What Is a Good Reaction Time? (In Milliseconds)

You just finished a test. The screen flashed blue, you tapped as fast as you could, and a number popped up: 268ms. Now comes the immediate question: Is that good? Should I be faster?

Reaction time is one of the most widely searched benchmarks for gamers and athletes. To give you the short answer first: Anything under 200ms is excellent, and under 250ms is better than average.

Reaction Time Benchmarks

In ReflexLab, we use a 10-tier rating system based on hundreds of thousands of data points to help players understand their relative performance. Note that these are "real-world" scores that account for typical mobile hardware delay.

What Counts as "Average"?

For the general population, 200ms to 250ms is a very realistic average for a simple visual reaction time. If you score in this range, you are perfectly "normal" and cognitively healthy.

You may see web-based tests claiming the average is 150ms. Be skeptical of these. Online browser tests often have "inflated" fast numbers because they don't account for browser overhead or they allow for predictive clicking. Furthermore, many people taking those tests are using low-latency gaming mice and high-refresh-rate monitors.

How Pro Gamers Stack Up

Elite esports athletes in games like *Counter-Strike* or *Valorant* often have reaction times in the 140ms to 170ms range. While some of this is genetic "giftedness," much of it is the result of thousands of hours of specialized training that has optimized their visual-motor pathways.

How to Reliably Test Your Reaction Time

The biggest hurdle in getting an accurate score is device latency. Every piece of hardware adds delay:

• Display Latency: The time it takes for the screen to show the color change.
• Input Latency: The time it takes for the touch digitizer or mouse to register your click.

Most web tests can't see this delay. In ReflexLab, we use precision system-level timing and device-specific calibration to ensure your score is as close to your biological reality as possible. If you want a truly accurate benchmark, try our Precision Timing calibration.

Conclusion

A "good" reaction time is one that allows you to perform your chosen tasks effectively. Whether you're aiming for the global leaderboards or just staying sharp as you age, the most important thing isn't your first score – it's how that score improves with practice.