, or hide timestamps that are useful during investigation.
Traceroute versus MTR: which should you use?
| Decision point | Traceroute | MTR |
|---|---|---|
| Time scale | One path snapshot. | Repeated samples over a chosen period. |
| Main output | Hop sequence and individual probe RTTs. | Per-hop loss and latency statistics, including averages and variation. |
| Best first use | Quickly see the route and locate a possible transition. | Investigate intermittent lag, loss, or latency trends. |
| Protocol sensitivity | Replies can be filtered or rate-limited. | The same limitation applies; TCP mode can better match application traffic. |
| Escalation value | Concise context for a support ticket. | A stronger time-series artifact when collected during the fault. |
For a new problem, capture traceroute first for a quick route snapshot, then use MTR while the symptom occurs. Neither tool replaces application logs, game-server status information, or local Wi-Fi testing; they answer the narrower question of what the tested network path looked like.
Quick Recap
Limits that prevent false conclusions
- Diagnostic replies are not game packets. A router can ignore probes while forwarding the game normally.
- Paths can change. Routing may vary by address family, destination, time, or provider, so one clean run does not establish permanent health.
- Hostnames can resolve differently. Record the actual IP tested and repeat when DNS returns another address.
- One sample cannot prove an intermittent cause. Collect MTR during the event and retain the full report.
- Latency is not automatically harmful. A longer RTT may simply reflect physical distance; focus on sustained changes that coincide with the game symptom.
Key takeaways
- Use traceroute to see the sequence of responding hops and their RTTs at one point in time.
- Use MTR to keep sampling and quantify per-hop loss, latency, and variation.
- Treat
* * *and isolated intermediate loss as inconclusive until later hops and the destination are checked. - Investigate the first hop where degradation starts only when the same impairment persists through the destination.
- Run the test from the affected network, during the symptom, with a protocol and port that resemble the game’s traffic.
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