Amazon GameLift Servers launches UDP ping beacons

We're excited to announce the general availability of UDP ping beacons for Amazon GameLift Servers, a new feature that enables game developers to measure real-time network latency between game clients and game servers hosted on Amazon GameLift Servers. With UDP ping beacons, you can now accurately measure latency for UDP (User Datagram Protocol) packet payloads across all AWS Regions and Local Zones where Amazon GameLift Servers is available.

Most multiplayer games use UDP as their primary packet transmission protocol due to its performance benefits for real-time gaming and optimizing network latency is crucial for delivering the best possible player experience. UDP ping beacons provide a reliable way to measure actual UDP packet latency between players and game servers, helping make better decisions about player-to-server matching and game session placement.

The beacon endpoints are available in all AWS Global Regions and Local Zones supported by Amazon GameLift Servers, except AWS China, and through the ListLocations API, making it easy to programmatically access the endpoints.

To learn more, visit the Amazon GameLift Servers Release Notes.