Lag or sudden dips in our web connection at all times occur on the worst doable moments throughout a sport. A few of these points are out of our arms, however many connectivity issues stem from our routers. So, it is crucial you seize one of many greatest wi-fi routers, ideally one for gaming, like our favourite, the Netgear Nighthawk X6S, if you wish to get aggressive on-line.
Click on to jump to a detailed look at the best gaming routers, or test the buying listing under:
TL;DR – These are the Best Routers for Gaming:
Older routers have outdated Wi-Fi requirements, gradual speeds, and lack superior options to prioritize gaming site visitors. That’s why you want the most effective gaming routers providing the most recent Wi-Fi for the quickest speeds, extra Ethernet ports for a steady connection, and multi-band frequency, letting you dedicate a whole band simply to gaming.
Discovering the proper gaming router will be sophisticated and complicated, so we’re right here to assist, bringing you 9 nice choices positive to ship strong connectivity and top-notch gaming options – and find them here in the UK. With CES 2024 coming, some new contenders for this information could also be introduced.
What to Search for in a Gaming Router
Whilst you’re looking for a gaming router, you have to be looking out for which model of Wi-Fi it helps. The primary two you will wish to look out for are Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)—with Wi-Fi 6E increasing Wi-Fi 6 to incorporate a 6GHz band—and Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), as they ship the quick wi-fi speeds. Wi-Fi 7 is right here too, however most units do not assist it simply but. Throughout your seek for a gaming router, you will undoubtedly come throughout items designed for Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) that look very engaging because of their low costs, however it is best to keep away from this siren’s name. Wi-Fi 4 is an outdated commonplace that gives pretty gradual speeds in comparison with its two extra trendy renditions.
You may additionally wish to discover a gaming router that’s no less than dual-band. Single-band routers solely assist the two.4GHz band, which is okay sufficient for internet looking and downloading most recordsdata, however dual-band routers add a second 5GHz channel that gives a lot sooner wi-fi speeds. You may additionally discover Tri-Band or Quad-Band routers—and we have featured them as effectively—that characteristic an extra 5GHz or 6GHz band you possibly can fully dedicate to gaming.
The Best Gaming Routers
The Best Total Gaming Router
Whenever you’re gaming, you want pace and a powerful sign to make sure you don’t lose a connection when in the heated moments of a sport. You get that with the Netgear Nighthawk X6S. This gaming router offers you the everyday stuff you anticipate with a 2.4GHz and 5GHz connection, together with some exterior antennas providing a powerful sign all through your own home. It even beefs up your connectivity choices with an extra 5GHz band, which means if you wish to sport on Wi-Fi as a substitute of an Ethernet connection, you possibly can dedicate an entire 5GHz band simply on your gaming. The opposite 5GHz connection can be utilized for the remainder of your actions. And so far as pace goes, you get 1,625Mbps on the 2 5GHz bands and 750Mbps on the two.4GHz.
Now, this router isn’t providing all the most recent options like Wi-Fi 6E or 2.5Gbps WAN, however it additionally comes at a extra reasonably priced worth than people who do. It nonetheless affords MU-MIMO, so that you’ll be good for concurrently streaming knowledge on a bunch of units, whereas QoS helps you to prioritize units on the community. There are many different settings accessible, like parental controls, knowledge theft safety, and visitor networks, which might all be arrange utilizing the Netgear app. You even get ample connectivity choices like 4 ethernets, a WAN, and USB ports to wire up units.
Best Funds Gaming Router
Admittedly, many routers in this information will set you again a superb chunk of change, however the Asus RT-AX82U retains the worth decrease whereas nonetheless rocking all of the gaming chops you want. It has dual-band Wi-Fi 6, which affords a steady connection and low-latency communication between your gaming system and the router. There’s a speedy 2.4GHz band and an excellent sooner 5GHz band; we’re speaking 5400Mbps speeds. You may even join a PC or gaming system to the devoted gaming port, guaranteeing it will get the lion’s share of the connection.
The Asus RT-AX82U appears the a part of a gaming router with its cumbersome design, 4 seen antennae for a greater sign, and a wholesome dose of RGB lighting. In case you’re apprehensive a couple of poor sign in sure areas of your own home, you possibly can even construct out a mesh community for seamless prolonged protection because of ASUS AiMesh assist. And thru the router’s app, you possibly can prioritize no matter you’re doing and take away bottlenecks. The sheer variety of methods to handle your community’s site visitors is fairly astounding.
Best Tri-Band Gaming Router
Wi-Fi has taken some critical leaps in the previous couple of years, with Wi-Fi 6 stepping issues up and then Wi-Fi 6E including some icing to the cake. The Linksys Hydra Pro 6E is a tri-band router that takes benefit of this new functionality. In case you’re solely working older consumer units with Wi-Fi 5 and earlier, it will not be for you since it’s going to principally be a dual-band router with 2×2 connections on the two.4GHz and 5GHz bands. However, should you’ve bought the most recent units or networking playing cards with Wi-Fi 6E, the Linksys Hydra Professional can dial issues up massive time.
The Linksys Hydra Professional affords a 3rd band at 6GHz with 4×4 streams for a possible throughput of as much as 4,804Mbps, although you will want some severely quick web speeds to make the most of that bandwidth. This router can also be prepared for a wired reference to a 5Gb WAN port on the again to plug in your gaming consoles or PC, although you don’t get hyperlink aggregation. It’s even doable so as to add it to your mesh community. Past that, you get all the most recent options to reinforce your linked expertise, like MU-MIMO, QoS, beamforming, WPA3, and parental controls. Simply be ready to pay a premium, as the most recent expertise does not come low-cost.
Best Twin-Band Gaming Router
What can a dual-band router do? Nicely, if it is working Wi-Fi 6 and highly effective {hardware} inside, quite a bit. The Nighthawk Pro Gaming Router XR1000 from Netgear is strong proof of this. This router offers its two bands loads of room to run with 2×2 MU-MIMO on the two.4GHz band for 574Mbps speeds. However the 5GHz channel is the place you’ll wish to flip for the final word throughput and low latency, because it’s able to 4×4 MU-MIMO and can clock in at 4,804Mbps. In case you’re in search of a wired connection, you get one WAN port and 4 ethernet ports, although you don’t get hyperlink aggregation or any Multi-Gig connections.
That is a superb begin for the {hardware}, however Netgear takes this router even additional into the depths of gaming with particular firmware. The Nighthawk Professional Gaming Router may also help you guarantee your gaming methods are getting the very best connection doable with QoS that’ll allow you to give extra precedence to your video games than different internet makes use of, like dwell streams, VoIP, or internet looking. The devoted gaming dashboard even helps you to see the standard of your connection to a video games server and geofence sure areas to eradicate servers which can be out of vary or underperforming. There are additionally some enhanced safety features like malware safety to make sure all the things stays at peak efficiency.
Best Wi-Fi 6 Gaming Router
In case your family is stuffed with linked units the place sustaining high speeds is important, a Wi-Fi 6 router is a should. The TP-Link Archer AX10000 is among the greatest, particularly should you’re targeted on on-line gaming. This tri-band router affords a pair of 5GHz networks and one 2.4GHz community providing speeds as much as 10526 Mbps. Meaning there needs to be loads of unimpeded pace and connectivity to go round. You may even dedicate a band simply to gaming, and there is a Recreation Accelerator that can detect and optimize your gaming streams. Another gaming options of be aware are Recreation Statistics, which helps you to know latency, sport period, and different information about your community, together with the Recreation Protector to make sure your system and community are safe throughout on-line gaming.
The TP-Hyperlink Archer AX10000’s energy is nearly as spectacular as its pace, because of the 1.8 GHz Quad-Core CPU and 1GB RAM. Meaning the router can deal with an enormous throughput and eradicate nearly all lag so you possibly can keep immersed in your video games. Plus, with using OFDMA and MU-MIMO, even when extra units be a part of the community, there shouldn’t be any noticeable distinction in speeds. Lastly, this router affords tons of connectivity for units that will profit from a wired reference to a 2.5Gbps WAN and eight Gigabit LAN ports that assist hyperlink aggregation.
Best Wi-Fi Mesh System for Gaming
Typically you have got a number of gaming units unfold throughout your own home that must be linked to quick web, and that’s the place a mesh Wi-Fi router steps in. An ideal possibility for gaming is the Netgear Orbi 860 Series, which affords a primary router, and you should purchase additional high-speed nodes to make sure each nook and cranny of your own home is on top of things. There’s protection as much as 2,700 sq. ft, however every node expands your wi-fi community, whereas MU-MIMO, beamforming, and different Wi-Fi tech guarantee no drop-offs.
This Orbi system options tri-band Wi-Fi. You don’t get Wi-Fi 6E assist, so there’s no 6GHz band, however that second 5GHz band ought to deal with backhaul site visitors between nodes should you plan to buy them. That leaves blazing-fast speeds for the opposite 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands to connect with all of your gaming units. There are even 4 LAN ports on the router for a wired connection to units that profit from constant pace, like gaming PCs and consoles. One WAN port additionally hits 10 Gbps should you’ve bought multi-gig web.
Quickest Gaming Router
The Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 is constructed for Wi-Fi 6 and the insane speeds that include it. This router is able to assist busy community with most knowledge switch speeds of 11Gbps over a tri-band frequency. You get a 2.4Ghz band and two 5GHz that share these gigabits, whereas customers can dedicate a kind of bands particularly to gaming to keep away from interference from different linked units in their residence. In case you’d somewhat wire up your PC or console, there’s a WAN port and 5 networking ports, together with a Multi-Gig possibility to make sure a steady, speedy connection.
With a chunky body, RGB lighting, and eight antennae, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 appears like a gaming beast. Inside, the 1.8GHz 64-bit quad-core CPU and 1GB RAM show it’s as much as job so far as on-line gaming is worried. It’s additionally rocking a ton of extra options, so that you get probably the most out of this router. There’s Micro safety to defend your community towards assaults. Some gaming extras embrace Recreation Radar to ping your sport’s server to search out the one with the quickest connection, whereas Recreation Acceleration boosts gaming site visitors.
Best Wi-Fi 6E Gaming Router
If you need a critical router for gaming, you possibly can’t get far more critical than the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000. It is not only a Wi-Fi 6 router, however somewhat a Wi-Fi 6E router, which brings entry to much more potential, because of the 6GHz spectrum it provides on high of two.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Quad-band connectivity affords up a simple method to break up up your community so you possibly can guarantee your gaming units have the quickest connection in the home. That 6GHz affords unimaginable throughput, and that connection shouldn’t be as widespread but, eliminating the identical form of interference from all of your neighbors’ routers that you will notice on 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks.
This router has eight antennas to ship a robust sign, and with beamforming, it will possibly go even additional, guaranteeing a powerful connection between your wi-fi units and the router. You additionally get some blistering speeds from wired connections, because the router helps 10Gb WAN or LAN and hyperlink aggregation, so you are not caught with the 1Gbps Ethernet speeds many different routers will restrict you to. Past that, you get options like Recreation Accelerator, which prioritizes gaming units in the devoted gaming port, and safety software program constructed in to make sure all the things stays protected whilst you’re on-line.
Best VPN Router for Gaming
Typically, you need an additional dose of information safety on-line by utilizing a VPN, and the ExpressVPN Aircove is a robust router with ExpressVPN, the greatest VPN for gaming, built-in. Though you’ll nonetheless must pay for the subscription, all of your units, together with your gaming PC, consoles, sensible residence units, and gaming laptop computer are protected 24/7 when linked to the router. It’s even doable to arrange 5 VPN places concurrently. And don’t fear, you’ll nonetheless expertise extremely low latency and excessive bandwidth whereas gaming.
Past the built-in VPN, this feature has all the things you’d anticipate in a fantastic router. It makes use of the Wi-Fi 6 commonplace and manages speeds totaling 1,800Mbps throughout its dual-band frequency, and you’ll get protection for as much as 1,600 sq. ft of house. In case you want higher protection, you possibly can at all times seize one of many greatest Wi-Fi extenders, whereas included options like MU-MIMO and OFDMA assist enhance efficiency. For a wired connection, there are 5 1Gbps Ethernet ports accessible.
The place to Get High Gaming Routers (In Inventory) in the UK:
Easy methods to Get the Most Out of Your Gaming Router
Bear in mind, simply having a gaming router doesn’t suggest you are going to robotically get the very best residence community immediately. You continue to ought to comply with various greatest practices for optimizing your own home community. Do not attempt tucking your router out of the way in which in a closet on the backside of a shelf, as that is the quickest method to make sure you will not get the complete efficiency out of it.
Your router needs to be positioned someplace central in your residing house, ideally excessive up, and with out many obstacles in the way in which (i.e., do not put it behind your TV). All the things in the trail out of your router to your linked units will impression the sign and thus the standard of your connection.
You can too assist out your wi-fi units by utilizing a wired Ethernet connection wherever doable. (In case you want one, contemplate our greatest choose: DbillionDa Cat8 Ethernet Cable). Limiting the variety of units linked to your Wi-Fi at a time may also help guarantee every system will get higher efficiency.
Securing your wi-fi router can also be essential not only for safety but in addition on your efficiency. Certain, you don’t need probably malicious customers accessing your own home community, however you additionally don’t need your neighbors piggybacking onto your community, as they will eat into your bandwidth and probably drag down your community efficiency. Use a powerful password and contemplate disabling any visitor networks. You may even contemplate not broadcasting your community ID, which makes it far much less probably somebody will entry your community with the tradeoff that organising new units generally is a little extra time-consuming.
Easy methods to Prolong WiFi Vary for Gaming
One other factor to maintain in thoughts is that the additional you get away out of your router, the weaker the sign goes to get. In case your gaming setup is not shut sufficient to your router, contemplate selecting up a Wi-Fi vary extender to get a bit extra attain.
For extra WiFi assist, see the very best USB WiFi adapters. If safety issues most to you, additionally see our listing for the very best gaming VPNs for 2024.
Kevin Lee is IGN’s {Hardware} and Roundups Editor. Observe him on Twitter @baggingspam
Danielle Abraham is a contract author and unpaid music historian.