GameRail.com

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is GameRail?
GameRail is a private network service dedicated to increasing the performance of multiplayer online games.

What will GameRail do for me?
GameRail was built to provide gamers with the best possible connection between their PC and the online game they are playing. Instead of relying on the Internet, GameRail provides use of a private network for your gaming sessions. The result is a high quality experience with less of the annoying lag you’ve experienced before.

What causes lag and how does GameRail help?
The design of the Internet itself is often the cause. With the standard Internet, it is common for your gaming packets to “hop” 10 or 20 times between locations and different carriers before reaching the server you’re playing on. With each "hop" and each handoff from one carrier to the next, there is added lag. If just one carrier’s network gets congested during a busy time, it causes even more lag in your game. To make it worse, packets of information get dropped when networks get overcrowded. And sometimes your connection is rerouted in a totally different direction and not on a direct path. The end result is that you feel lag in the game and that lag is usually the worst when the Internet is the busiest.

With GameRail, your gaming packets jump onto our private gaming network and are carried to the online game and back to your PC. The result is a smoother, higher quality, faster connection with less lag.

How does GameRail work?
GameRail directly connects a private nationwide network with ISPs and game server companies to bypass the public Internet and its problems. For more information, consult our How it Works page.

How do you use the GameRail Network?
Download and install our easy-to-use client application on your PC, quickly create a username, and then login to the client with your username and password. To download the client and try out the GameRail network, sign up now.

Will GameRail improve my performance for applications other than gaming?
No. GameRail is designed to only optimize game and game-related traffic.

Will GameRail lower my ping?
GameRail will lower ping substantially for many people. However, Internet routing varies greatly from ISP to ISP and city to city. We have examples where ping drops from 80 milliseconds down to 15 milliseconds. We have other examples where ping drops only a few milliseconds. It depends your location, your ISP, and the server you are playing on.

Even when GameRail isn’t faster than the Internet, you will still have a better connection across our private network which is geared specifically and reserved exclusively for gaming traffic. You won’t experience those frustrating delays that often occur during busy times of the day on the Internet. We encourage you sign up and download the client to see how well GameRail works for you. Make sure you try it during some busy times of day ….. we’re sure you’ll notice a difference.

I have the biggest broadband connection I could get from my ISP. Why do I still see delays?
A big broadband connection does not necessarily mean low latency or low lag. Having a big bandwidth connection means that you can download large files in a short amount of time, but lag is based on how fast you can interact across that connection. You could have a fantastically large connection to your home but once your packets leave your ISP’s network they are at the mercy of every public router on the Internet. Believe it or not, a cheap DSL line with relatively low-bandwidth connection is sometimes “faster” for gaming than a 10 megabit high-speed expensive connection. Stuart Cheshire discussed this in 1996 in his famous rant, "It's the Latency, Stupid."

What games does GameRail currently support?
We currently support most FPS games and are working to add support for MMOGs. Click here to view the list of currently supported games.

Does GameRail support World of Warcraft?
We are currently testing a version of our product that will bring the GameRail Edge to World of Warcraft. Early indications are that GameRail can substantially enhance the gaming experience for many users. We anticipate releasing a beta product in early 2008.

If you are interested in participating in a WoW beta trial of GameRail, click here to be added to our list.

Can I play games across the GameRail network with other GameRail-enabled friends (peer to peer) by starting up a local (non-dedicated) server?
A future enhancement will support this type of game play.

Is GameRail connected to my ISP?
GameRail has a fast connection to most ISPs.

How can I get my ISP or favorite game server connected to GameRail?
Contact your ISP or game server provider's customer service department and request that they connect to GameRail.

Can I get my server on GameRail?
If you would like to have your server connected to the GameRail network, please contact your server host about peering with us.

How can I see if a server is on GameRail?
Sign up for our free trial and install GameRail on your PC. Once GameRail is running, your route will automatically be optimized to use GameRail's network if GameRail offers a better path to your server. You can test it and see the difference directly within GameRail using the Performance Monitor tool. Or you can monitor pings in-game and Enable/Disable GameRail and watch for ping changes.

How much does GameRail cost?

Do I have to cancel my account to avoid being charged for the free trial?
GameRail will not charge your credit card or PayPal until you become a subscriber or purchase a RailPass.
*Payment information is not required for free trial (1 trial per household)

Will GameRail sell my personal info?
No, GameRail will NEVER sell your personal information. It is used internally for billing and support only. We only request that you turn on your cookies to enjoy the all the features of our browser application.