Stuck on the same rank or level? To learn how to get better at video games, review your losses, practise one weakness at a time, rest properly and change one thing per session.
This guide is part of our gaming section.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Players in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive sample | 186 |
| Players in the League of Legends sample | 411 |
| Observed deliberate practice effect, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | .02 |
| Observed deliberate practice effect, League of Legends | -.01 |
| Non-deliberate practice hours and League of Legends performance | .26 |
These figures come from a registered report on esports performance. Figures can change as research is updated, so check the source before you rely on them.
What the research says about improving
Research on what makes players better is thin, and it is worth being honest about that. One registered report tested whether deliberate practice theory, which has worked in other sports, predicts high esports performance.
It studied players of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends. In both games the authors found deliberate practice did not have a meaningful effect on performance, with observed effects close to zero.
The same report found that attention and non-deliberate practice hours predicted performance in one game but not both. Reaction time, intelligence and persistence were null or inconclusive in both.
That is one study of two competitive games, so it does not settle the question. A fair reading is that no single trait or training trick is a guaranteed shortcut, and that the habits below are sensible rather than proven formulas.
How to get better at video games: build a practice routine
Before any routine, learn the basics of your game properly. Read the tutorial, the patch notes and the community guides, because knowing the rules and systems removes many avoidable mistakes.
Understanding why something works also transfers to new games. A player who knows why map control matters will improve in several titles, not only one.
Practise with a purpose
Playing a lot is not the same as practising. Mindless matches reinforce habits you already have, good or bad.
Try a simple loop each session:
- Pick one specific weakness, such as aiming under pressure, last-hitting, economy or positioning.
- Set a small, measurable goal for the session, such as fewer deaths in the opening minutes.
- Play with that goal only, and ignore the result of individual matches.
- Write one line afterwards about what worked and what did not.
Narrow goals give you something concrete to notice, which can make a single loss easier to put in context.
Review your own play
Watching your replays is one of the cheapest ways to find mistakes. If your game has a replay mode, use it, and you can also record your screen.
When you watch, look for patterns rather than single errors. If you keep dying in the same spot or wasting the same resource, that is your next practice target.
- Pause at each death and ask what information you had.
- Note decisions made out of habit rather than thought.
- Compare your choices with a stronger player in the same situation.
- Skip the blame and focus on what you control.
If you like sharing games, learning how to stream mobile games can add a second pair of eyes, because chat and recordings make review easier.
Look after the basics: rest, breaks and setup
Skill is built in the brain and hands, so tired or tense play wastes practice time. Short sessions with full attention usually beat marathon grinds.
- Take breaks between sessions to rest your eyes, hands and mind.
- Keep regular sleep habits, since fatigue makes careless errors more likely.
- Drink water and stretch your wrists and shoulders.
- Stop when you are frustrated and return later.
Your setup matters too, especially on a phone. Comfortable controls reduce misses, and the best mobile game controllers are worth a look if touch controls hold you back.
Manage your mindset and tilt
Frustration is the quiet enemy of improvement. When you are angry, you take riskier fights, stop thinking about positioning and blame teammates instead of learning.
Build a small tilt rule before you need it. For example, after two frustrating losses in a row, you stop for the session or switch to a relaxed mode.
- Notice the early signs: clenched hands, rushed choices, muttering.
- Take a short walk or a glass of water before the next match.
- Treat a loss as information about what to practise next.
- End on a good note when you can, even if it is a short warm-up.
Patience is a skill you can train like aiming or timing. Players who stay calm tend to make clearer decisions late in a match, when it counts.
Get better at video games on mobile
Phone games have their own challenges: small screens, touch controls, notifications and play in noisy places. Small changes here often help more than they seem to.
- Turn on do-not-disturb so a message does not cost you a match.
- Adjust control size and sensitivity until your thumbs rarely miss.
- Clean the screen and keep your hands dry for precise swipes.
- Use headphones if sound cues matter in your game.
- Close background apps and keep the phone cool to avoid lag.
Change only one setting at a time and play several sessions before judging it. Otherwise you cannot tell which change helped.
Learn from others and track progress
Strong players usually explain their thinking, and guides, coaching videos and community forums can shorten your learning curve. Treat advice as a hypothesis and test it in your own games.
Track a few simple numbers over weeks instead of days, such as win rate, deaths per match or accuracy. Short-term swings are noise, and a steady trend is the real signal.
Do not copy a pro’s settings or routine blindly. What suits their game, hardware and hands may not suit yours.
A simple weekly plan you can adapt
A plan removes the daily question of what to do. It also keeps your sessions varied, so you do not drill one skill until you are bored.
- Warm-up: a few minutes of low-pressure play or an aim or timing drill to settle your hands.
- Focus block: one weakness, one goal, played with full attention.
- Normal play: a few real matches where you apply the focus without forcing it.
- Review: watch one replay and write down a single lesson.
- Cool-down: stop on time, stretch and step away from the screen.
Once a week, look back over your notes and choose the next weakness. If a habit is not helping after a few weeks, drop it and try another approach.
Keep the plan enjoyable. Games are meant to be fun, and players who still enjoy practice tend to stick with it long enough to improve.
Common mistakes that slow progress
Many players plateau because of habits rather than lack of talent. These are the most common traps to watch for.
- Changing too many things at once, so you cannot tell what worked.
- Playing only to win and never trying new strategies in a safe setting.
- Skipping replays because losses feel unpleasant to revisit.
- Blaming teammates, lag or luck instead of finding your own part.
- Copying a famous player’s setup without understanding the reasons.
Fixing even one of these can free up progress. Start with the one that sounds most like you, and give it a fair trial before moving on.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get better at a game?
Show answer
It varies by game and by how you practise. Focused sessions with a clear goal tend to produce visible progress sooner than unfocused play, but there is no reliable timetable.
Does playing more hours make me better?
Show answer
Not automatically. In the registered report above, non-deliberate practice hours predicted performance in League of Legends but not in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, so the link depends on the game.
Is reaction time the key to winning?
Show answer
The same report found reaction time to be null or inconclusive in both games it studied. Decision-making, positioning and game knowledge are often better places to spend your effort.
Should I watch pros or review my own games?
Show answer
Do both. Your own replays show your actual mistakes, while stronger players show you options you had not considered.
