Direct answer
The average simple reaction time for a healthy adult to a visual stimulus is roughly 200-250 ms, peaking in the early-to-mid 20s near 218 ms. Regular gamers tend to land at the faster end of that range or slightly below it, and trained esports competitors measure faster still — controlled lab studies put them around 175 ms on composite reaction tests, versus ~224 ms for sedentary, non-gaming controls.
So gamers are genuinely faster than non-gamers, but the real gap is on the order of 20-50 ms — not the 100+ ms or sub-150 ms 'average' that circulates on listicles. A widely repeated claim that the 'average gamer' reacts in 150 ms (or that pros hit 100 ms) confuses simple reaction time with cherry-picked best-case clicks, and often ignores that the number being quoted came from a completely different task. The honest summary: most gamers fall between roughly 190 and 240 ms on a simple visual reaction test, and only a small, trained minority consistently break 180 ms.
Gamers vs non-gamers vs pros: the population table
The table below pulls together the most-cited reference points for simple visual reaction time. One caveat up front: not every row was measured with the same apparatus or the same task, which is precisely why you can't compare a 'pro' number from one study against a 'casual' number from another and call the difference real. Treat these as directional benchmarks, each tied to its source.
| Population | Typical simple reaction time | Source basis |
|---|---|---|
| Esports competitors (trained) | ~175 ms (composite RT, ±26) | Luu et al., Ohio Journal of Science, 2021 |
| Collegiate athletes (non-gamers) | ~187 ms (composite RT, ±20) | Luu et al., 2021 |
| Healthy young adults, peak age | ~218 ms | Aggregated visual-RT data, early-20s peak |
| General adult average (visual) | 200-250 ms | Multiple reaction-time reviews |
| Human Benchmark site median | 273 ms (mean 284 ms) | 81M+ clicks, includes hardware lag |
| Sedentary non-gaming controls | ~224 ms (composite RT, ±31) | Luu et al., 2021 |
What controlled studies actually found
The cleanest head-to-head comes from Luu and colleagues (2021), who tested college-age esports competitors, football athletes, and sedentary non-gaming controls on composite reaction time across visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli. Esports players averaged 175 ± 26 ms and athletes 187 ± 20 ms — both significantly faster than the 224 ± 31 ms control group. Notably, the esports players and the physical athletes were not significantly different from each other, which undercuts the idea that gaming produces some uniquely superhuman reflex.
The gamer advantage also shrinks or disappears once a task gets more complex. In a 2022 Scientific Reports study, gamers and non-gamers were compared on a Simon task (a conflict task, not a simple reaction test). Mean response times sat around 487 ms for gamers and 515 ms for non-gamers — far higher than any 'simple RT' figure because the task itself demands inhibition and decision-making. The same study found no significant group difference on a separate choice-reaction task. The lesson: the headline number depends entirely on which test you run.
Where the fake numbers come from
Three things inflate the gamer-reaction-time mythology. First, task confusion: a number from a Simon task (~490 ms) or a choice-reaction task (~370 ms) gets stripped of context and re-quoted as a simple reaction time, or a best-trial figure gets passed off as an average. Second, hardware: browser-based testers like Human Benchmark add 10-50 ms of display and input latency on top of your true neural reaction time, so its 273 ms median is not directly comparable to lab figures measured with dedicated equipment.
Third, survivorship: 'pros hit 100 ms' usually refers to a single fastest trial or an anticipatory click that fired before the stimulus, not a sustained average. True simple reaction time is bounded by physiology — signal transduction, neural conduction, and muscle activation — and consistently dipping below ~150 ms on an honest test is close to the human floor. When you see a clean, suspiciously round 'average gamer = 150 ms,' it almost never comes with a citation, a sample size, or a described task.
How to find your own number
Population averages are a starting point, not a verdict on you. The only number that matters for your own benchmarking is one you measure under consistent conditions. Run a simple reaction test a few times on the same device and take your median rather than your single best click — that best click is usually a lucky anticipation, not your real speed.
If you want to move your number rather than just measure it, that is its own topic, and we keep the training methods separate so this page stays about the data. See the dedicated guide on improving reaction time for gaming for the practical side.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 'average gamer reaction time of 150ms' real? No. A sustained 150 ms simple reaction time is near the limit of human physiology and applies only to a small, trained minority on best trials. The figure usually comes from a single fastest click, an anticipatory response, or a number lifted from a different task. Most gamers average somewhere between roughly 190 and 240 ms on an honest simple visual reaction test.
Do gamers actually have faster reaction times than non-gamers? Yes, modestly. Controlled studies find regular and competitive gamers are faster than sedentary non-gamers, with esports players around 175 ms versus ~224 ms for non-gaming controls on composite reaction tests. The real edge is tens of milliseconds, and it narrows or disappears on more complex decision tasks.
How fast are professional esports players? Trained esports competitors average roughly 170-190 ms on simple reaction tests in lab settings. In one direct comparison they were statistically indistinguishable from collegiate physical athletes, suggesting the advantage comes from general athletic training and practice, not from gaming uniquely.
Why is my Human Benchmark score slower than these study numbers? Browser-based tests add 10-50 ms of display and input latency on top of your true neural reaction time. Human Benchmark's own aggregate median is 273 ms across 81M+ clicks, which is slower than lab figures partly for this reason. Use it to track your own trend, not to compare against research equipment.
What counts as a good reaction time for a gamer? Under about 250 ms on a simple visual test is solid, under 200 ms is genuinely fast, and consistently under 180 ms puts you in trained-competitor territory. Use your median across several attempts rather than a single best click, since one lucky trial overstates your real speed.
Related on Deadline
reaction time test · choice reaction time test · aim trainer · improving reaction time for gaming · average reaction time by age · what is a good reaction time
Sources and notes
- https://ohiojournalofscience.org/index.php/OJS/article/view/7677
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-10986-3
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9042951/
- https://humanbenchmark.com/tests/reactiontime/statistics
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4374455/