Modern-day gamers are typically content sitting alone at their PCs, chatting with or arguing with gamers from all across their region while partaking in fun and competitive online gameplay. While webcams and chat tools like Discord can help us feel a little more connected from afar, you might still find yourself missing some of the in-person camaraderie that comes from hosting a good old-fashioned LAN party.
Whether you're a more senior gamer trying to relive fond memories or a younger gamer interested in throwing your first LAN party, here are the essential pieces of equipment you'll need to put on a fantastic blast-from-the-past gaming get-together.
4 Gigabit Ethernet Switch
Lower latency, more stable connections
The truth is that modern wireless routers paired with decently high speeds can easily handle the hardwired traffic of a smaller LAN party connected directly to your home router. If you have more PCs at your LAN party than ports on the back of your router, then you'll end up needing a network switch, which comes with the added advantage of being specifically designed for high-performance, low-latency connections. Either way, you'll need cabling as trying to use wireless can lead to packet loss, higher latency, and generally less consistent performance.
Opting for a high-quality Gigabit Ethernet switch ensures a direct connection between machines, bypassing whatever bottlenecks may be present in your router, such as limited processing power. The switch will also handle all the local traffic directly, which can help reduce the latency of local LAN traffic compared to connecting directly to the router. This is particularly beneficial for an authentic LAN setup, like running a local game of CS2 on a dedicated server. A network switch also allows you to directly connect more than the three or four PCs you'd be limited to if using only your router.
3 UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)
Buys you precious minutes if a breaker flips or power surges
Proper power management is a crucial part of any successful LAN party. After all, you may have a half dozen PCs in one room, each drawing over 500W with high-power-demand internal components under load. While there are a number of responsible things you can do to prepare like using certified surge protectors and running high-power-friendly extension cords from outlets on distinct breakers to avoid overloading one circuit, uninterruptible power supplies make for a solid extra step that affords peace of mind for everyone in attendance.
Depending on the total load of all PCs, you may need either a fairly large UPS or to run more than one. An easy way to do this is to ask anyone who has one already to bring theirs along. With proper setup, using a UPS or two—at least on your host server device—could help mitigate any issues caused by sudden power loss, the most likely of which would be a breaker flipping.
2 Dedicated Server
Kick it old school and host your games locally
While the server-side processing of a game like CS2 is less demanding and could easily be run on someone's PC acting as both the host and player, more server-intensive games like Minecraft or Battlefield could benefit from having a dedicated server setup for your LAN party.
This can be as simple as an old tower PC where you install server-specific software like Minecraft's PaperMC or Battlefield’s dedicated server tools. It doesn't have to be overly powerful, as the hard work of computation for things like graphics, physics, and rendering is done client-side on each player's PC.
1 High-speed internet and router
A modern convenience for a modern LAN party
Even if you're trying to relive the glory days of LAN parties before online gaming, you'll realistically still want a strong internet connection from a router that can handle high traffic and decent internet speeds from your ISP. A modern take on a LAN party doesn’t necessarily have to be conducted exclusively over LAN, and a stable connection could be needed for Discord, game updates, driver updates, or any manner of peripheral connectivity needs that might come up throughout the day or night.
The last time I threw a LAN party, we all ended up downloading new games that we had never played. At that moment, I was grateful for my 1Gbps internet connection. I also kept Wi-Fi running for everyone's phones, tablets, and laptops.
A nostalgic night of gaming with the right tools for the job
At the end of the day, hosting a small LAN party isn't all that complicated, and you can probably make do with the networking equipment you already have in your home. But if you really want to make sure that it goes off without a hitch or are expecting a handful or more players, these investments will help ensure a smooth evening of quality time with friends and family. Even in the modern era, the charm, human connection, and memories of a great LAN party should not be missed.
