We’ve seen more and more games becoming live services in recent years, requiring a continuous internet connection to run.

Admittedly, you don’t need the fastest fire-blazing internet speed to run any of these games, but what really matters is the connection stability. 

Online gaming can be severely hampered if your hardware is connected to a crowded network managed by a dusty, old, budget-friendly router set up by your ISP. It’s not an exaggeration to say that one household may have up to a dozen Wi-Fi devices connected to the same router. 

Just take into account the number of smartphones in your family, add in a personal laptop, or two, perhaps one Wi-Fi-connected Smart TV set, and you get the number of active connections your home router has to maintain. That’s the same number you have to compete with for the router’s bandwidth just to maintain a playable experience. 

Luckily, you can always change your ISP-issued router for a better-quality one. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the best Wi-Fi Routers for gaming. See our top picks below:

Google Nest Wi-Fi Router

The newest iteration of Google’s Wi-Fi hardware is a worthy replacement and expansion over the previous one, as it provides slightly more than just wireless connectivity to a contemporary home. In essence, it preserves many unique features of Google Wi-Fi, but it doesn’t reinvent the wheel completely or alter the device’s performance in any way. 

However, it does finally include Google Home functionality, which allows the Nest Wi-Fi to act as a 2-in-1 home Wi-Fi router and a smart home hub. Fortunately, there are a lot of features available, such as traffic prioritization, hassle-free setup, parental controls, and impeccable aesthetic design. 

Having said that, this dual-band device (both 2.4GHz and 5GHz) with 2 Ethernet ports is more oriented towards home users rather than gamers. However, the device’s aesthetics, paired with an exceptionally easy setup, is the reason why we decided to add Google Nest Wi-Fi to our list. 

ASUS RT-AX86U

The next router we recommend offers some serious gaming performance; ASUS RT-AX86U offers consistent speeds, a great array of gamers-pro features, and strong performance when it comes to latency. The device debuted in 2020; it added the support for Wi-Fi 6 that its predecessor lacked for an asking price of $280. 

Admittedly, that’s not inexpensive, but considering that some high-performance routers go as high as $400 or even more, the price tag associated with this device is actually quite reasonable. The RT-ability AX86U’s to manage latency is perhaps its greatest strength. 

Along with handy features like a quality-of-service engine, a mobile boost mode for smartphone gaming, and numerous other methods to enhance your connection, Asus also offers an excellent router app and web control interface for simple setup. 

D-Link DIR-867

The D-Link DIR-867 is perhaps the most affordable gaming router on our list, as its price regularly drops below the $120 price mark. However, the relatively low price doesn’t mean poor performance, at least not in this case. The device is actually performing admirably, registering the fastest averaging 2.4GHz band speeds in both lab-based top-speed testing and real-world speed tests at home. 

Die-hard gamers will probably look for more gamer-geared features that would up their gaming experience, such as the QoS engine that prioritizes gaming over other forms of traffic. Luckily, buying this router shouldn’t be too taxing on anyone’s budget, allowing gamers to allocate the funds towards their gaming setups. 

TP-Link Archer AX11000 Tri-Band Gaming Router

This router doesn’t just look like a miniaturized version of an alien mothership; it actually performs like one. It offers outstanding performance, a gamer-friendly UI, and a wide selection of I/O ports. It’s quite possibly one of the best all-around gaming routers on the market, which is mirrored by its hefty asking price. 

However, it’s loaded with features and top-notch hardware to keep you in your game. It’s a worthy consideration, especially if your current router is no longer up to par with modern gaming. The AX11000 is a pricey bit of hardware, but it offers a quick throughput and a number of game-enhancing features, such as one-click bandwidth prioritization, 

Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300

The Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300 is a powerful Wi-Fi 5 router that offers a wide range of connectivity choices and online gaming in mind. It has dual USB 3.0 ports, link aggregation capability, and eight 1GbE LAN connections, two of which automatically receive bandwidth priority for usage with gaming PCs and consoles. 

Even though it employs Wi-Fi 5 technology and is an 802.11ac router, if you don’t currently have any Wi-Fi 6 clients and don’t intend to add any in the near future, this enormous router will keep your network running well while guarding it against malware and virus attacks.

Final Thoughts

This concludes our list of Best Wi-Fi Routers for Gaming. We hope that our guide helped you choose the best device for your gaming needs. We’d like to add that pricier doesn’t always mean better; depending on your application, a home router might do the trick. But if you’re streaming or competing or simply want an impeccably smooth gaming experience, you’ll need a gaming router.