Apex Routes UDP to EU but TCP to US Causing Lag, Desyncs, and Menu Glitches
Apex is routing gameplay UDP traffic to EU servers as expected, but critical TCP traffic like matchmaking, lobby communication, and session data is often routed through US-based servers like Ashburn or Ohio—even when the EU region is selected.
This split in routing causes gameplay issues even when the ping counter looks fine:
- Rubberbanding and micro-stutters during matches
- Delayed inventory updates causing desyncs when reloading, healing, or looting
- Post-match screens and menus lagging for several seconds
- Lobby sometimes feeling unresponsive
Testing shows UDP traffic goes to the correct EU server, but TCP often jumps to the US. That adds 250–300ms of hidden latency. If inventory updates run through TCP, any hitch or spike can cause sync issues between client and server—phantom reloads, broken heals, delayed loot visibility.
Even though ping says EU, it doesn’t always mean both UDP and TCP are staying in-region. This creates a mismatch that players can feel, especially those outside of NA.
Would appreciate clarity on why TCP traffic routes out of region and if there’s a way to ensure all game-related traffic sticks to the selected region.
