Reaction Time of Esports Pros
Esports Pros have an average reaction time of 175 milliseconds (150–205 ms). Top-tier esports professionals in CS2, Valorant and StarCraft. Their reaction times are measured both in lab settings and in-game via telemetry.
What the data shows
Top-tier esports professionals in CS2, Valorant and StarCraft. Their reaction times are measured both in lab settings and in-game via telemetry.
A 2022 Cologne study of 32 tier-1 CS:GO pros measured median simple RT at 175 ms with a 12 ms SD — about 75 ms faster than age-matched non-gamers.
Why esports pros sit at 175 ms
Pro players spend 6–10 hours a day in environments where 50 ms decides a duel. The result is a measurable cortical advantage in visual motion processing that persists even off-screen.
What this means for you
If your own reaction time is close to 175 ms, you are sitting in the same neighbourhood as the typical esports pros on this site. That is interesting context, not a verdict. Group averages reflect population-level tendencies — individual variation within any group is much larger than the differences between groups.
The honest way to use this number is as a benchmark. If you want to move toward the esports pros average, the activities that group practises (action gaming for gamers, instrument practice for musicians, karting for drivers) are the most direct route. The gains are real but modest — typically 15–40 ms over weeks of training. For the full evidence-based guide, see our page on how to improve your reaction time.
Test yourself
See how you compare to the esports pros average of 175 ms.