Best gaming routers of 2022
Included in this guide:
For top-notch online-gaming performance, having i of the best gaming routers is essential, whether y'all're a diehard battle-royale fighter or a MMORPG addict.
Online gaming requires a stable and fast connectedness, and your router needs to maintain that connectedness when other people and devices in your household compete for bandwidth. Merely in that location's more to it than mere connectivity.
Gaming routers go well beyond providing consistent speeds. Minimizing lag keeps you in the game without being bogged downward past delays. Bandwidth prioritization means your game won't be interrupted when someone at home fires up Netflix.
Gaming routers likewise provide customization at a higher level than virtually consumer routers. They also provide great security features, making sure that malware never interferes with your next gaming session.
In fact, we've just seen several new gaming routers unveiled at CES, including one whose antennas motility to focus signals. Be sure to read our roundup of the best abode Wi-Fi routers of CES 2022.
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Of the dozens of routers we examination and review each yr, only a handful are considered dedicated gaming routers. Here are the all-time of the best, a option of the best gaming routers we've reviewed, too as a scattering of less specialized devices that nonetheless offer the aforementioned sort of throughput and low lag times that gamers crave.
What are the all-time gaming routers?
The all-time gaming router overall is the Asus RT-AX86U, a Wi-Fi 6 powerhouse that delivers category-leading functioning and a wealth of features that let gamers fine-tune their Wi-Fi to perfection.
The best Wi-Fi 5 gaming router is the TP-Link Archer C5400X, a one-fourth dimension performance leader that's nevertheless a great buy for anyone looking for an inexpensive pick for solid gaming performance. It's not the best y'all'll go, but it's significantly less expensive than Wi-Fi 6 units that y'all might not be able to accept full advantage of all the same.
Read on for all of our picks for the best gaming routers.
The best gaming routers right now
When it comes to the all-time gaming router, performance takes the prize. The Asus RT-AX86U is a Wi-Fi half dozen powerhouse that delivers great speeds and killer gaming features, as well as crawly customization options. With loftier-stop performance and lifetime protection against intrusions and malware, it'due south also a peachy option for securing your unabridged home network, providing long term protection without a subscription fee, and carrying a two-twelvemonth warranty.
But the real draw of the Asus RT-AX86U is the functioning, which approaches the the magical 1Gbps mark to provide speedy and effortless connectivity for all of your devices. With first-class range and great performance – even through walls and between floors – the RT-AX86U is equal parts full general-utilise router and elite gaming router, and the collection of features and ports it offers are a steal compared to some of the summit-performing gaming gear. It even gets a nod every bit the runner upwardly for best Wi-Fi router in the about contempo Tom's Guide Awards. If you want the best Wi-Fi 6 gaming router, the Asus RT-AX86U is information technology.
Read our full Asus RT-AX86U review .
The TP-Link Archer C5400X was one time the gaming router to beat, and is still the peak choice for gamers that don't want to pay more for Wi-Fi half-dozen. With some of the all-time 802.11ac performance yous'll see in any single abode networking device, it offers best-in-grade tri-ring speeds, delivering 1Gbps over its 2.4GHz band and two.167Gbps over each of its two 5GHz channels. It also has impressive coverage, with more than 100-anxiety of superb coverage that will blanket nigh homes in potent, articulate Wi-Fi signal.
The spider-like viii-antenna design and crimson-on-blackness color scheme are sure to plow heads, but the real selling point is the drove 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 easily, for gaming or anything else.
Read our full TP-Link Archer C5400X review .
The Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000 is powerful, with Wi-Fi half dozen speeds that goes in a higher place and beyond almost other gaming routers with excellent speeds and top-shelf gaming enhancements. The Netgear'southward high-throughput, depression-latency blueprint is packed with customization options and built-in security, providing protection confronting hackers along with superb Wi-Fi 6 performance. It'southward also not bad 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 1 of the all-time gaming routers we've always seen.
With an entire dashboard of customization tools, you lot tin optimize the router'due south performance in a boundless number of means, from CPU usage monitoring to stats that identify what apps and devices are using the most information 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 marketplace to feature Wi-Fi 6, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 is a gamer'south delight, with speed that improves over longer range, low latency and all the features that gamers expect. Add together it all up and most other gaming routers are now second best.
The GT-AX11000 is large, with a gargantuan base, 8 swiveling antennas, and massive 10.8Gbps maximum throughput. This wireless router has connectivity in droves, thanks to its tri-band design and 4 downstream Gigabit LAN ports, a single two.5G Base T Ethernet connectedness, and two USB 3.0 ports. Congenital in customization and gaming-oriented optimizations provide enough of control, and you lot can fifty-fifty pair it with other Asus routers for mesh networking to cover a larger domicile. At $450, it is expensive, but this is 1 of the best wireless routers for gamers wanting an edge online.
Read our total Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 review .
When y'all've got a big dwelling house, a unmarried router might not give you the Wi-Fi coverage you need. In those instances, you lot want a mesh router, which uses several nodes to create a unmarried seamless network that can cover the largest of homes. But they don't really make mesh routers specifically for gaming. While it may not offering all of the distinctive features that defended gaming routers accept, the Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK852) is a keen mesh router that delivers the all-time throughput in the mesh category. With easy setup and Wi-Fi 6 speeds, the Orbi is the mesh router nosotros recommend for gamers.
With tri-ring coverage that can handle v,000 square feet with only a two-pack consisting of a base unit and satellite extension, the RBK852 serves up category-leading operation with a potent signal that punched through ceilings, floors and walls with ease. In addition to massively improved speeds and handling of multiple devices, the Orbi too works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for seamless voice control throughout the house. When information technology comes to mesh Wi-Fi 6 devices, the Netgear Orbi WiFi six (RBK852) is the one to beat.
Read our full Netgear Orbi WiFi vi (RBK852) review .
Asus's RT-AC86U router may non exist the top performer at curt range but information technology more than makes up for that with its superb range. An 802.11ac router with a great combination of functioning, security software and gaming enhancements, the RT-AC86U is in a class by itself with an splendid mix of value and operation.
The dual-band gaming router comes with lifetime internet security from Trend Micro, a wide pick of customization options, and some of the all-time functioning you tin can get for under $200. And even though the performance is surpassed by other more expensive Wi-Fi vi models, the RT-AC86U can evangelize a prophylactic 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 all the same want the performance needed for online gaming, we recommendation the TP-Link Archer AX6000 router, our favorite upkeep-friendly Wi-Fi six router. The nigh affordable of the kickoff generation of Wi-Fi vi devices, the Archer AX6000 sells for roughly $100 less than other Wi-Fi six models, merely offers strong throughput and not bad connectivity thanks to a full eight LAN ports.
You won't get the detailed quality of service controls that a gaming router would requite you, but it will still support solid gaming-grade performance, easily exceeding the performance of older 802.11ac models. On pinnacle 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'due south different about gaming routers?
But what makes a gaming router whatever different from a standard Wi-Fi router? They both serve upward wireless internet for your computers, phones and gadgets, and they're based on the aforementioned wireless standards, so what else practise gaming routers bring to the table? The answer: Enough.
Throughput and Lag: The biggest departure is that gaming routers are congenital for both higher bandwidth and – more crucial for gamers – lower latency. In add-on to letting more data catamenia in and out of your home, it lets information technology flow faster in both directions. The consequence is lower ping times, which measure out the time it takes for a signal to travel from your gaming PC or console to the game servers. The issue is a more responsive feel in online games.
Hardware: This enhanced performance is due to meliorate hardware. A router is essentially a specialized figurer that manages all of the connections and information packets in your abode network, sorting and shifting them as necessary to connect your different devices. And like any computer, you'll get faster performance from better components. Gaming routers offering amend-than-average processing power and larger built-in retentiveness to let for that faster performance, letting a router manage more connections while too keeping latency to a minimum.
Bandwidth management: Today'south home is filled with continued devices, from PCs and game consoles to smart TVs and smartphones, and fifty-fifty refrigerators and other appliances. It 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 when your refrigerator needs to download an update, only gaming routers take this a step farther with Quality of Service (QoS) features.
QoS features include more direct control of what bandwidth goes where, letting you prioritize specific devices (similar your gaming rig), prioritize based on what activity or service is being used, and fifty-fifty to automatically re-accommodate for time of day, number of devices, and more.
If the average router is like an automatic transmission that handles finish and go traffic without much fuss, then a gaming router is like a manual transmission, putting more control in the driver's hands when they're out on the track. Not everyone needs the increased control, but those who do swear by it.
Connectivity: A skilful gaming router is also built to handle faster connections and more than of them. This also simply means more than wired LAN ports (which offering faster speeds than Wi-Fi), more than back up for Gigabit speeds and higher, and extra antennas to push Wi-Fi farther and handle more devices with ease.
Combine all of these distinctive features and advanced capabilities, and information technology's pretty obvious why a dedicated gaming router is a smart choice for anyone that wants a competitive border in online gaming, or just better back up for a business firm filled with tech.
How to choose the best gaming router for you
While the above features give you a pretty skillful thought of what to look for in a gaming router, there are a few specific pieces of advice you lot'll desire to bear in mind when shopping for a new one.
Speeds and standards: The all-time gaming routers generally encompass the latest and greatest technologies, and the biggest instance of this is in Wi-Fi standards. The newest models use Wi-Fi 6, which is substantially faster than the previous 802.11ac standard (retroactively named Wi-Fi 5).
If y'all want to better your gaming experience even on a slower broadband connexion, you might be able to relieve a buck by opting for an older model with 802.11ac, merely most volition want to get the best connectivity they tin, and should pay more than for Wi-Fi 6. (Larn more than in our article Wi-Fi 6: What it is and why it'due south better)
You'll besides want a router that can have total reward of your broadband connexion, and gigabit-speed internet service is the best you can get. Just if yous've got a connection that offers gigabit service, yous have to have a similarly equipped router to really take reward of those speeds. (Learn more than in our commodity What Is Gig-Speed Internet?)
Features: Beyond those basics, it's all about the features. Look into the details of a given router's QoS tools in our production reviews, expect at the connectivity it offers – both in Wi-Fi range and concrete ports – and discover the mix of features that seem to all-time match your desired level of tinkering and control.
Price: The last large consideration is toll. Gaming'due south not a cheap hobby, so the need to save a buck where you can is an understandable 1. But cut also close to the bone will leave you stuck with subpar performance or missing desired features.
On average, the top gaming routers will cost more than a standard Wi-Fi router, usually in the $300-400 range. However, there are ways to save a cadet that won't exit you with a less capable device. Older devices that meet the necessary specifications should still satisfy your need for speed and features at a lower price. And don't forget about sales events, which can bring big savings.
How we test gaming routers
We test every router – gaming or otherwise – with a drove of benchmark tests in our Utah and New York facilities, using Ixia'south IxChariot software to measure out how much data it can move at several distances, confirm true usable Wi-Fi range, and generally determine how well it performs. We also test how well each router transmits and receives signals through drywall, brick, concrete and fifty-fifty metal walls; and how each handles coverage of a two- or three-story dwelling house.
Gaming routers get boosted testing, with real-world gaming, measuring latency and trying the various settings and features available on the device, including QoS and game enhancement features. Other factors used in evaluating the routers include ease of setup and employ, software features and available ports.
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