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The best gaming routers could make a big difference in how well you do in multiplayer games. When it comes to home technology, few things are as frustrating as bad Wi-Fi. Luckily, there are routers made just for gaming that can improve your connection for your favourite hobby. Obviously, these will help you the most if you stream a lot, which can put a lot of stress on your bandwidth. With our suggestions, we’ll help you find the best gaming router.
The best gaming router should have a lot of Ethernet ports for fast and stable speed and support fast Wi-Fi 5 or even Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E connections. These routers have two or even three wireless bands, so you can use one band just for gaming. This way, your gaming console or PC won’t have to compete with all the Phones and smart home devices trying to talk to the router.
Best Gaming Routers
TP-Link Archer AX11000 Router
Specifications
| Processor | 1.8 GHz Quad-Core processor |
| Memory | 512MB flash and 1GB RAM |
| Ports | (8) 10/100/1000Mbps gigabit Ethernet ports, (1) 2.5Gb WAN |
| Encryption | 802.11x, WPA3 |
| Wi-Fi Technology | WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Dual-Band WiFi (AX5400), 2.4 GHz (AX1148) |
| Dimensions | 11.3 x 11.3 x 7.2 in (288 x 288 x 184 mm) |
| Weight | 2.61 pounds |
The Archer AX11000 got high marks and an Editors’ Choice award for its great performance, gamer-friendly dashboard, and wide range of I/O ports, including eight 1GbE LAN ports, a 2.5GbE WAN port, and a couple of USB ports.
It’s a big tri-band Wi-Fi 6 router with a big price tag, but it’s packed with features and uses top-notch hardware to keep you in the game, making it one of the best gaming routers overall. If you play fast-paced online games and your current router can’t keep up, you might want to upgrade to the AX11000.
Pros
- Easy to install
- Lots of gamer-friendly settings
- Numerous ports
- Multi-gig WAN. Link aggregation
- Lifetime malware protection
- Solid parental controls
Cons
- Large, with inflexible antennae
- Expensive
- Bulky
NETGEAR Nighthawk XR1000 Router
Specifications
| Ports | Five (5) 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports – 1 WAN & 4 LAN |
| Memory | 256MB flash and 512MB RAM |
| Processor | Powerful 1.5GHz Triple-Core processor |
| Encryption | 802.11i, 128-bit AES encryption with PSK |
| Beamforming | Explicit Beamforming for 2.4 & 5GHz bands |
| Powered by DumaOS 3.0 | Geo Fencing, Ping Heatmap, Bandwidth Allocation and more. |
| Weight | 814.5 g |
The Nighthawk XR1000 has Wi-Fi 6 with beamforming and the powerful DumaOS 3.0 that lets you fine-tune the network to put important traffic first. Wi-Fi 6E isn’t available here either, but since very few devices support that standard and adding it would mean losing a second useful 5 GHz band, most users are better off without it for at least a couple more years.
If you want something simpler and much cheaper, you can get Wi-Fi 6 for $99 with D-EXO Link’s AX1800, but it has a lot of limitations. Given that it costs more than $300, the Netgear NXR1000 might not be for everyone. But if you want a real gaming router with fine-grained controls instead of bright lights, this is the best gaming router for you.
Pros
- Top Wi-Fi 6 performance at mid-range distances
- Includes malware protection
- Good configuration options
- Top gamer’s tools and interface
Cons
- No Multi-Gig input or port aggregation
- 90-day support policy and extra charge for security updates
- Expensive
ASUS ROG Strix AX5400 Router
Specifications
| Product Dimensions | 10.56 x 7.08 x 6.53 inches |
| Item Weight | 1.55 pounds |
| Item model number | GS-AX5400 |
| Manufacturer | Asus |
| Country of Origin | China |
The ROG Strix GS-AX5400 is a mid-range Wi-Fi 6 router that is well-equipped and made to improve your online gaming experience. It did well in our throughput tests and was easy to set up, but it doesn’t have multi-gig connectivity like TP-Archer Link’s AX11000, which is a more expensive router.
Still, this Asus has a dedicated gaming LAN port that gives gaming PCs and consoles the most bandwidth and supports link aggregation for fast networking. The Strix GS-AX5400 is fast, and gamers will also like the optimization tools that come with it.
Pros
- Easy to install
- Fast throughput performance
- Strong anti-malware and parental control software
- Gamer-friendly optimization tools
- Dedicated gaming port
Cons
- Lacks multi-gig ports
- Only one USB port
TP-Link Archer GX-90 AX6600 Router
Specifications
| Product Dimensions | 8.35 x 8.35 x 2.04 inches |
| Item Weight | 2.43 pounds |
| Item model number | Archer GX90 |
| Manufacturer | TP-Link |
| Country of Origin | Vietnam |
The Archer GX-90 did well in our throughput tests and sent strong Wi-Fi signals all over our test home. It has Wi-Fi 6 technology, a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, eight antennas, and three radio bands. You get some nice features like a 2.5GbE LAN/WAN port, a 1GbE LAN/WAN port, three 1GbE LAN ports, and two USB ports.
The router is also compatible with OneMesh, which lets you use it to create a seamless mesh network. The Archer GX-90 is a great choice for online gamers who want to cut down on latency. It has fast performance and an easy-to-use gaming dashboard with optimization tools like Game Accelerator to give bandwidth priority, Game Diagnostics to test connectivity.
Pros
- Free antivirus software
- Strong throughput and signal performance
- Lifetime network security and parental control software
- Multi-gig connectivity
- Gamer-friendly settings
Cons
- Pricey
- Non-adjustable antennas
Asus GT-AXE11000 Router
Specifications
| Model | GT-AXE11000 |
| Wi-Fi Technology | Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E AX11000 |
| Processing Power | 1.8 GHz quad-core CPU, 256MB Flash, 1GB RAM |
| Backward Compatibility | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
| Number of 160MHz Channels | 7x on one 6GHz band, 2x on one 5GHz band |
| Gigabit Network Port | 4x LAN, 1x WAN |
| Multi-Gig Network Port | 1x 2.5Gbps LAN/WAN |
The Asus GT-AXE11000 is a Wi-Fi 6e powerhouse with fast speeds, great gaming features, and great ways to customise it. It has high-end performance and lifetime protection against intrusions and malware. It’s also a great choice for protecting your whole home network because it offers long-term protection without a subscription fee and comes with VIP support.
The Asus GT-AXE11000 is a tri-band router that can send data over the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz Wi-Fi bands using seven new high-performance 160MHz data channels. In our tests, though, its speed dropped quickly, so you’ll want to use this gaming router in the same room or a room next to it.
Pros
- Incredible throughput
- Excellent customization options
- Built-in security software
- Gaming accelerator
Cons
- Expensive
- Throughput falls off quickly with distance
- Requires 802.11AXE device to get top performance
TP-Link Archer C5400X Router
Specifications
| Dimensions | With antennas: 11.3 X 11.3X 7.2 in (288 X 288 X 184 mm) |
| Network standards | IEEE 802.11ac/n/a 5GHz, IEEE 802.11ac/n/g/b 2.4GHz, IPv4, IPv6 |
| CPU | 1.8 GHz 64-bit quad-core CPU, three co-processors |
| System memory | 1GB of RAM and 16GB of EMMC internal storage. |
| Ports | 8x Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, 1x Gigabit Ethernet WAN port, 2x USB 3.0, Bluetooth (for setup) |
| Special port features | LAN link aggregation and Dual-WAN |
The TP-Link Archer C5400X was once the gaming router to beat, and it’s still the best choice for gamers who don’t want to pay more for Wi-Fi 6. It has some of the best 802.11ac performance of any single home networking device. It also has the best-in-class tri-band speeds, with 1Gbps on its 2.4GHz band and 2.167Gbps on each of its two 5GHz channels.
It also has great range, with a range of more than 100 feet that will cover most homes with a strong, clear Wi-Fi signal. The spider-like 8 antennas and red-on-black colour scheme are sure to get people’s attention, but the real selling point is the set of optimization and security features that will please any power user.
Pros
- Excellent performance
- Triband design
- Customization potential
- Security software
Cons
- Big
- Can’t aim antennas
- Expensive
Asus RT-AX82U AX5400 Router
Specifications
| Processor | 1.5 GHz tri-core processor |
| Memory | 256 MB Flash, 512 MB RAM |
| Ports | RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT for WAN x 1, RJ45 for 10/100/1000 BaseT for LAN x 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 x 1 |
| Encryption | WPA3-Personal, WPA2-Personal, WPA-Personal, WPA-Enterprise , WPA2-Enterprise , WPS support |
| Wi-Fi Technology | OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) |
| Dimensions | 275.5 x 184.4 x 165 mm (WxDxH) with antenna |
| Weight | 740 g |
The Asus RT-AX82U has a good mix of Wi-Fi 6 throughput and gaming performance. It comes in a nice-looking, fairly small package and costs just $230. We were impressed by the high frame rates, the ability to set QoS settings for gaming, and the built-in security.
You also get RGB lighting that works with Aura, which some people will like but which you can also turn off. Just know that your Ethernet and USB options are limited, and there is no WTFast option. There’s also no Wi-Fi 6E here, but at this price, we wouldn’t expect it, and most devices can’t use the 6 GHz band yet anyway.
Pros
- Great software features for the price
- Solid AX5400 performance with good coverage
- Compact size and subtle design
- AiMesh makes it expandable
- Good gaming features
Cons
- No multi-gig Ethernet
- Locked up when changing settings
NETGEAR Nighthawk Pro XR700 Router
Specifications
| Ports | 1 WAN/6 LAN gigabit per second, 1 10 gigabit per second wired port, 2 USB |
| Processor | Anapurna quad-core 1.7GHz/512MB/1GB |
| Wi-Fi chip | Qualcomm QCA9984 and QCA9500 |
| Performance | 859.5 Mbps (at 15 feet) |
| Range | 95 feet |
| Size | 14.1 x 10.0 x 2.0 inches |
The Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 is a good follow-up to the XR500, which impressed us because it was the fastest router we had tested up to that point. Both are part of the company’s line of networking products called “Nighthawk Pro Gaming,” but the XR700 is faster than its predecessor.
The XR700 has all the right parts: one WAN port, six LAN ports, support for link aggregation, and even a 10 Gigabit LAN SFP+ port for Ethernet bandwidth. Let’s get this over with. All of the attention in the wireless market is on 802.11ax/Wi-Fi 6, but the XR700 uses a mix of last-generation 802.11ac/Wi-Fi 5 and 802.11ad technology, which hasn’t caught on yet.
Pros
- Easy to install
- Solid throughput performance
- Numerous I/O ports
- Supports 60GHz and 10Gb Ethernet connectivity
- Gamer-friendly management console
Cons
- Expensive
- Large footprint
- Middling MU-MIMO performance
FAQs
Are routers good for gaming?
Just like with any computer, if you buy better parts, the computer will run faster. Gaming routers have more processing power than average and more built-in memory, which lets them run faster and handle more connections while keeping latency to a minimum.
What routers do pro players use?
- Netgear Nighthawk X6S (R8000P)
- Asus TUF-AX5400
- Linksys Hydra Pro 6E
- Nighthawk Pro Gaming Router (XR1000)
How do I choose a gaming router?
Which is better for gaming: dual-band or tri-band? Every good gaming router will have at least two radio bands. The most people use the 2.4GHz band, which tends to get more crowded than the 5GHz band. The 2.4GHz band has a much longer range than the 5GHz band, but it can’t match the speed of the 5GHz band.
How many Mbps router do I need for gaming?
Most experts agree that you need at least 3-8 Mbps of download speed to play games. At the very least, this will keep your ping rate from being too high. Keep in mind that these upload and download speeds are only measured for one person and one device.