Gaming routers go beyond just providing consistent speeds by minimizing network lag to keep you in game instead of being bogged down by delays and long load times. However, bandwidth prioritization means that your gaming session won’t be interrupted when someone else in your household takes a video call or fires up Netflix. At the same time, gaming routers also provide more customization than most consumer routers. There are more settings to tweak and optimizations to be made so that you can have the best experience gaming online. These are the best gaming routers we’ve reviewed along with a handful of less specialized devices which still provide the same throughput and low lag times required by gamers.
The best gaming routers right now
When it comes to the best gaming router, performance takes the prize. The Asus GT-AXE11000 is a Wi-Fi 6e powerhouse that delivers great speeds and killer gaming features, as well as awesome customization options. With high-end performance and lifetime protection against intrusions and malware, it’s also a great option for securing your entire home network, providing long term protection without a subscription fee, and carrying a two-year warranty with VIP support. The Asus GT-AXE11000 is a tri-band router capable of pushing data over the 2.4-, 5- and 6GHz Wi-Fi bands using seven new high-performance 160MHz data channels. However, its throughput fell off quickly in our tests which is why you’ll want to use this gaming router in the same or an adjacent room. The Asus GT-AXE11000 provides you with buckets of data at a very reasonable price with the features, support and customization options on hand. Read our full Asus GT-AXE11000 review. The TP-Link Archer C5400X was once the gaming router to beat, and is still the top pick for gamers that don’t want to pay more for Wi-Fi 6. With some of the best 802.11ac performance you’ll see in any single home networking device, it offers best-in-class tri-band speeds, delivering 1Gbps over its 2.4GHz band and 2.167Gbps over each of its two 5GHz channels. It also has impressive coverage, with more than 100-feet of superb coverage that will blanket most homes in strong, clear Wi-Fi signal. The spider-like 8-antenna design and red-on-black color scheme are sure to turn heads, but the real selling point is the collection of optimization and security features that will satisfy any power user. With excellent bandwidth-allocation controls to let you use the massive throughput as you wish, this router puts incredible performance into the user’s hands, for gaming or anything else. Read our full TP-Link Archer C5400X review. The Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000 is powerful, with Wi-Fi 6 speeds that goes above and beyond most other gaming routers with excellent speeds and top-shelf gaming enhancements. The Netgear’s high-throughput, low-latency design is packed with customization options and built-in security, providing protection against hackers along with superb Wi-Fi 6 performance. It’s also great for slightly larger homes, with a range of 105 feet, easily covering that extra room that other routers can’t quite reach. If your current router isn’t keeping up with your gaming abilities, the XR1000 is one of the best gaming routers we’ve ever seen. With an entire dashboard of customization tools, you can optimize the router’s performance in a dizzying number of ways, from CPU usage monitoring to stats that identify what apps and devices are using the most data and connection tools that let you adjust connections by ping rates and location. Read our full Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 review. The first gaming router on the market to feature Wi-Fi 6, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 is a gamer’s delight, with speed that improves over longer range, low latency and all the features that gamers expect. Add it all up and most other gaming routers are now second best. The GT-AX11000 is large, with a gargantuan base, eight swiveling antennas, and massive 10.8Gbps maximum throughput. This wireless router has connectivity in droves, thanks to its tri-band design and four downstream Gigabit LAN ports, a single 2.5G Base T Ethernet connection, and two USB 3.0 ports. Built-in customization and gaming-oriented optimizations provide plenty of control, and you can even pair it with other Asus routers for mesh networking to cover a larger home. At $450, it is expensive, but this is one of the best wireless routers for gamers wanting an edge online. Read our full Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 review. When you’ve got a big home, a single router might not give you the Wi-Fi coverage you need. In those instances, you want a mesh router, which uses several nodes to create a single seamless network that can cover the largest of homes. But they don’t really make mesh routers specifically for gaming. While it may not offer all of the distinctive features that dedicated gaming routers have, the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) is a great mesh router that delivers the best throughput in the mesh category. With easy setup and Wi-Fi 6 speeds, the Orbi is the mesh router we recommend for gamers. With tri-band coverage that can handle 5,000 square feet with only a two-pack consisting of a base unit and satellite extension, the RBK852 serves up category-leading performance with a strong signal that punched through ceilings, floors and walls with ease. Read our full Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) review. Asus’s RT-AC86U router may not be the top performer at short range but it more than makes up for that with its superb range. An 802.11ac router with a great combination of performance, security software and gaming enhancements, the RT-AC86U is in a class by itself with an excellent mix of value and performance. The dual-band gaming router comes with lifetime internet security from Trend Micro, a wide selection of customization options, and some of the best performance you can get for under $200. And even though the performance is surpassed by other more expensive Wi-Fi 6 models, the RT-AC86U can deliver a safe and reasonably fast online experience for every family member. Read our full Asus RT-AC86U review. If you aren’t sold on the need for dedicated gaming features, but still want the performance needed for online gaming, we recommendation the TP-Link Archer AX6000 router, our favorite budget-friendly Wi-Fi 6 router. The most affordable of the first generation of Wi-Fi 6 devices, the Archer AX6000 sells for roughly $100 less than other Wi-Fi 6 models, but offers strong throughput and great connectivity thanks to a full eight LAN ports. You won’t get the detailed quality of service controls that a gaming router would give you, but it will still support solid gaming-grade performance, easily exceeding the performance of older 802.11ac models. On top of that, the TP-Link Archer AX6000 includes built-in security, offering protection along with performance. Read our full TP-Link Archer AX6000 review.
What’s different about gaming routers?
What exactly makes a gaming router different from a standard Wi-Fi router? They both serve up wireless internet for your computers, phones and other gadgets, and they’re based on the same wireless standards. So what else do gaming routers bring to the table? Throughput and Lag: The biggest difference is that gaming routers are built for both higher bandwidth (more important for games) and low latency. Besides letting more data flow in and out of your home, gaming routers allow data to flow faster in both directions. The result is lower ping times (the time it takes for a signal to travel from your gaming PC or consoles to the game servers” and a more responsive experience in online games. Hardware: This enhanced performance is the direct result of better hardware. A router is essentially a specialized computer that manages all of the connections and information packets on your home network, sorting and shifting them as necessary to connect your different devices. Just like with any computer, you’ll get faster performance with better components. Gaming routers offer better-than-average processing power and also feature larger built-in memory to allow for faster performance, letting a router manage more connections while also keeping latency to a minimum. Bandwidth management: Today’s homes are filled with all manner of connected devices, from PCs and game consoles to smart TVs and smartphones, and even refrigerators and other appliances. This makes for a crowded house full of bandwidth-hungry gadgets. All modern routers include some level of automatic bandwidth prioritization, so that your Netflix watching isn’t slowed down when another device needs to download an update. However, gaming routers take this a step further with Quality of Service (QoS) features. QoS features include more direct control of bandwidth management and let you prioritize specific devices (like your gaming PC) based on what activity or service is being used. They can also automatically re-adjust for time of day, number of devices and more. If the average router is similar to an automatic transmission that can handle stop and go traffic without much hassle, then a gaming router is like a manual transmission which puts more control in the driver’s hands. Not everyone requires this increased level of control but those who do, swear by it. Connectivity: A good gaming router is also built to handle faster connections and more of them. This simply means more wired LAN ports that provide faster speeds than Wi-Fi, more support for Gigabit speeds and higher and extra antennas to push Wi-Fi farther to handle more devices. Combine all of these distinctive features and advanced capabilities and it’s pretty obvious why a dedicated gaming router is a smart choice for those that want a competitive edge when playing games online or just better support for a house filled with connected devices.
How to choose the best gaming router for you
While the features mentioned above can give you a pretty good idea of what to look for in a gaming router, there are a few specific pieces of advice you’ll want to keep in mind when shopping for a new one. Speeds and standards: The best gaming routers generally utilize the latest and greatest technologies and the biggest example of this is in Wi-Fi standards. The newest models use Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 6, which are both substantially faster than the previous 802.11ac standard (retroactively named Wi-Fi 6). If you want to improve your gaming experience even on a slower broadband connection, you might be able to save a bit by choosing an older model with 802.11ac, but most will want to get the best connectivity they can, and should pay more for Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E. (Learn more in our article Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 6e: What’s the difference?) You’ll also want a router that can take full advantage of your broadband connection and gigabit-speed internet has become increasingly common though there’s also multi-gig internet which is significantly more expensive. If you’ve got a connection that offers gigabit service, you’ll need a router equipped with gigabit ethernet to actually take advantage of those speeds. (Learn more in our article What Is Gig-Speed Internet?) Features: Beyond these basics, it’s all about the features. Look into the details of each router’s QoS tools in our product reviews, look at the connectivity each device offers – both in Wi-Fi range and physical ports – and find the mix of features that seem to best match the level of tinkering and control you want in a gaming router. Price: The last big consideration is price. Gaming isn’t a cheap hobby, so the need to save a few bucks where you can is understandable. However, cutting too close to the bone will leave you stuck with subpar performance or missing features you may want. On average, the top gaming routers cost more than a standard Wi-Fi router usually in the $300-$400 range. However, there are ways to save that won’t leave you with a less capable device. Older gaming routers that meet the necessary specifications should still satisfy your need for speed and features at a lower price. Also, don’t forget about sales events, which can bring big savings.
How we test gaming routers
We test every router we review - gaming or otherwise - using a collection of benchmark tests in our Utah and New York facilities. During these tests, we use Ixia’s IxChariot software to measure how much data a router can move at several distances, confirm true usable Wi-Fi range and generally determine how well each device performs. We also test how well each router can transmit and receive signals through drywall, brick, concrete and even metal walls as well as how each handles coverage in a two- or three-story home. Gaming routers get additional testing though including real-world gaming performance, measuring latency and trying the various settings and features available on the device, including QoS and game enhancement features. Other factors we use when evaluating routers include ease of setup and use, software features and available ports. Want to find out more? Check out our guide on how we test Wi-Fi routers. Check out all of our home networking coverage: Best Wi-Fi routers | Best mesh routers | Best Wi-Fi 6 routers | Best Wi-Fi extenders | Best powerline extenders | Best cable modems
title: “Best Gaming Routers Of 2023” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-21” author: “Vincent Tate”
Gaming routers go beyond just providing consistent speeds by minimizing network lag to keep you in game instead of being bogged down by delays and long load times. However, bandwidth prioritization means that your gaming session won’t be interrupted when someone else in your household takes a video call or fires up Netflix. At the same time, gaming routers also provide more customization than most consumer routers. There are more settings to tweak and optimizations to be made so that you can have the best experience gaming online. These are the best gaming routers we’ve reviewed along with a handful of less specialized devices which still provide the same throughput and low lag times required by gamers.
The best gaming routers right now
When it comes to the best gaming router, performance takes the prize. The Asus GT-AXE11000 is a Wi-Fi 6e powerhouse that delivers great speeds and killer gaming features, as well as awesome customization options. With high-end performance and lifetime protection against intrusions and malware, it’s also a great option for securing your entire home network, providing long term protection without a subscription fee, and carrying a two-year warranty with VIP support. The Asus GT-AXE11000 is a tri-band router capable of pushing data over the 2.4-, 5- and 6GHz Wi-Fi bands using seven new high-performance 160MHz data channels. However, its throughput fell off quickly in our tests which is why you’ll want to use this gaming router in the same or an adjacent room. The Asus GT-AXE11000 provides you with buckets of data at a very reasonable price with the features, support and customization options on hand. Read our full Asus GT-AXE11000 review. The TP-Link Archer C5400X was once the gaming router to beat, and is still the top pick for gamers that don’t want to pay more for Wi-Fi 6. With some of the best 802.11ac performance you’ll see in any single home networking device, it offers best-in-class tri-band speeds, delivering 1Gbps over its 2.4GHz band and 2.167Gbps over each of its two 5GHz channels. It also has impressive coverage, with more than 100-feet of superb coverage that will blanket most homes in strong, clear Wi-Fi signal. The spider-like 8-antenna design and red-on-black color scheme are sure to turn heads, but the real selling point is the collection of optimization and security features that will satisfy any power user. With excellent bandwidth-allocation controls to let you use the massive throughput as you wish, this router puts incredible performance into the user’s hands, for gaming or anything else. Read our full TP-Link Archer C5400X review. The Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000 is powerful, with Wi-Fi 6 speeds that goes above and beyond most other gaming routers with excellent speeds and top-shelf gaming enhancements. The Netgear’s high-throughput, low-latency design is packed with customization options and built-in security, providing protection against hackers along with superb Wi-Fi 6 performance. It’s also great for slightly larger homes, with a range of 105 feet, easily covering that extra room that other routers can’t quite reach. If your current router isn’t keeping up with your gaming abilities, the XR1000 is one of the best gaming routers we’ve ever seen. With an entire dashboard of customization tools, you can optimize the router’s performance in a dizzying number of ways, from CPU usage monitoring to stats that identify what apps and devices are using the most data and connection tools that let you adjust connections by ping rates and location. Read our full Netgear Nighthawk XR1000 review. The first gaming router on the market to feature Wi-Fi 6, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 is a gamer’s delight, with speed that improves over longer range, low latency and all the features that gamers expect. Add it all up and most other gaming routers are now second best. The GT-AX11000 is large, with a gargantuan base, eight swiveling antennas, and massive 10.8Gbps maximum throughput. This wireless router has connectivity in droves, thanks to its tri-band design and four downstream Gigabit LAN ports, a single 2.5G Base T Ethernet connection, and two USB 3.0 ports. Built-in customization and gaming-oriented optimizations provide plenty of control, and you can even pair it with other Asus routers for mesh networking to cover a larger home. At $450, it is expensive, but this is one of the best wireless routers for gamers wanting an edge online. Read our full Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 review. When you’ve got a big home, a single router might not give you the Wi-Fi coverage you need. In those instances, you want a mesh router, which uses several nodes to create a single seamless network that can cover the largest of homes. But they don’t really make mesh routers specifically for gaming. While it may not offer all of the distinctive features that dedicated gaming routers have, the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) is a great mesh router that delivers the best throughput in the mesh category. With easy setup and Wi-Fi 6 speeds, the Orbi is the mesh router we recommend for gamers. With tri-band coverage that can handle 5,000 square feet with only a two-pack consisting of a base unit and satellite extension, the RBK852 serves up category-leading performance with a strong signal that punched through ceilings, floors and walls with ease. Read our full Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) review. Asus’s RT-AC86U router may not be the top performer at short range but it more than makes up for that with its superb range. An 802.11ac router with a great combination of performance, security software and gaming enhancements, the RT-AC86U is in a class by itself with an excellent mix of value and performance. The dual-band gaming router comes with lifetime internet security from Trend Micro, a wide selection of customization options, and some of the best performance you can get for under $200. And even though the performance is surpassed by other more expensive Wi-Fi 6 models, the RT-AC86U can deliver a safe and reasonably fast online experience for every family member. Read our full Asus RT-AC86U review. If you aren’t sold on the need for dedicated gaming features, but still want the performance needed for online gaming, we recommendation the TP-Link Archer AX6000 router, our favorite budget-friendly Wi-Fi 6 router. The most affordable of the first generation of Wi-Fi 6 devices, the Archer AX6000 sells for roughly $100 less than other Wi-Fi 6 models, but offers strong throughput and great connectivity thanks to a full eight LAN ports. You won’t get the detailed quality of service controls that a gaming router would give you, but it will still support solid gaming-grade performance, easily exceeding the performance of older 802.11ac models. On top of that, the TP-Link Archer AX6000 includes built-in security, offering protection along with performance. Read our full TP-Link Archer AX6000 review.
What’s different about gaming routers?
What exactly makes a gaming router different from a standard Wi-Fi router? They both serve up wireless internet for your computers, phones and other gadgets, and they’re based on the same wireless standards. So what else do gaming routers bring to the table? Throughput and Lag: The biggest difference is that gaming routers are built for both higher bandwidth (more important for games) and low latency. Besides letting more data flow in and out of your home, gaming routers allow data to flow faster in both directions. The result is lower ping times (the time it takes for a signal to travel from your gaming PC or consoles to the game servers” and a more responsive experience in online games. Hardware: This enhanced performance is the direct result of better hardware. A router is essentially a specialized computer that manages all of the connections and information packets on your home network, sorting and shifting them as necessary to connect your different devices. Just like with any computer, you’ll get faster performance with better components. Gaming routers offer better-than-average processing power and also feature larger built-in memory to allow for faster performance, letting a router manage more connections while also keeping latency to a minimum. Bandwidth management: Today’s homes are filled with all manner of connected devices, from PCs and game consoles to smart TVs and smartphones, and even refrigerators and other appliances. This makes for a crowded house full of bandwidth-hungry gadgets. All modern routers include some level of automatic bandwidth prioritization, so that your Netflix watching isn’t slowed down when another device needs to download an update. However, gaming routers take this a step further with Quality of Service (QoS) features. QoS features include more direct control of bandwidth management and let you prioritize specific devices (like your gaming PC) based on what activity or service is being used. They can also automatically re-adjust for time of day, number of devices and more. If the average router is similar to an automatic transmission that can handle stop and go traffic without much hassle, then a gaming router is like a manual transmission which puts more control in the driver’s hands. Not everyone requires this increased level of control but those who do, swear by it. Connectivity: A good gaming router is also built to handle faster connections and more of them. This simply means more wired LAN ports that provide faster speeds than Wi-Fi, more support for Gigabit speeds and higher and extra antennas to push Wi-Fi farther to handle more devices. Combine all of these distinctive features and advanced capabilities and it’s pretty obvious why a dedicated gaming router is a smart choice for those that want a competitive edge when playing games online or just better support for a house filled with connected devices.
How to choose the best gaming router for you
While the features mentioned above can give you a pretty good idea of what to look for in a gaming router, there are a few specific pieces of advice you’ll want to keep in mind when shopping for a new one. Speeds and standards: The best gaming routers generally utilize the latest and greatest technologies and the biggest example of this is in Wi-Fi standards. The newest models use Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 6, which are both substantially faster than the previous 802.11ac standard (retroactively named Wi-Fi 6). If you want to improve your gaming experience even on a slower broadband connection, you might be able to save a bit by choosing an older model with 802.11ac, but most will want to get the best connectivity they can, and should pay more for Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E. (Learn more in our article Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 6e: What’s the difference?) You’ll also want a router that can take full advantage of your broadband connection and gigabit-speed internet has become increasingly common though there’s also multi-gig internet which is significantly more expensive. If you’ve got a connection that offers gigabit service, you’ll need a router equipped with gigabit ethernet to actually take advantage of those speeds. (Learn more in our article What Is Gig-Speed Internet?) Features: Beyond these basics, it’s all about the features. Look into the details of each router’s QoS tools in our product reviews, look at the connectivity each device offers – both in Wi-Fi range and physical ports – and find the mix of features that seem to best match the level of tinkering and control you want in a gaming router. Price: The last big consideration is price. Gaming isn’t a cheap hobby, so the need to save a few bucks where you can is understandable. However, cutting too close to the bone will leave you stuck with subpar performance or missing features you may want. On average, the top gaming routers cost more than a standard Wi-Fi router usually in the $300-$400 range. However, there are ways to save that won’t leave you with a less capable device. Older gaming routers that meet the necessary specifications should still satisfy your need for speed and features at a lower price. Also, don’t forget about sales events, which can bring big savings.
How we test gaming routers
We test every router we review - gaming or otherwise - using a collection of benchmark tests in our Utah and New York facilities. During these tests, we use Ixia’s IxChariot software to measure how much data a router can move at several distances, confirm true usable Wi-Fi range and generally determine how well each device performs. We also test how well each router can transmit and receive signals through drywall, brick, concrete and even metal walls as well as how each handles coverage in a two- or three-story home. Gaming routers get additional testing though including real-world gaming performance, measuring latency and trying the various settings and features available on the device, including QoS and game enhancement features. Other factors we use when evaluating routers include ease of setup and use, software features and available ports. Want to find out more? Check out our guide on how we test Wi-Fi routers. Check out all of our home networking coverage: Best Wi-Fi routers | Best mesh routers | Best Wi-Fi 6 routers | Best Wi-Fi extenders | Best powerline extenders | Best cable modems
