The 4 Finest Gaming Routers of 2024

$379 at B&H

Amplifi HD Gamer’s Version

Finest gaming router design (Replace: Again-ordered)

Anybody who spends time gaming on-line is aware of {that a} good web connection is crucial to your expertise, and infrequently this contains having the precise router. The proper router permits for a steady connection to on-line sport servers and avoids lag, which is very vital when enjoying on-line multiplayer video games. Whereas it is higher to have an Ethernet cable wired into your PC’s LAN ports, in case you have among the finest wi-fi routers you should not discover an excessive amount of of a distinction.

There are a ton of gaming routers available on the market that declare to spice up your gaming efficiency, however which of them are one of the best gaming routers? To reply that query, I went on a private quest to search out the quickest router to spice up my web connection. I’ve put collectively this purchaser’s information as a compilation of every little thing I’ve discovered out to this point, beginning with the highest gaming routers it is best to think about first in your hunt for one of the best gaming router. I replace this information commonly.

Before you purchase any routers for gaming, I like to recommend you have a look at my newbie’s information to gaming lag to see methods you may convey down your ping. It’s possible you’ll not want a brand new router in any respect, and in lots of instances, shifting your wi-fi router to a distinct spot or adjusting the antennas of your present router might enhance your community and your on-line gaming efficiency. In case you’ve tried all that, and your gaming connection nonetheless wants an improve, you are studying the precise roundup.

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Finest gaming routers

Asus RT-AX86U

Finest gaming router general

First up is the primary gaming router I would advocate to most individuals, and a router I would advocate to only about anyone, reality be advised. It is the Asus RT-AX86U, and it replaces our earlier finest gaming router choose… the Asus RT-AC86U.

We preferred that earlier Asus router mannequin for its quick, regular speeds, its spectacular lineup of gamer-centric options and its sturdy end in our latency checks. Comparatively new (it got here out in 2020), the RT-AX86U provides all the similar, and it provides in assist for Wi-Fi 6 for a listing worth of round $300. That is definitely not cheap, however flashier gaming routers can value $400 or extra.

What’s most spectacular in regards to the RT-AX86U is the way it handles latency. Every time I check a router, I find yourself logging at the very least 100 totally different pace check outcomes, together with the ping time it takes for the router to ship a sign to a distant server and obtain a response. Most routers do fairly effectively, save for the occasional spike. Latency spikes like these could be a killer once you’re taking a look at on-line gaming — however thankfully, the RT-AX86U earned the bottom common ping time of any router I’ve ever examined, by no means spiking any larger than 25ms. That is an excellent end result.

It comes geared up with a USB port, 4 LAN ports, 2.5Gbps and 1Gbps WAN, in addition to WPS.

Past managing lag, Asus additionally boasts a wonderful router app and net management interface for simple setup, together with useful options like a quality-of-service engine, a cell enhance mode for gaming in your cellphone and plenty of different methods to optimize your connection for a superb gaming expertise. Plus, the design is gamer-friendly with out being too over-the-top. In order for you a gaming-minded wi-fi router improve however you are frightened about shopping for greater than you want, look no additional — that is one of the best gaming router and it hits the candy spot.

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The D-Hyperlink DIR-867 was one of the best gaming router for somebody in search of one thing cheap of those I examined for this roundup — and it carried out surprisingly effectively, boasting the quickest common speeds on the two.4GHz band in each our lab-based high pace checks and our home-based real-world pace checks. It held its personal on the faster 5GHz band, too, beating out a number of wi-fi routers that value considerably extra. 

Die-hards will doubtless need extra options targeted on their gaming expertise and efficiency, however the DIR-867 gaming router at the very least features a high quality of service engine to allow you to prioritize gaming visitors above different sorts of community visitors. It is an awesome gaming router for many — particularly if you happen to do not need to break the financial institution on one thing fancier.

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Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC2900

It would not provide the identical high speeds that you’re going to get with Asus’ Wi-Fi 6-equipped GT-AX11000, however that did not cease the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC2900 dual-band router from outperforming it in my residence all through a number of rounds of checks. The GT-AC2900 was one of many high finishers when it comes to common obtain speeds, latency and vary. It provides the identical glorious suite of gaming options as different gaming routers from Asus, together with a customizable High quality of Service engine and game-and-platform-specific open NAT port-forwarding guidelines.

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Amplifi HD Gamer’s Version

Finest gaming router design

(Replace: Again-ordered)

In case you’re in search of a router with gaming-minded key options and design, however you are additionally fascinated about multipoint mesh networking, then check out the Amplifi HD Gamer’s Version from Ubiquiti. It wasn’t a standout in our lab-based top-speed checks, however with plug-in vary extenders which are about as straightforward to make use of because it will get, it excels at spreading a steady, speedy Wi-Fi sign from room to room. 

On high of that, the distinctive, engaging design would not take up an obnoxious quantity of house — and with a touchscreen on the entrance and LED lights across the base, you may truly need it to take a seat out within the open, the place the mesh router performs higher. You may additionally respect the app’s easy-to-use options, together with a devoted low-latency mode that may assist you tweak your connection and keep away from lag on a number of units.

Priced at a excessive premium on Amazon and back-ordered elsewhere, it is an costly possibility for certain, however it’s not outrageous amongst different high-end mesh networks that embrace two range-extenders (for comparability, the Nest Wifi Professional mesh Wi-Fi system usually prices $400 for a three-piece setup, though you may choose it up for a lot much less on sale).

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All of the routers we examined

Together with seeing how at this time’s gaming routers stacked up in opposition to each other, I wished to get a way of how they in contrast with the form of normal routers that you simply may be tempted to improve from. On condition that a couple of of those gaming routers use next-gen Wi-Fi 6 expertise, I made certain to check a couple of different Wi-Fi 6 routers, too.

All advised, that left us with greater than a dozen routers to check. Here is the total checklist:

• Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600 (Replace: Presently Unavailable): $25
• TP-Hyperlink Archer A9 AC1900 (Replace: Presently Unavailable): $100
• D-Hyperlink EXO AC2600: $59
• D-Hyperlink DIR-867 AC1750: $68
• Linksys EA8300 AC2200: $139
• TP-Hyperlink Archer C3150: $99
• Asus RT-AC86U: $265
• Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC2900: $199
• TP-Hyperlink Archer AX6000: $200
• Netgear Nighthawk Professional Gaming XR500: $127
• Netgear Nighthawk AX12: $184
• Asus RT-AX86U: $289
• TP-Hyperlink Archer C5400X: $159
• Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000: $525

How we check gaming routers

Testing routers is a difficult enterprise. Wi-Fi connections are finicky, with numerous variables and key options that may have an effect on your speeds. We do our greatest to account for these variables in our checks, however some components are past our management (and past your router’s management, too).

For example, your private home’s particular web service supplier connection is sort of a pace restrict to your router. In case you’re paying for speeds of as much as, say, 50 megabits per second, then your router will not transmit knowledge from the cloud any quicker than that. The typical ISP obtain pace within the US is someplace round 100Mbps, whereas these residing in areas with entry to fiber connections may get pleasure from speeds of 200, 500 and even 1,000Mbps in the event that they’re actually fortunate.

That raises an apparent query: How do you check the highest pace of a router like that TP-Hyperlink AX6000, which guarantees Wi-Fi 6 knowledge switch charges effectively above 1,000Mbps?

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Prime pace checks

Our method bypasses the ISP solely. As a substitute of utilizing a modem to drag knowledge from the cloud, we pull knowledge from a neighborhood server utilizing a wired connection. Our native server of alternative is a MacBook Professional. We join it to the router utilizing a CAT 7 Ethernet cable to maintain interference as little as doable, plus we use an adapter to hook up with the MacBook’s Thunderbolt 3 port because it helps knowledge switch speeds which are a lot quick for our functions.

From there, we take a second laptop computer and hook up with the router’s wi-fi community; then we clock the speeds as we obtain the information that the router is fetching from the MacBook by way of that wired connection. We run this check a number of instances on every router’s 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and at varied distances. In the long run, we get an awesome have a look at how shortly every router is ready to transmit knowledge to a related system like your cellphone, gaming PC, gaming laptop computer or gaming console of alternative.

Sure, you may see a lot quicker speeds if you happen to join that gaming console on to the router by way of Ethernet cable. We examined these wired speeds too and did not see any noticeable distinction between any of the routers we measured. Every got here inside a megabit or two of 940Mbps, which is what you’d count on from a Gigabit Ethernet connection.

As for wi-fi speeds, the graph above reveals the highest speeds for every router on each the two.4GHz band (blue) and the quicker 5GHz band (purple) at distances of 5, 37.5 and 75 toes. 

Here is what jumps out at me from these outcomes. First, it is easy to identify the three Wi-Fi 6 routers we examined up on the high — they clocked high speeds on the 5GHz band that have been a lot, a lot quicker than every other router we examined. Keep in mind that we’re operating these pace checks on a laptop computer that helps Wi-Fi 6. If we weren’t, these bars would doubtless be lots shorter.

The quickest amongst them was the TP-Hyperlink Archer AX6000, which we measured a median pace of 1,523Mbps on the 5GHz band at a distance of 5 toes. After we elevated the space to 75 toes, the common pace fell to 868Mbps, which remains to be a quicker pace than any of the Wi-Fi 5 routers we examined have been capable of attain in any respect, even up shut.

I ought to observe that these Wi-Fi 6 routers did not blow the competitors away on the two.4GHz band (once more, blue). The router with the quickest common speeds throughout all distances on the two.4GHz band was truly the Netgear Nighthawk Professional Gaming XR500, which does not assist Wi-Fi 6 in any respect. Proper behind it’s the D-Hyperlink DIR-867, which additionally holds the excellence of being the most affordable router we examined for this roundup. That, coupled with the truth that it features a High quality of Service engine that may prioritize gaming visitors, is what made it a simple worth choose on this subject.

That Netgear mannequin was additionally the quickest Wi-Fi 5 router on the 5GHz band, which tells us that it is a fairly succesful piece of {hardware}. In the meantime, our high general choose, the Asus RT-AC86U, was proper behind it with the second-fastest Wi-Fi 5 pace on the 5GHz band, though its pace dipped a bit at medium vary. The aforementioned DIR-867 and the Zyxel Armor Z2 every scored effectively on this pace check, too.

Actual-world speeds

Measuring high speeds in a managed check atmosphere offers us a transparent have a look at what these routers are technically able to, however you will not see speeds that quick in your house. Bear in mind, your router can solely pull knowledge from the cloud as quick as your ISP pace permits and sign energy will differ from residence to residence primarily based on the structure and the quantity of obstructions in the best way.

To account for this, we ran a second batch of checks. This time, I examined every router in my own residence, a smallish shotgun-style home of about 1,200 sq. toes the place I’ve AT&T fiber web speeds of as much as 300Mbps. I ran my pace checks on a Dell XPS 13 laptop computer that is a couple of years previous and would not assist Wi-Fi 6. The purpose was to get a superb have a look at the sorts of speeds most individuals would expertise in the event that they introduced considered one of these routers into their residence.

To collect my knowledge, I ran an abundance of pace checks from 5 totally different areas in my residence, starting from the lounge the place the router lives to a again lavatory on the other finish of the home. All through all of my checks, I at all times saved a TV streaming reside video from PlayStation Vue (RIP) to simulate regular family community visitors in a managed vogue (and in addition so my very affected person roommate might at the very least watch TV whereas politely staying off the Wi-Fi throughout my checks). 

After operating a number of pace checks from every of these areas, I averaged every little thing collectively. ISP speeds can fluctuate all through the day, so to assist account for this as finest as I might, I would run this entire course of once more with every router at a later time. Then, I would common that knowledge with the primary batch of checks.

Fourteen routers, 5 areas in my residence, three checks per location, two rounds of checks (at minimal). If you add within the further checks I ran to double-check a end result or measure the influence of particular options, it quantities to roughly 1,000 pace checks and counting.

These averages proved telling. The highest finisher on the 5GHz band turned out to be the Netgear Nighthawk Professional Gaming XR500, which averaged greater than 250Mbps throughout all of my pace checks, together with ones at the back of my home the place the sign energy is usually poor. The Amplifi HD Gamer’s Version, which makes use of plug-in mesh extenders to assist relay the sign round the home, was the runner-up. It was one of many worst performers after we measured high speeds, however except you could have a blazing-fast web connection of 500Mbps or quicker, you will not discover that in any respect.

As for our high choose, the Asus RT-AX86U, it completed with an general common obtain pace of 218Mbps, which is a robust end and stronger nonetheless once you add within the distinctive lag efficiency.

In the meantime, it was the bargain-priced D-Hyperlink DIR-867 that, as soon as once more, led the best way on the two.4GHz band. With a median pace of 85.9Mbps all through my place, it was the highest finisher, however I would observe that speeds dropped significantly at vary. In that again lavatory I discussed, it averaged a obtain pace of 32.3Mbps, which is about 62% slower than the general common, and an even bigger drop-off than I noticed from nearly each different router I examined. That tells me that the DIR-867 would work finest in small houses like mine. For something greater, you may need one thing with a greater vary.

Regardless of the entire lack of Wi-Fi 6 consumer units in my residence, the Wi-Fi 6-equipped TP-Hyperlink Archer AX6000 was one other standout in my checks, with sturdy common speeds on each the 5GHz and a pair of.4GHz bands and glorious vary from room to room. It noticed the smallest dip in speeds in that again lavatory on the two.4GHz band, and was a top-five finisher by that metric on the 5GHz band, too. 

I am unable to say the identical for the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 or the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000, although. Regardless of excessive high speeds in our first spherical of checks on the lab, neither of these Wi-Fi 6 routers examined effectively in my residence. They have been the 2 backside finishers when it comes to common general obtain speeds on the 5GHz band. Each at present value round $400 — for my cash, the TP-Hyperlink Archer AX6000, which you’ll be able to at present get for $180, is a a lot better improve choose for anybody who’s prepared to leap in with Wi-Fi 6. In case you simply need the gaming-centric options from the Asus ROG lineup, you have received different choices that value much less, just like the GT-AC2900.

Latency

One final level: My glut of at-home pace checks allowed me to check out latency, too. As I mentioned earlier than, there’s solely a lot your router can do to convey lag down, particularly if you happen to’re connecting to a busy server that is hundreds of miles away. Nonetheless, a superb gaming router ought to assist reduce these occasional latency spikes that may be an actual killer once they hit your community at a important second throughout an internet match.

With that in thoughts, I made certain to run every of my dozens and dozens of pace checks connecting every router to the identical server positioned a couple of hundred miles away and I logged the ping to that server every time. Typically, that ping would are available in at round 15 milliseconds or so, however I additionally noticed loads of spikes that have been lots larger than that.

The worst offender was the Linksys EA8300, which returned common latencies of 37.5ms on the two.4GHz band and 35.4ms on the 5GHz; useless final on each fronts. The TP-Hyperlink Archer A9 AC1900 struggled on the two.4GHz band, too, with a median latency of 34.8, though it did handle to do some higher on the 5GHz band, with a median ping just under 20ms.

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The perfect of the bunch? That’d be our high choose, the Asus RT-AX86U. Throughout 90 pace checks at my residence, it did not see a single spike above 20ms, which is really excellent.

One final level on latency. Most of those gaming routers and others like them will do issues like route your gaming visitors to the closest doable server or hold you from becoming a member of public rooms with particularly laggy opponents. Options like these may also help forestall widespread latency pitfalls, however they will not do a lot of something on their very own to enhance your latency throughout the board.

What to observe for

We’ll you’ll want to proceed testing new gaming routers within the months forward, however past that, we began to see the very first routers that assist Wi-Fi 6E on the finish of 2020. Routers like these will add entry to the newly opened 6GHz band, which they get to make use of as form of an extra-wide personal freeway for Wi-Fi 6 visitors. Asus was the primary to announce a Wi-Fi 6E router, and certain sufficient, it is a high-end gaming router. 

We’ll proceed testing what’s on the market, together with budget-priced routers, mesh routers and different high-end, next-gen trendy routers of observe. Anticipate common updates to this put up each time we check new {hardware} that may be a superb match for players and tell us within the feedback if there are any particular fashions or options you would like us to take a better have a look at.