The best gaming routers offer fast and reliable connections. It really is that simple. With Wi-Fi 6 support growing, and promising greater bandwidth to a greater number of devices, now is the perfect time to upgrade your old router with something a little smarter.

Setting up the perfect home network for gaming is crucial for making sure all that money you're paying for super-fast broadband is being used for the things that matter. And by things that matter, I mean playing Apex Legends, Valorant and Destiny 2 lag-free. Even the best gaming laptops or gaming PCs need a little help to get the best performance if you're looking for faster downloads or the smoothest experience for online gaming.

The best gaming routers have multiple LAN ports for wired connections—which are preferred, if possible—but most differ from ISP-provided gear through use of the latest Wi-Fi standards, such as 802.11ax aka Wi-Fi 6. This means faster and more efficient wireless data throughput for a greater number of devices. That last bit is key to rock-solid wireless performance in an age of smart devices and appliances.

Before you splash out on a new router, however, you will need to make sure that it is compatible with your current ISP. Some ISP-provided cable modems, for example, don't offer pass-through connectivity to allow a high-performance router to be paired with it. So it's important to make sure you're not wasting your money.

The reason you go with a gaming router over a normal router is that they can prioritize traffic to your gaming PC and consoles—they're built to be greedy. The best gaming router reduces lag during your online game sessions even if other devices in your household are streaming or downloading. If you've had the same router for years, it might be the right time to consider an upgrade if you want to get the most of your internet.

Best gaming router 2020

Asus RT-AX88U (Image credit: Asus)

The Asus RT-AX88U is the best choice for a high-end router. It features next generation Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) technology, and an impressive eight Gigabit Ethernet ports, which even support link aggregation. Backing this up is the usual excellent AsusWRT interface, which allows granular control of every imaginable setting. There is also class leading Adaptive QoS, along with Trend Micro antivirus and the WTFast GPN—all with subscriptions included for the lifetime of the router—which are standouts among competing routers.



While the 2.4 GHz speeds are adequate, the 5 GHz speeds are where the RT-AX88U shines. Furthermore, for gaming in a congested environment, this router outdistances the competition. Sure, next generation 'super router' performance comes at a price of $346, but given these benchmarks, at least it's justifiable.

Read our Asus RT-AX88U review.

Netgear Nighthawk XR700

2. Netgear Nighthawk XR700 The latest Nighthawk is a superb gaming router Speed: AD7200 (Tri-band 4600(AD) + 1733(5GHz)+ 800(2.4GHz) Mbps wireless speed) | Wi-Fi: 5 (802.11ac) | LAN Ports: 7 | Antennas: 4 | Processor: Quad-core 1.7GHz | Dimensions: 15.33 x 12.49 x 5.32 inch No price information Check Amazon 10 Gigabit LAN SFP+ port Port aggregation Gaming traffic prioritization

The Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 is a strong follow up to the XR500, which impressed us last year as it was the fastest router we had tested to date . Both are part of the company's 'Nighthawk Pro Gaming' networking line of products—but the XR700 is even faster than its predecessor.

The XR700 has plenty of the right ingredients, with one WAN and six LAN ports for enough wired connections, support for link aggregation , and even a 10 Gigabit LAN SFP+ port for ridiculous Ethernet bandwidth. Let's just get it out of the way—with all the attention on the wireless market heading to 802.11ax/Wi-Fi 6 , this XR700 uses a combination of last generation 802.11ac/Wi-Fi 5 wireless, and 802.11ad technology (that's the 60 GHz frequency one), which unfortunately has not gone mainstream. It also supports Beamforming via four active antennas.

Another highlight of the XR700 is the gaming-centric Duma OS, which boasts Geo-Filter tech to connect to the closest server when gaming. The XR700 has granular control of the bandwidth, and can prioritize throughput by each individual device, for both the upload and download separately, and can assign a specific percentage for each device to balance the load—thereby preventing any single device from becoming a bandwidth hog.

In our tests the XR700 is a strong all around performer, starting with the 2.4 GHz frequency with some of the fastest scores to date of 284 Mbps at close range, and 225 Mbps on our far test. This continued on our 5 GHz testing with strong scores of 325 Mbps and 332 Mbps at close and far ranges, respectively.

ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 (Image credit: Asus)

The Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 is designed to be the class leading, 'best of the best' gaming router, and looking at the hardware specs, it delivers—big time. Building on the prior routers of this series, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300 , and adding in Wi-Fi 6 technology , it promises a lot. This router uses a dedicated 2.5G Base-T port for higher wired bandwidth along with four Gigabit LAN ports, although we prefer the eight ports that other Asus routers offer .

On the wireless side of things, this is a Wi-Fi 6 tri-band solution offering more than 10 Gigabits of wireless bandwidth, along with DFS bands to avoid interference. Additional gaming-centric features include integrated WTFast, VPN Fusion to segregate gaming traffic from VPN for maximum throughput, Dynamic QoS to prioritize gaming traffic, Games Radar (no, not that one) to check the ping times to different game servers to minimize latency, and for those that prefer a more colorful surrounding, Aura RGB.

Running the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 through our testing left us seriously impressed. While the 2.4 GHz speeds are decent 171 Mbps on the far test, the 5 GHz speeds are exceptional, with the fastest throughput speed of any router so far at 334 Mbps. Oh, and we don't even have an 802.11ax USB Wi-Fi adapter yet, so this is using 802.11ac gear on the client side. Yes, this router is really that good.

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TP-Link Archer C5400X

TP-Link's latest high-end gaming router is a significant improvement over previous models, and now ranks among the best gaming routers around—especially when it comes to the 5GHz range, at which it excels. Our review of the TP-Link Archer C5400X saw us awarding it near-top marks. What we love about it is how easy the C5400X is to set-up and use, while still offering strong features: the ability to easily manage QoS, the inclusion of network security (via Trend Micro), and options to not only blacklist but also whitelist certain devices.



In terms of the throughput speeds, our tests clocked the following for the Archer C5400X: at 2.4GHz it delivers 117 Mbps near / 112 Mbps far, which is kinda middling, while at 5GHz the it performs extremely well, clocking 344 Mbps near and 347 Mbps far. From this perspective, it's market-leading.

What disappoints, if anything, is the lack of specific tech to decrease latency, which you see in competing models of the same price, like the Netgear XR500. In terms of ports and antennae it's near identical to the superb Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300, but doesn't quite offer the same performance. It is, however, a cheaper alternative and a highly-recommended gaming router that's pleasingly easy to set-up and manage.

Read our full TP-Link Archer C5400X review.

Netgear Nighthawk AX4

Wi-Fi 6 is spreading across product lineups, and the Nighthawk AX4 is an excellent example of what this spec can accomplish, even on a more budget router. The Nighthawk AX4 does not have the flashy colored stripes and LEDs of high-end gear. Rather it has a horizontal orientation, with two external antennas, four Gigabit LAN ports, a single USB port, and a row of green indicator LEDs.

The Nighthawk app handles the interface, although it can also be used via a web portal, but this is also more generic, as you won’t find the DumaOS here, but the more familiar Netgear one. There is also the option for QoS (which is a simple toggle on or off) for gaming, but there is no granular control to better balance gaming needs, and video streaming across multiple connected devices to better optimize the experience.

In testing, the AX4 achieved some great performance numbers when it came to throughput, with a close testing speed of 344 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz frequency, and 345 Mbps on the 5 GHz frequency. It was also no slouch on the far testing with 222 Mbps on 2.4 GHz, and 309 Mbps on the 5 GHz frequency showing the value of the Wi-Fi 6 spec. For those that want the throughput that Wi-Fi 6 offers, at a more affordable price than most, then the Netgear AX4 is an attractive offering.

TP-Link Archer C9 AC1900

6. TP-Link Archer C9 AC1900 The best budget option for gaming routers Speed: AC1900 | Wi-Fi: 5 (802.11ac) | LAN Ports: 4 | Antennas: 3 | Processor: Dual-core 1GHz | Dimensions: 8.7 x 3.4 x 6.6 in (221 x 86 x 168.5 mm) $189 View at Amazon 19 Amazon customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Space saving design Solid speeds Budget price

The design of the TP-Link Archer C9 can be described as 'quirky.' The exterior is a glossy white, and rather than the typical horizontal design, the Archer C9 heads in the other direction with a space saving vertical design, complete with a metal kickstand. Despite the price, this is no barebones model, as it has two USB ports, supports Beamforming, has four Gigabit Ethernet ports, and has parental controls.

The performance is impressive across the board, dominating other budget routers and seriously outperforming its price point. With throughput speeds that bested many other routers on the board, such as its 5 GHz speeds that we clocked at 311 Mbps on the close test, it's clearly punching above its weight.

How we test: gaming routers

All the routers in this guide were tested first hand using a variety of high bandwidth applications, including gaming, 4K video, file transfers, and general web surfing. The latest version of the router's firmware was flashed onto the router at the onset of testing. All the client devices used were consistent throughout testing, running the latest drivers and software.

Testing was done for throughput using NetPerf software. A desktop with a Gigabit Ethernet port (10/100/1000) was used to send the data via a wired connection to the router via a CAT 5e cable.

Each wireless router is tested at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, at both close and far distances, with the highest throughput of each parameter reported. The client used was Trendnet TEW-809UB, our high-end choice for the best USB Wi-Fi Adapter. The throughput was tested both at a "close" 8 ft (2.4m) distance with direct line of sight, and also at a "far" 30 ft (9.1m) distance with an obstructing floor and wall in the way, as well as some metal ductwork intervening. The "close" test indicates the peak throughput of the hardware, while the "far" test is a more realistic test of what the end user will experience when separated from the router by a wall or floor.